COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Senior
Sarah Anderson wrapped up her UC Davis distance running career with a berth in the NCAA Outdoor Championships West Preliminaries women's 10,000-meter semifinal race on Thursday, crossing the finish line with a time of 37 minutes, 8.02 seconds. She placed 40th in the field, from which the top 12 earned tickets to the national finals in Eugene, Oregon.
A fifth-year animal science major and the Aggies' female representative for the 2020 Big West Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, Anderson posted a split of 6:57.05 after 2,000 meters, 14:11.85 after 4K, 21:40.62 through 6K and 29:29:29 at the 8K. She then closed out with a 1:22.29 split for the final lap.
Thursday's race closed out a decorated UC Davis career that included four top-three 10K finishes at the Big West meet, including the individual title in 2018. She ranks fifth in school history for that distance with a personal record of 34:34.47, set at Oregon's Hayward Premiere earlier this season. Anderson also ranks ninth all-time in the 5,000 with a 16:36.19 in 2019. Additionally, she is a former All-Big West performer in cross country, thanks to a 10th-place finish in 2018.
Anderson represents the last Aggie student-athlete in the 2021 NCAA West Prelims, held at Texas A&M's E.B. Cushing Stadium.
Jered Española (pole vault),
Matthew Okonkwo (400 meters) and
Anthony Easter (400-meter hurdles) represented the Aggies in Wednesday's session.
NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS WEST PRELIMS, DAY 2
E.B. Cushing Stadium (Texas A&M)
Only events with UC Davis competitors are included. Winner/leader plus Aggies are listed.
WOMEN'S 10,000 METERS SEMIFINAL - 1. Grace Forbes, Rice, 33:28.47... 40.
Sarah Anderson, 37:08.02.
ABOUT UC DAVIS:
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
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