By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University distance runner Olivia Mancl (Jr./So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) enters the 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships ranked eighth in the nation in the women's 5,000-meter run. The championships are being hosted by Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.
In order to qualifying for this year's NCAA Championships, Mancl achieved a personal record time of 16:46.99 in the 5,000 at the Willamette Invitational on March 26. She ranks second on the Bearcats' all-time list in the event, trailing only Sarah Zerzan ('08), who registered a time of 16:28.54 in 2007.
There are no preliminary heats in the 5,000 at the NCAA Championships, so Mancl and 21 other qualifiers will battle it out during the finals on Saturday, May 28. The women's 5,000-meter run is set to begin at 4:25 p.m. CDT/2:25 p.m. PDT.
It is the second time Mancl will be competing at the NCAA championships in track and field. She placed ninth in the 1,500-meter run last season with a time of 4:32.26 in the championship race.
The NCAA Championships are an exciting way to end an outstanding year for Mancl. At the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Winneconne, Wisconsin, last fall, she earned second place with a time of 21:25.4. She finished just 2.3 seconds behind the winner and received All-America honors. WU claimed 10th place as a team, after finishing 12th in 2013 and 15th in 2014.
Mancl took second place at the NCAA West Regional in cross country, while leading the Bearcats to the Regional championship. She won the Northwest Conference individual title, helping Willamette achieve second place in the team standings.
During the 2014 cross country season, Mancl placed second in the NWC, was third at the West Regional and finished 48th at the NCAA Championships. She helped Willamette win the NWC and West Region titles. In 2013, Mancl was seventh in the NWC and ninth in the West Region. The Bearcats won the NWC title and took second place in the West Region. Mancl placed 80th at the 2013 NCAA Championships.
