ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After setting the world lead in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Sunday, University of New Mexico track & field senior Courtney Frerichs earned a pair of superlative accolades on Tuesday.
The senior from Nixa, Missouri was named NCAA Division I Women’s National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday morning and added Mountain West Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors Tuesday afternoon.
Frerichs, a transfer from UMKC, ran a personal-record time of 9 minutes, 29.31 seconds to win the top section of the 3,000 steeplechase at the Payton Jordan Invitational on Sunday, May 1.
“Last year, I had a big goal of breaking 9:30 and came just short,” Frerichs said after her race Sunday. “So today it’s a really great feeling that I was able to open my steeple with a PR and get that big goal I’ve had for the last year.”
In a field that featured a number of professional runners — including the bronze and silver medalists in the steeplechase from the 2015 Pan American Games — Frerichs emerged victorious in her first steeplechase of the season.
She is now the third fastest collegian in NCAA history, and her time is the fifth-fastest in NCAA history.
She now owns three of the top eight time all-time in the NCAA between her time at UMKC and New Mexico. Only Olympians Jennifer Simpson (née Barringer) and Emma Coburn have run faster in NCAA history.
“It feels amazing,” Frerichs said of her ascent of the NCAA record book. “I have had the [NCAA] record in the back of my head. … It’s something I’m definitely aiming for still.”
Frerichs also smashed the New Mexico record (previous record was 10:09.14) and the Mountain West record (previous was 9:37.84) in the process, and owns the steeplechase record in two different conferences (MW and WAC).
She leads the world by over 5 seconds in 2016 and holds the NCAA lead by nearly 18 seconds.
Her national athlete of the week honor is the second USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honor for Frerichs in her collegiate career; she also earned the accolade in cross country in 2014 while at UMKC. For New Mexico, this is the cross country/track & field program’s second ever, along with Charlotte Arter’s selection during the 2014 cross country season.
Her MW honor is her first in track, having also earned one this past fall during the Lobos’ national-championship cross country season. It’s the team’s second outdoors following Calli Thackery on April 19.
NOTES: The New Mexico women climbed to a program-best 14th in the most recent USTFCCCA National Computer rankings released Monday afternoon. Behind Frerichs, Sophie Connor (No. 4 in the NCAA in the 1500), Calli Thackery (2nd, 5000) and Alice Wright (2nd, 10000), the women jumped from 22nd last week to 14th this week. The previous program high was 17th, achieved in this season’s preseason rankings. The Lobo men rank 52nd.