Genni Gardner Qualifies For NCAA National Track Championship

May 30, 2007

Butler distance standout Genni Gardner is in the field of competitors for the 2007 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship, which will be hosted by Sacramento State at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex, June 6-9. The Butler junior will compete in the women's 5,000 meter run at the national meet in Sacramento, Calif.

Gardner placed 13th in the women's 5,000 meter run at the Mideast Regional in Columbia, Mo., on May 25, with a time of 16:48.08. She became eligible for national meet consideration when Jessica Gall of Indiana (who placed ninth at the Mideast Regional) scratched out of the women's 5,000 meter run to compete in the women's 10,000 meter run at the national competition. Gardner's time of 16:26.82 at the Penn Relays earlier this season was among the best of the remaining competitors under consideration, securing her spot in the national meet.

A total of 27 runners are entered in the women's 5,000 meter run at this year's NCAA Division I Championship. Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech is the top seed in the race with a time of 15:19.72.

The semifinals of the women's 5,000 meter run will be held at 8:50 p.m. (PDT) on Wednesday, June 6, and will be televised live on CSTV. The national finals are scheduled for Friday, June 8, at 8:10 p.m.

Butler has had a competitor in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in every year since 2000. The last Butler athlete to earn All-America honors at the outdoor national meet was Victoria Mitchell, who won the women's 3,000 meter steeplechase at the 2005 national championship also held in Sacramento, Calif.