Muir National Runner-Up As FSU Finishes 11th
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Big Rapids, Mich. - Senior standout Tina Muir (St. Albans, U.K.) of the Ferris State University women's outdoor track and field team capped off a stellar collegiate career by earning runner-up honors in the 5,000 meters on the final day of competition Saturday (May 26) at the 2012 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo.
Muir placed second overall to claim All-America accolades for the 11th time in her collegiate career and the second time in the meet as the Bulldogs wrapped up the three-day NCAA event with an 11th-place team finish at the national championships held at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl in Pueblo.
Muir clocked 17:48.09 in the 5,000 meters to finish only two seconds behind national champion Kristen McGlynn of Adams State (Colo.), who was timed in 17:46.05.
In addition to Muir, Bulldog junior Anna Rudd (Leslie) also competed in the 5,000 meter race on Saturday and was 10th in the 18-runner field with a time of 18:04.30. The duo of Muir and Rudd previously placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 10,000 meters on Thursday (May 24) evening to earn All-America accolades.
Besides Muir and Rudd, one other Bulldog student-athlete also competed on Saturday in the final day of action at the national championships as sophomore Samantha Johnson (Troy) fell one spot shy of earning All-America honors with a ninth-place finish in the finals of the 1,500 meters in a time of 4:47.10.
The Bulldogs totaled 17 points in the team race to finish 11th nationally in the field. Grand Valley State captured the national crown with 90 points while Lincoln (Mo.) was second (79) and Adams State took third (59).
On Thursday night, Muir clocked 35:10.58 in winning All-America honors in the 10,000 meters while Rudd finished directly behind her in a time of 36:02.00 to also receive All-America kudos.
Two other FSU competitors also took part in the national meet. Sophomore thrower Jessica Pilling (London, Ontario/Banton) just narrowly missed earning All-America honors in the hammer throw on Thursday as she finished ninth overall with a school all-time best toss of 180-11 on the day. Junior Zoey Hohmann (Munith/Stockbridge) clocked 56.47 in the 400 meters to finish 14th overall in the preliminary round, but did not advance to the finals in the event.
A total of 620 participants, 310 men and 310 women, competed in the championships. Student-athletes qualified for the championships by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.
The Bulldog women's outdoor track and field team was listed 24th nationally in the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II National Rankings heading into the national championships before placing 11th in the team race under head coach Steve Picucci.