Denfeld Set For Regional Run
The women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase is run in a finals-only format and the number of qualifiers - 27 - necessitates dividing the race in two sections, with nine runners in Denfeld’s section. Times from the two sections will be compared to determine the overall order of finish.
“I was happy to see that,” OSU head coach Kelly Sullivan said of splitting the field into halves for the event. “With a smaller field, Lauren has the chance to go out and race head-to-head with the others in her section and it gives her the opportunity to win or place high (in the section).”
Denfeld set the OSU school record in the event in late March when she ran a time of 10 minutes, 46.54 seconds in the Stanford Invitational.
“Lauren has come a long way from where she was last year,” Sullivan said of Denfeld, whose best time in 2006 was 11:06. “She’s worked hard at improving in a very challenging event, and it has paid off for her. Now she has the chance to run in another high-caliber meet and test herself against what is probably the best regional field in that event in the country. It’s a terrific opportunity for her.”
Denfeld is the second Beaver to qualify for the NCAA West Regionals since the program was reinstated in the fall of 2004. In 2006, OSU's Ashley Younce qualified in the women's 5,000 meters.
