Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Day 3
Kipp Finishes Fifth In 3000-Meter Steeplechase Final
June 13, 2014 | Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. – University of Colorado senior Shalaya Kipp finished fifth in the 3000-meter steeplechase final on day three of the 2014 NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon, Friday evening.
Kipp, CU's lone competitor on the day, clocked-in with 9:48.90 time, her second best time of the season under a cool, windy day (west 11 MPH) with temperatures in the low 60s. The fifth place finish earns Kipp her 10th All-American honor, four of them in the steeplechase.
Leah O'Connor from Michigan State won the race with a school record time of 9:36.43. O'Connor bettered the previous Spartans school mark of 9:39.38, set by Nicole Bush in 2009.
“It wasn't Shalaya's best day, coming in as the favorite,” CU head coach Mark Wetmore said. “Leah O'Connor (Michigan State) made a strong move about a lap-and-a-half to go, and Shalaya was unable to respond. Anyway, she's had an amazing, wonderful career. She's one of our favorite people to have here at CU; smart, funny, totally cooperative, a wonderful young woman and we're just so thrilled to had her. We're sad that we didn't have a great day on the last race, but it will turn around, in the next couple of weeks.”
Kipp and O'Connor were side-by-side for much of the first five of the seven laps, while Baylor's Rachel Johnson (9:44.47), who finished third overall, pushed ahead into the lead with two laps to go. O'Connor and Kipp followed, respectively.
With one lap remaining, O'Connor pressed ahead for good with the fastest collegiate time of the year.
Boise State's Marisa Howard (9:43.82) crossed the finish line in second, followed by Johnson, with Rachel Sorna of Cornell (9:46.96) finishing fourth.
The CU women's track program has dominated the steeplechase on the national stage since 2006, having won the event six of the past nine NCAA championships. Emma Coburn won the race in 2011 and 2013, Kipp in 2012, and Jenny Barringer (now Simpson) won the national steeplechase titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009 (college record mark 9:25.54).
Kipp's 2012 NCAA steeplechase title time was 9:49.02 time at Drake University.
Overall, the CU women moved to 11th place with 11 points in the team standings.
Kipp, a May 2014 graduate with degrees in integrative physiology and psychology, will now focus her attention to the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif., June 26-29.
The final day of the NCAA Track and Field Championships concludes Saturday with sophomore Carrie Verdon competing in the 5,000-meter final (4:24 p.m. MDT). Verdon is CU's lone participant on Saturday and to follow her event please click the results link: http://results.flashresults.com/2014_Meets/outdoor/06-09-NCAA/index.htm
NCAA Track and Field Championships
University of Oregon, Hayward Field
Friday, June 13
Day Three
Women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase (FINAL)
1. Leah O'Connor (Michigan State) 9:36.43; 2. Marisa Howard (Boise State) 9:43.82; 3. Rachel Johnson (Baylor) 9:44.47; 4. Rachel Sorna (Cornell) 9:46.96; 5. Shalaya Kipp (Colorado) 9:48.90; 6. Grace Heymsfield (Arkansas) 9:49.01; 7. Jessica Kamilos (Arkansas) 9:49.25; 8. Alexa Aragon (Notre Dame) 9:54.27; 9. Maya Rehberg (Iona) 9:55.73; 10. Liberty Miller (Washington) 10:03.34; 11. Sarah Martinelli (West Virginia) 10:12.73; 12. Tova Magnusson (SMU) 10:33.59
Team Scoring (Women) Thru Event 42
1) Oregon 43.0; 2) Texas A&M 33.0; 3) Texas 29; 4. Georgia 25; 5) Florida 23; 6) Akron 20; 7) Boise State 18 and Kentucky 18; 9. Arkansas 14.5; 10) LSU 13; 11) Colorado 12.
Team Scoring (Men) Thru Event 42
1) Oregon 53; 2) Florida 28; 3) Georgia 24; 4) Wisconsin 20; 5) Texas 19.5; 6) Texas A&M 17.5; 7) Nebraska and Oklahoma State 16; 9) Arizona 15.5; 10) Baylor 15; 43) Colorado 2.0
