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| Cleary |
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| Gillespie |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University distance runner Kaitlyn Gillespie is headed to Eugene, Oregon, where she will cap her career by competing at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field on Thursday.
The meet will run June 10-13 at the legendary complex. Gillespie will participate in the 10,000-meter run, which is set for a 9:38 p.m. ET start on Thursday night.
“This championship is arguably the finest track meet outside of the Olympic Games,” said WVU track coach Sean Cleary. “It is surely the opportunity of a lifetime for these collegiate athletes. Katie Gillespie has already established herself as one of the finest distance runners in our program’s history. This race allows her the chance to emulate her cross country success on the oval.”
A three-time All-American in cross country, Gillespie will look match her feat on the track after a slew of injuries nearly derailed her career. The Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, native sat out of both cross country and track last season before resuming her career in the fall of 2014.
Gillespie won the 10,000-meter title at the 2015 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship in a time of 33:45.56. The mark put her seventh in the East Region, earning her a spot at the 2015 NCAA East Region Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Florida, at the end of May. Gillespie went on to take fifth in 33:56.69, earning a trip to Eugene as one of the top-12 finishers.
A top-8 finish by Gillespie would make her the program’s most recent first-team All-American at the event. Stormy Nesbit earned All-America honors in the triple jump last season.
The 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will air live on ESPNU. Live results and a full meet schedule can be found at WVUSports.com.
