SEATTLE – Allie Ostrander fought through steady rain and howling winds to win the NCAA West Regional on Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle on Friday afternoon with a 6-kilometer time of 20:10.9. Her performance led the Broncos to 80 points on the day, earning second place (falling just short of first-place Oregon (79)) and securing an automatic team bid to the NCAA National Championships next weekend in Louisville, Ky.
“It felt really good,” said Ostrander. “It was a fun race, kind of adventurous out there with it being muddy and slick, but it was fun and it made it all the better that we had a good team race.”
Ostrander becomes the second athlete in Boise State history to win the West Regional, joining Emma Bates (2013). The freshman reached another gear at the 4-kilometer mark and slowly began to put space between herself and the rest of the field. She was clear of the second-place competitor – Waverly Neer of Oregon – by 22 seconds.
Fellow freshman Brenna Peloquin turned in an outstanding performance herself, taking fourth place with a time of 20:37.8 to give the Broncos their second top-five finish. Sophomore Minttu Hukka quickly made it a third top-five finish for the Blue and Orange when she crossed the line in 20:42.2 to make it an exceptional 1-4-5 finish for Boise State’s top three runners. All three runners earned USTFCCCA All-West Region honors with their finishes. The three honors is the most for the women’s team at a West Regional in school history.
“The women continue to impress,” said head coach Corey Ihmels. “I thought our top three pretty much controlled the race. Any time you automatically qualify to the national meet it’s exciting, but to lose by a point to a very good Oregon team is a little disappointing, but exciting as well because we’ll get another chance to go at it next week.”
Nationals are scheduled to take place in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 21.
…story contributed by broncosports.com
NCAA Announces All-Region Honorees
NEW ORLEANS – All-Region honorees for NCAA Division I Cross Country were recognized Friday evening by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following the day’s NCAA regional championships meets.
A total of 450 student-athletes (225 men and 225 women) earned the distinction by finishing among the top 25 individual finishers at one of the nine regional sites across the country. Only athletes competing for USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for the award.
Freshman runners – including West Region women’s champ Allie Ostrander of Boise State – accounted for 33 of the women’s awards and 16 of the men’s.