FSU's Alyssa Osika Finishes 12th Overall In Prelims Of 800 Meters At NCAA-II Championships

Photo Courtesy Kyle Terwillegar/USTFCCCA 

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Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's outdoor track and field team continued action at the NCAA Division II National Championships with a single competitor on day two Friday (May 23) at the Grand Valley State Track & Field Stadium in Allendale.

Senior Alyssa Osika (Waterford/Mott) competed in the prelims of the 800 meters and finished 12th overall in a time of 2:10.34, but failed to advance to the final round after being a late addition to the national championship field.

Previously, on Thursday (May 22), senior Anna Rudd (Leslie) claimed All-America recognition with a fifth-place performance in the 10,000 meters (35:31.33). The race was her first of two events in the national championships as she will also take part in the 5,000 meters as the Bulldogs' lone competitor on Saturday (May 24) during the final day of action.

Bulldog junior Breeann Ovokaitys (Cedar Springs) also competed during Thursday's opening day of action and finished 18th overall in the prelims of the 1,500 meters. She was timed in 4:40.18 overall as FSU's first competitor at the national meet, but did not advance to the finals in her first appearace at the national outdoor championships. 

The national meet is being hosted by GVSU along with the West Michigan Sports Commission. Student-athletes qualified for the championships by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event with the final selected participants chosen based on their performance marks.

All three Bulldogs competing in the national championships previously earned All-America honors at the Division II National Indoor Championships held in March (14-15) in Winston-Salem, N.C. Rudd placed seventh overall in the 5K at the indoor nationals in a time of 17:14.19 to earn All-America honors for the second-straight year in the event. Both Ovokaitys and Osika were members of FSU's distance medley relay team that claimed All-America honors with a seventh-place national meet finish this winter. Previously, Rudd was a national champion for the Bulldogs during the 2013 indoor season in the 5,000 meters.

A total of 754 participants, 377 men and 377 women, are competing in the championships. Portions of the championships are being streamed live on www.NCAA.com.

For more information on the NCAA-II Championships, please visit this link:
http://www.primetimetiming.com/liveresults/2014/ncaa_outdoor/