Complete results
EUGENE, Ore. – After shattering the San Francisco record, Jana Soethout earned All-American honors at the NCAA Championships Thursday at Hayward Field. The senior from Cologne, Germany, bested her previous USF record mark by more than a minute as she rounded the track in 33:02.02 to finish eighth in the nation.
Opening strong and remaining in the lead pack for the duration of the 10,000 meter race, Soethout continued the momentum gained from finishing fifth at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships to give the Dons their second All-American in as many days.
"She's definitely a tough competitor and she has the ability to push herself and lock herself into a rhythm and not break from that," head coach Helen Lehman-Winters said prior to the race. "When you get to the end of the season a lot of that is just being able to sustain and tolerate that faster pace for as long as you possibly can. She's never looked as good as she looks right now.
"As a coach and as an athlete the most important thing is competing at the highest level. Jana and I have talked about the race and it's more about just staying in the moment. If she can really maximize her fitness she's going to have a great race, and no matter what we're going to walk away from that and be very proud of what she accomplished."
Boise State's Emma Bates raced to the title in the event, completing the 10K distance in 32:32.35, with Elinor Kirk following closely behind, clocking in at 32:32.99. Juliet Bottorff, the 2011 NCAA champion, finished third with a mark of 32:37.46.
Soethout becomes the fourth woman in the USF track and field program to take home All-American honors, and with the baseball player Bradley Zimmer's All-American selection by Baseball America the Dons notched two honorees in consecutive days. Soethout stands as USF's lone first-team track and field All-American.
"This is a obviously a huge personal accomplishment for her but also a significant milestone for our program," Lehman-Winters noted after the performance. "Jana followed the race plan and executed perfectly. Before the race, we had talked about putting herself in it but being very patient and this is exactly what she did. To be honest, I am not at all surprised by her performance and actually expected it. Â Her training has been very good and she was relaxed and confident going into the race. I am so proud of what she has accomplished in a USF uniform this season."
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USF Results:
10,000 Meters
8. Jana Soethout – 33:02.02
