Former Boise State star earns No. 2 seed for national final in steeplechase
UPDATE (JULY 26): Former Boise State track star Allie Ostrander finished second in the preliminary round of the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday at the 2019 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships. Ostrander finished 1.19 seconds behind American record holder Courtney Frerichs in her heat, and they were the two fastest runners of the day. Marisa Howard, another former Boise State star, finished third in the other heat and sixth overall. The final is set for 5:09 p.m. MT on Sunday (NBC Sports).
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Allie Ostrander makes her professional debut with the Brooks Beasts Track Club at the 2019 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships this week in Des Moines, Iowa.
The former Boise State great competes in the first round of the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at 3:57 p.m. MT on Friday at Drake University. Competition will be televised by NBC Sports Gold beginning at 11:30 a.m. MT and switch over to NBC Sports at 5 p.m.
Ostrander, who won her third straight NCAA title in the steeplechase in June, is seeded fifth overall with a time of 9 minutes, 31.44 seconds. American record holder Courtney Frerichs, running for Nike/Bowerman Track Club, has the top time at 9:00.85. Seven-time national champion and defending world champ Emma Coburn is seeded second at 9:04.90. Another Boise State alum, Marisa Howard, is seeded right behind Ostrander in sixth.
Ostrander runs in the first heat Friday along with Frerichs, while Howard is in the second heat with Coburn. The top five from each heat and the next four fastest times advance to the steeplechase final, which is set for 5:09 p.m. MT on Sunday (NBC Sports). The top three finishers — plus Coburn as the defending champion — will represent Team USA at the World Championships later this year in Doha, Qatar.
Earlier this month, Ostrander hired an agent and announced her decision to forgo her senior year at Boise State and turn pro. She intends to train for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but has not yet chosen an event. Ostrander wrapped up the 2019 outdoor collegiate season with a nation-leading time in the 10,000 meters and ranked among the top 20 nationally in the 1,500 (12th, 4:14.76) and 5,000 (17th, 15:45.66). She also competed at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in 2016, placing eighth in the 5,000.
Ostrander picked up another academic honor Monday when she was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Women’s Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She received her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in May and boasts a 4.0 GPA.
There are three other athletes with Gem State ties scheduled to compete at this week’s USATF Championships. Boise State alum David Elliott runs in the men’s 5,000 final on Sunday (5:23 p.m.). Sadi Henderson, who ran for Boise State for three years before transferring to San Francisco for her senior season, races in the first round of the women’s 800 on Thursday (5:22 p.m.). Madison High graduate Chari Hawkins will compete in the heptathlon, which begins Saturday.
Junior Olympics: Incoming Cole Valley Christian senior Brooke Weimer, who won four titles at the 2A state track meet in May, finished fourth in the girls 17-18 division of the heptathlon Tuesday at the USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, California. Weimer had the best mark among heptathletes in the long jump with a distance of 18 feet, 11.25 inches. She competes in the open long jump on Thursday. ... Brothers Peyton and Jaxon Bair of Kimberly won the boys 17-18 decathlon and 15-16 decathlon, respectively. ... Reigning 5A state champion Eli Lawrence of Meridian placed fifth in the boys 15-16 triple jump with a mark of 44-3.5. ... Zoe Johnson of Eagle tied for sixth in the girls 17-18 high jump, clearing 5-5.
This story was originally published July 23, 2019 at 6:23 PM.
