Boise State redshirt freshman Allie Ostrander was named the Mountain West Conference Female Athlete of the Year Wednesday after a breakout outdoor track and field season that culminated with an NCAA Division I championship.
Ostrander, a 2015 Kenai Central graduate, is the first freshman to receive the award since it was instituted in 2009.
Ostrander joins former Boise State runner Emma Bates as Broncos recipients of the prestigious honor. Bates collected MW Female Athlete of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
The award was presented to Ostrander after a season that saw her compete in the 1,500-, 5,000- and 10,000-meter races — including a conference title in the 10K — as well as the 3,000-meter steeplechase, an event that Ostrander had never formerly competed in before.
However, in just her fourth time running the event June 10 at the NCAA Outdoor Track &Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Ostrander used a last-lap surge to capture the Division I women’s steeplechase crown in a nation-leading time of 9 minutes, 41.31 seconds, her first national title as a Bronco and the first freshman to win it in 11 years. Ostrander then showed up less than 90 minutes later to compete in the women’s final of the 5,000 meters, where she finished fourth.
Ostrander also picked up her second and third All-American honors of her collegiate career.
