Allie Ostrander, a 2015 graduate of Kenai Central, was named the Women’s Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Monday by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Ostrander picked up her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in May with a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average. Although she had one year of athletic eligibility remaining at Boise State due to years missed to injury earlier in her career, Ostrander has elected to turn pro.
The Soldotna runner adds the award to a list of big accomplishments this season, including defending her 3,000-meter steeplechase title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Ostrander is the first woman to win three straight titles in the steeplechase and the 15th woman to win three straight in the same event.
Ostrander also made the College Sports Information Directors of America Google Cloud Academic Track and Field/Cross Country First Team in June, and nabbed a NCAA Elite 90 Award at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Ostrander will compete at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in Des Moines, Iowa, with her first event coming Friday at 1:57 p.m. ADT when she competes in the first round. The event is scheduled to be broadcast on NBC Gold.
Ostrander comes into the event with the fifth-fastest seed time at 9 minutes, 31.44 seconds. Courtney Frerichs, a 2016 Olympian, has the fastest time at 9:00.85. Emma Coburn, the seven-time national champ and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is right behind at 9:04.90.
If Ostrander makes it to the final, she will run Sunday at 3:09 p.m. That’s scheduled to be on NBCSN.
