Official Results from NCAA Championships

EUGENE, Ore.--On the first night of the women's national championships meet Thursday night, sophomore Nicole Hutchinson (West Vancouver, B.C.) and junior Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Dublin, Ireland) ran in the semifinal heats of the 1500 meters and the 800 meters, respectively. They concluded an outstanding 2016-17 year of competition as the two Villanova qualifiers for the NCAA Championships, which returned to the famous Hayward Field track in Oregon for the fifth straight year.

Hutchinson took the track first on Thursday and ran in the second of two semifinal heats in the 1500 meters. On a day with unseasonably cool temperatures and raw running conditions, Hutchinson recorded a time of 4:21.01 to place ninth in her heat and 18th overall in the national semifinal round. The top five finishers in each heat and the next two fastest times moved on to the final.

The pace of Hutchinson's heat was a slow one after the first 300 meters, and the race followed a quick opening heat which was likely to produce the two on-time qualifiers. Hutchinson stayed towards the front of the pack coming off the starting line and then settled in just off the leading pack after the first lap. She was in fifth place with 800 meters to go, at which point the entire field was in the race and less than half a second separated the top eight contenders. As the group of 12 runners approached the bell for the final lap, the pace finally started to pick up with 500 meters to go. After the bell, the top six runners in the heat pulled away over the final 250 meters.

Later on Thursday evening, Cleirigh Buttner ran in the second of three semifinal heats of the 800 meters and recorded a time of 2:07.14. In her second straight appearance at the outdoor NCAA Championships, she finished fifth in a difficult heat which began with a tactical opening lap prior to a furious dash for the finish line over the last 150 meters.

There was no separation in the pack of eight runners during a 65-second opening lap. Cleirigh Buttner was near the back of the field at the end of the first lap, but deftly moved through the pack of runners with 300 meters to go and sat on the hip of second-place runner Rianna Goins from UC Davis with 200 meters left. The battle was on with 150 meters to go, with nearly the entire field jostling for position heading towards the final turn.

Along the way to reaching the NCAA Championships, both Hutchinson and Cleirigh Buttner recorded collegiate personal bests at the NCAA East Preliminary two weeks ago. Hutchinson qualified for the national meet with a PR of 4:13.71 in the 1500 meters, while Cleirigh Buttner had a collegiate-best time of 2:02.11 in the 800 meters during the national quarterfinal heats. That time trails only her lifetime best of 2:01.98 which was set in Europe last summer. Cleirigh Buttner was named the women's Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) earlier this week.

ââ'¬Æ' 800 METERS ââ'¬" NATIONAL SEMIFINAL HEATS
Top 2 each heat, next 2 fastest times advance to final

Heat 1
1. 2:04.35 ââ'¬" Kaylee Dodd, Oklahoma State
2. 2:04.74 ââ'¬" Olivia Baker, Stanford

Heat 2
1. 2:05.63 ââ'¬" Raevyn Rogers, Oregon
2. 2:06.76 ââ'¬" Rianna Goins, UC Davis

5. 2:07.14 ââ'¬" Siofra Cleirigh Buttner, Villanova

Heat 3
1. 2:03.43 ââ'¬" Brooke Feldmeier, Oregon
2. 2:03.72 ââ'¬" Hanna Green, Virginia Tech

On-Time Qualifiers
1. 2:04.24 ââ'¬" Courtney Clayton, Vanderbilt (H3)
2. 2:04.30 ââ'¬" Shea Collinsworth, BYU (H3)

1500 METERS ââ'¬" NATIONAL SEMIFINAL HEATS
Top 5 each heat, next 2 fastest times advance to final

Heat 1
1. 4:10.74 ââ'¬" Dani Jones, Colorado
2. 4:10.80 ââ'¬" Nikki Hiltz, Arkansas
3. 4:10.93 ââ'¬" Annemarie Schwanz, Fresno State
4. 4:11.00 ââ'¬" Amy-Eloise Neale, Washington
5. 4:12.92 ââ'¬" Jamie Phelan, Michigan

Heat 2
1. 4:18.85 ââ'¬" Karisa Nelson, Samford
2. 4:19.08 ââ'¬" Christina Aragon, Stanford
3. 4:19.13 ââ'¬" Danielle Aragon, Notre Dame
4. 4:19.21 ââ'¬" Katie Rainsberger, Oregon
5. 4:19.37 ââ'¬" Rebecca Mehra, Stanford

9. 4:21.01 ââ'¬" Nicole Hutchinson, Villanova

On-Time Qualifiers
1. 4:12.07 ââ'¬" Rhianwedd Price, Mississippi State (H1)
2. 4:12.14 ââ'¬" Jessica Harris, Notre Dame (H1)