USI Event Results Only
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Senior All-American Mary Ballinger completed her story-book career at the University of Southern Indiana Saturday evening by finishing third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Ballinger, who became the third female student-athlete in school history to win a national championship when she won the steeplechase at the 2009 NCAA II Outdoor Championships, finished the race in 10 minutes, 23.10 seconds. The time was just .12 seconds shy of her school-record mark she posted at the national meet a year ago.
A pair of record-setting performances by Adams State College freshman Alicia Nelson and Shippensburg University senior Mary Dell were needed to dethrone Ballinger as the defending national champion in the event.
Nelson won the race with an NCAA II meet-record time of 10 minutes, 11.48 seconds, while Dell was second with what would have been an NCAA II meet-record time of 10 minutes, 20.37 seconds had she not finished behind Nelson.
Still, Ballinger claimed her third All-America honor of the 2009-10 cross country/track season with the finish—she was fifth at the NCAA II Cross Country Championships last fall and eighth in the mile at the NCAA II Indoor Track & Field Championships in March. It is her ninth All-America honor in her illustrious three-year career at USI.
Freshman Michael Jordan was not as fortunate, however, as he finished 12th in the men’s steeplechase. Jordan, who advanced to the finals in just his first appearance at the NCAA II Outdoor Championships Thursday night, crossed the tape in nine minutes, 34.43 seconds.
On Thursday, sophomore’s Dustin Emerick and Jackie Henderson finished 12th and 15th, respectively, in the men’s and women’s 10,000 meters. Emerick finished the men’s race in 31 minutes, 23.47 seconds after Henderson crossed the finish line in the women’s race in 36 minutes, 29.12 seconds.