Willamette’s Ostrander earns spot on All-Academic track team

July 21, 2015

Taylor Ostrander

Taylor Ostrander

Soldotna’s Taylor Ostrander of Willamette University has been chosen for the 2014-15 NCAA D3 All-Academic Track and Field Team as selected by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Each All-Academic athlete owned a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher (4.0 scale), while either competing at the NCAA Championships or by finishing the regular season ranked in the top 35 nationally in an individual event or in the top 25 in a relay event.

Ostrander, of Kenai High fame, just completed her junior season at Willamette, where she is a three-time qualifier for Nationals.

She finished 13th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, reaching the final for the second straight year and clocking a time of 11 minutes, 5.29 seconds.

Her career-best time of 10:40.86 was at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, during the Oregon Twilight in 2014. She ranks third all-time at Willamette in the steeplechase. She is fifth on the all-time list in the 5,000-meter run and is seventh in the 10,000-meter run.

As a student Ostrander has a 3.8 cumulative GPA and is majoring in Exercise Science.