Osika Wraps Up FSU Action In 2013 NCAA-II National Championships

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's track and field team wrapped up action in the 2013 NCAA Division II National Championships on Friday (May 24) in Pueblo, Colo.

The Bulldogs had a single competitor in Friday's action as senior Alyssa Osika (Waterford/Mott) ran the 800 meters.  She placed seventh in heat one of three with a time of 2:19.62, which was 20th overall.

FSU will not have any athletes competing on Saturday in the final day of competition as Osika's race on Friday night represented the last official action for the Bulldogs in the 2012-13 athletics campaign.

Previously, on Thursday (May 23), junior thrower Jessica Pilling (London, Ontario) claimed All-America honors for the Bulldogs at the national meet. Pilling placed sixth overall in the women's hammer throw as the first of two Bulldog competitors to open action in the 2013 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. Her top throw of 56.64 meters (185'10) came on her fourth of six attempts.

The NCAA National Championships were held at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl and hosted by Colorado State-Pueblo.  

In the women's hammer throw, Pilling was one of six throwers from Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) schools to claim All-America accolades as one of the top eight national finishers.  A total of 21 throwers competed in the event, which was won by Findlay's Jessica Rowland (62.85m).  Pilling's sixth-place finish gave the Bulldogs three points in the team race.

Osika previously earned indoor track All-America accolades as a member of the school's distance medley relay team in 2012. Earlier this year, Osika earned runner-up honors in the 800 meters at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships held May 1-3 in Ashland, Ohio. 

Pilling's All-America selection marked the third of the year for the Bulldog women's track and field team this season.  Earlier this year, at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships held in Birmingham (Ala.), the Bulldogs' Anna Rudd (Leslie) claimed a national championship in the 5,000 meters and earned national runner-up honors in the 3,000 meters while leading the Bulldogs to a 14th-place team finish.  She redshirted during the outdoor season.

This year marked the second consecutive year in which Colorado State-Pueblo has hosted the outdoor national championships. The ThunderBowl features 6,500 seats, a synthetic turf field, a ten-lane all-weather track, throwing, jumping and pole vault areas, as well as a 27,000-square-foot field house, which includes a 4,300-square-foot strength and conditioning complex.