FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Jenny Barringer bolted to the front with two others, then soloed the rest of the way to her third career 3,000-meter steeplechase title Friday night at the NCAA track and field championships.
The Colorado senior finished in 9 minutes, 25.54 seconds, besting her world-leading season time of 9:26.2 set at the NCAA regional meet two weeks ago.
She finished a gaping 15.05 seconds ahead of runner-up Nicole Bush of Michigan State and held a 40 meter lead with three laps to go. Her best split was the bell lap in 1:09. CU’s Olympian didn’t run an outdoor steeplechase this spring until the Big 12 meet last month.
“This was an exciting win,” she told the NCAA pool reporters. “I’m happy to have it behind me. It’s tough to come in and be a heavy favorite. I just had to keep my mind right and go out there and take care of business. It felt great.”
She is the first CU runner to win three NCAA crowns in the same event, and the first CU female to win four NCAA titles in any sport.
Besides winning track and field’s Honda Sports award, setting the NCAA 1,500-meter record Sunday in the Prefontaine Classic and drawing a full-page photo in Sports Illustrated, Barringer has been nominated for the Honda-Broderick Cup, given to the collegiate female athlete of the year. The winner will be named June 22.
Texas junior Destinee Hooker won the high jump, her third outdoor national title in four years. Hooker won with a jump of 6 feet, 4 3/4 inches. Elizabeth Patterson of Arizona finished second.
In the 100-meter finals, LSU’s Trindon Holliday won the event despite a so-so start, finishing in 10.00. Alexandria Anderson of Texas claimed the 100 with a time of 11.20.
Stevi Large of Akron won the women’s hammer throw with a toss of 223 feet, 4 inches, and Marcel Lomnicky of Virginia Tech was the men’s winner at 235-6.
Oregon’s Brianne Theisen took the heptathlon with 6,086 points. Oregon led the women’s team standings with 39 points, and USC was in second place with 21.
Oregon led the men’s team competition with 36 points. LSU is second with 30.
The Oregon men are trying for a “Triple Crown” after winning cross country and indoor track and field titles earlier this season.
The Ducks’ Galen Rupp won the 5,000, one night after taking the 10,000. Rupp finished in 14:04.12 on Friday night.
Jeshua Anderson of Washington State won the men’s 400 hurdles in 48.47, and Nicole Leach of UCLA took the women’s race with a time of 55.39.
BYU’s Kyle Perry won the men’s 3,000 steeplechase in 8:29.24.
Denver Post staff writer Natalie Meisler contributed to this report.
