Former Lobo Courtney Frerichs helped propel the United States to an impressive finish in her event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
All three of the U.S. women placed in the top 11, but it was Ruth Jebet of Bahrain who ran away from the field. She outran her competition by over seven seconds, winning the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:59.75.
According to a release, Frerichs started out near the back of the pack, but used a late push to climb her way up the leaderboard. She was 14th in the field of 18 with just over five laps to go, but finished strong to turn in an impressive time.
Frerichs finished just outside the top 10 with a run of 9:22.87, just 13-hundreths of a second behind India’s Lalita Babar.
Her time was actually better than the 9:24.41 record-breaking mark she posted at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships, but was a little off her U.S. Olympic Team Trials time of 9:20.92.
She closed out a great season and gained valuable experience that should help the first-time Olympian as she begins her post-collegiate racing career.
The track standout recently turned professional, joining the Bowerman Track Club. She has likely not even hit her prime as a runner yet and could be a factor in the future.
Frerich’s U.S. and Bowerman Track Club teammate, Colleen Quigley, cracked the top 10. She ran 9:21.10, a personal best, to notch an eighth place finish.
Emma Coburn, the team’s top qualifier, found her way to the medal stand. Her mark of 9:07.63 was good enough to earn a bronze medal.
According to a release, Coburn’s third place finish marks the first time the United States has medaled in the event.
Robert Maler is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers football, cross country, tennis, and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
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