Ostrander wins steeplechase in return to track for Boise State
Allie Ostrander
Kenai’s Allie Ostrander just does what she does.
The Boise State sophomore runner today made a major statement by winning the 3,000-meter women’s steeplechase at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California.
Her time of 9 minutes, 55.61 seconds is the second-fastest in school history.
Ostrander, of Kenai High fame, was a NCAA cross country All-American last season as a freshman after finishing second at the national championships.
She kept it going during the indoor track and field season, where she broke the Mountain West Conference record for the 3,000 and 5,000.
However, she was forced to withdraw from the national championships during the 5,000 when she stepped off the track with a stress fracture to her tibia. She missed the outdoor season.
She returned to the track for the Olympic Trials, where she was the only collegiate runner in the 5,000 field and advanced to the finals after finishing fourth in her preliminary heat. She placed eighth in the finals.
Ostrander hadn’t raced since then and then returned by entering the steeplechase, an event her older sister Taylor dominated at Willamette University, where she was a three-time qualifier for the NCAA D3 national championships.
At just 19, Allie Ostrander already ranks No. 3 in the world with today’s time in the steeplechase.
Granted, it’s early, but she does have a track record for crushing it.
Her presence wasn’t lost on flotrack.com, which said Ostrander “could reshape the NCAA and perhaps American women’s steeple scene.”