Women's Track and Field | June 8

EUGENE, Ore. – A historic first-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase preliminary on Thursday at the NCAA Championships from Northern Illinois University track & field senior Hope Schmelzle (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) earned a one-way ticket to the Championship Final on Saturday.
 
"Well, about everything played out as planned today," said NIU distance track coach Adrian Myers. "Hope was so composed out there and executed a seamless preliminary. Now the hard part is over. Prelims are scary and a lot can happen, but she's through now and we're looking ahead to another big performance. You take bigger risks when you know you've got good odds, and Hopes odds are very good due to her preparation for these moments. She can do something very special this weekend."
 
Schmelzle improved her personal best time and the school record by nearly 14 seconds running in the second heat of the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She had set the school record towards the end of April at the Drake Relays with a 10:04.17 race time. In the race on Thursday, Schmelzle ran a school record shattering time of 9:50.51.
 
Earning the first-place preliminary round finish did not come easy for Schmelzle as she pushed past two competitors toward the end of the race. She finished neck and neck with Penn State University senior Tori Gerlach and Boise State University freshman Allie Ostrander with four hundredths of a second between the trio.
 
"She's confident and ready to go for it," said Myers. "Hope didn't come here just to participate. She came here to push her chips in and see what happens. Now we focus on recovery over the next 24-48 hours to make sure she's physically ready to go."
 
As the third NIU outdoor track & field athlete in school history to make the NCAA Championships, she has already surpassed the previous success of the pair before her, securing her spot in the top-12 or the competition. During the 2007 outdoor season Ashley Marrow threw in the shot put competition earning a 26^th place finish, while Claudette Day finished tied for 21^st in the high jump competition in 2014.
 
Hope's final historic race for the Huskies will take place on Saturday, June 10 at 5:54 p.m. CST. Fans wishing to track Schmelzle's progress during the race can refer to the live results, watch or follow @NIUXCTrack on Instagram and Twitter.
 
-NIU-