Coach Clay Calkins said Annie Beecham and Kari Summers both had the potential to qualify for nationals at the NCAA East Regional track meet this weekend.
He also said that, with a good race, Beecham would qualify for the NCAA Championships. She did better than that.
Beecham finished in third place in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 33 minutes and 50 seconds, shaving 18 seconds off her previous best time in the event.
Beecham will compete in Des Moines, Iowa next week on June 8.
“That’s a great accomplishment for any athlete. It’s the ultimate goal,” Calkins said. “(It’s a) great way to cap off a career.”
Her teammate, Summers, finished in 20th place in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10 minutes and 29 seconds. She cut close to nine seconds off her personal best time in the event.
“She did a great job and just missed it (qualifying),” Calkins said. “ (She was) not too far off, just six seconds.”
He said he was happy with her finish because she has had limited opportunities to compete in the event.
The decorated athletes will leave with a shelf full of honors in both the conference and school record books.
Beecham now holds the all-time Mid-American Conference record for the 10,000-meter run with her performance on Friday.
Summers now owns the school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase. She broke Jenielle Hunt’s record from a year ago.
With the records these athletes have accumulated, it might take a while for the marks to be broken again, but it is something that Calkins said he hopes
will happen.
“I hope so; that means there are good runners coming up. It will be a tall order,” Calkins said. “Hunt set the school record in the steeple, and we thought that would stand, but Hunt’s time was broken one year later.”
These two athletes will be leaving as two of the best in the program’s history, Calkins said.
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