FERRIS' JENNY IRWIN PICKS UP ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES
Senior Runner Finishes Fourth In 1,500 Meters At NCAA-II Championships
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| Ferris State senior runner Jenny Irwin took fourth place in the 1,500 meters at the national meet |
Senior runner Jenny Irwin (Scottville/Mason County Central) of the Ferris State University women's track and field squad picked up All-America accolades in the final day of action at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships held Saturday (May 27) on Emporia State's (Kan.) Zola Witten Track inside Fran Welch Stadium at Emporia, Kan.
Irwin took fourth place overall in the 1,500 meters in her final collegiate race. She was timed in 4:38.11 in the final round of the event. The race was won by Adams State's (Colo.) Victoria Martinez, who won the national title in a time of 4:35.17.
Irwin advanced to the final round of competition in the event by clocking 4:44.74 in the preliminary round of day one action Thursday (May 26). She placed third overall in the first of two heats and held the third-fastest preliminary time of the 12 runners who advanced to the finals.
Irwin also competed Friday evening in the 800 meters, but failed to advance to Saturday's final round of competition. Irwin finished fourth overall in the second of three heats with a time of 2:12.45 in the event. She held the second-fastest national entry time in both events heading into the national championships.
Sophomore Kamitra Carroll (Flint/Carman-Ainsworth) took ninth place overall among 18 throwers in the women's shot put on Friday. Her best toss of 46-4.75 fell one spot short of earning All-America accolades.
A total of 620 student-athletes qualified for the meet by reaching the automatic or provisional standards established for each event. Emporia State University is serving as the championship host. The top eight finishers in each event earn All-America recognition.
This year marked the second consecutive year Irwin picked up All-America honors in the 1,500 meters as she posted a fourth-place finish in the event (4:30.60) at the 2005 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships (May 26-28) held at Abilene Christian University's Elmer Gray Stadium in Abilene, Texas.
This year also represented Irwin's third consecutive appearance in the NCAA-II Outdoor Championships following an 11th place overall showing in the 1,500 meters (4:40.73) as FSU's lone representative at the 2004 NCAA-II Outdoor Championships (May 27-29) held in Walnut, Calif.
Irwin's fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters produced five points in the final national team standings for Ferris State.
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