Kenai Peninsula track athletes Allie Ostrander, Danielle McCormick and Jonah Theisen all made their mark on the national stage Friday and Saturday.
Friday, Soldotna’s Ostrander qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 7 to 10 thanks to her performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships in Austin, Texas.
The Kenai Central graduate and redshirt freshman at Boise State finished in 10 minutes, 00.02 seconds, in the first heat for the fastest qualifying time of the day.
Saturday, Ostrander secured her second entry in Eugene by running 16:25.76 to take second in the second heat of 5,000 qualifying.
Friday at the Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Brandenton, Florida, Theisen finished 10th in the 3,000 steeplechase. The Kenai Central graduate won the event last year, but this year’s race returned six point scorers from a year ago.
The Black Hills State sophomore finished at 9:18.01, while Daniel Michalski of Cedarville won the race at 8:44.49.
Theisen has competed in every NCAA championship in his Black Hills State career — the 2015 and 2016 cross-country championships, and the 2015 and 2016 indoor and outdoor track championships.
Saturday at the NCAA Division II meet, Soldotna graduate and University of Alaska Anchorage sophomore Danielle McCormick took seventh in the 800 with a time of 2:08.72. The result earned McCormick her first All-America honor.
Friday, McCormick qualified for the 800 finals. McCormick was sixth overall and first in her heat at 2:08.03. She holds the UAA school record at 2:07.60.
