Mills Advances to National Championships in Steeplechase
5/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
AUSTIN, Texas - In only her sophomore season, Shelby Mills will be the first Gonzaga student-athlete to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. She qualified for the semifinals in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a 10th place finish at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships Friday.
Mills broke her own program record with a time of 10:11.37 at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas. She finished fourth in the second heat, and qualified with one of the top 12 times in the 48-runner field. The Snohomish, Wash. native was not an automatic qualifier from her heat, but she had the third fastest at-large time.
"Shelby ran aggressively, though she really wasn't excited about her running performance," GU women's Head Coach Patty Ley said. "We're excited to move on to Eugene. Shelby handled herself really well with the adversity. I'm proud of her, and now to keep this rolling!"
Mills advances to the semifinals at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on June 11. The event begins at 4:38 p.m. on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Entering the event, Mills had the 14th seed time at 10:18.42, the fourth fastest in the heat. Her time was 49th in the country. Earlier this season, she shattered the program's 3,000-meter steeplechase school record by nearly 30 seconds at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Friday, Boise State's Marisa Howard had the top finish in the second heat at 9:59.55. In the first heat, Courtney Frerichs of Missouri-Kansas City crossed the line at 9:48.30, the best time of the prelim.
In the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Troy Fraley crossed the line at 9:10.49. He placed 29th in the event, and 10th in the second heat. The sophomore entered the race as the 34th seed in the region and 12th in his heat.
"Troy got valuable experience as a pure sophomore," Director of Gonzaga Track Pat Tyson said. "There were 16 guys dueling for much of the first 2K in a clump. He ran a bit wild and not super relaxed, but never gave up. He finished strong passing four down the homestretch. Troy will be hungry to run in 12 months in Lawrence!"
On April 3, Fraley broke the Gonzaga program record at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival with a time of 8:56.23.
On Saturday, Maggie Jones is in the second of two heats in the women's 5,000 meters at 6:05 p.m. Pacific Time. She has the 39th-fastest time in the region, and is 20th in her heat. The top five finishers from each heat, along with the next two fastest times, advance to the final in Eugene. Jones ran a 16:27.86 at the Oregon Relays on April 17. She sits third on the GU all-time list.
Willie Milam follows in the men's 5,000 meters at 6:45 p.m. Pacific Time. He is in the first of two heats, and also needs to be in the top five of the heat or have one of the top next fastest times to advance. The senior returns to the 5,000-meter field at the NCAA West Preliminaries. Last season, he had the best NCAA all-time finish of any Zag in 18th place in Fayetteville, Ark.
At the Stanford Invitational, Milam broke the program record with a time of 13:53.74, which is seeded 26th in Austin. He has the 13th fastest time in his heat. The Portland, Ore. native also set a new 10,000-meter school record at the Mt. SAC Relays this season.
Live video and results from the second day of the NCAA West Preliminaries will be available with links on GoZags.com.
Gonzaga's NCAA West Preliminary ScheduleTimes listed are central time zone
Thursday
Men's 1,500 meters first round: Andy Phillips (3:50.40, 25th)
Women's 10,000 meters semifinals: Jessica Mildes (36:54.57, 39th)
Friday
Women's 3,000-meter steeplechase quarterfinals: Shelby Mills (10:11.37, 10th)
Men's 3,000-meter steeplechase quarterfinals: Troy Fraley (9:10.49, 29th)
Saturday
8:05 p.m. - Women's 5,000 meters semifinals: Maggie Jones
(Top five from each heat and next two fastest times advance to final in Eugene)
8:45 p.m. - Men's 5,000 meters semifinals: Willie Milam
(Top five from each heat and next two fastest times advance to final in Eugene)
