Teresa Ross Richer hit the NAIA A Standard when she competed in the St. Paddy’s Marathon in Des Moines, Iowa on March 19. Her time of 3:28:50.65 was more than five minutes better than the NAIA A Standard time of 3:34:00.00 in the 26.2-mile race. She was the only freshman, male or female, to qualify in the marathon at the NAIA level. Only the half marathon will be offered at the National Championships, which Ross Richer will compete in with the half marathon qualifiers and the other marathon qualifiers.
Ross Richer ran a negative split in the St. Paddy's Marathon. She ran a time of 1:45:38 for the first 13.1 miles and a faster time of 1:43:11 in the latter half. On average, she was running at a 7:58 pace per mile. Ross Richer is one of just four women that qualified for the NAIA in the marathon – and she is the only freshman in that group.
Annika Fisher qualified in the women’s 1500 at the George Glass Invitational and later improved on that time and broke the school record. She ran a 4:39.88 in the event at the Little State Championship, breaking a 21-year-old record. The previous record of 4:41.46 was set by Heidi Saunders in 2001.
