W&M'S ANDERSON PLACES NINTH IN 5,000 TO GAIN ALL-AMERICA HONORS

W&M'S ANDERSON PLACES NINTH IN 5,000 TO GAIN ALL-AMERICA HONORS

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FAYETTEVILLE, ARK - William and Mary junior Emily Anderson successfully completed her season Friday night, taking ninth in the 5,000m at the NCAA Championships to earn All-American distinction for the third time in the past 12 months. Anderson ran 16:42.13 on a humid night to finish ninth, only one-half of a second behind scoring for the W&M women's track team in eighth place.

Anderson stuck herself on the outside of the pack in the top four runners through the early going as the race went through the first 1,000m at 3:27. As the pace held at 3:28 for the second kilometer, Anderson kept her positioning, running easily in the top four, tucked just behind the leaders.

As the halfway point was passed, six laps remaining, the rear of the pack surged shuffling Anderson out to the back. However, she was able to utilize her outstanding 1,500m speed to regain and hold in the mid-pack, roughly seventh-12th place, as the pace quickened down the final few laps.

Her ninth-place finish was only about half of a second behind the last scoring position, and mirrored her ninth-place finish in the 5,000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. With her third All-American award, Anderson ranks fourth in school history for total All-American awards, and along with Jeri Daniels (discus and shot put in 1981 and 1982) is one of only two athletes, male or female, ever at W&M to be named All-American in two different outdoor events.

Georgia State's Mark Steeds had his highest-ever NCAA Championship finish with an 11th place showing in the 5,000m finals on Friday night at McDonnell Field.

Steeds concludes his Georgia State career with this 11th place finish that follows his 12th place finish in cross country that had earned him All-America status. Last year at the NCAA Championship, Steeds finished 12th.

In 75-degree weather tonight, Steeds ran 14:20 to finish nine seconds away from All-America status. Galen Rupp, the Olympian from Oregon, won the race. His 14:01 in Wednesday's prelims was his fastest NCAA time in his two trips to the NCAAs. His career personal-best was 13:46.85 this year at the Oregon Twilight Meet.

This 11th place finish by Steeds is not the best-ever in school history as Andrew Letherby earned a ninth-place spot in the 1997 NCAA Championship Meet.