EUGENE, Ore. - College of Idaho junior Hillary Holt became the first College of Idaho runner to qualify for the U.S. National Championships in program history, using a big final lap to defeat a star-studded field in the 1,500-meters at the Oregon Twilight at Hayward Field.
The junior, from Meridian, won the race in a time of 4:11.62, hitting the USATF "A" qualifying standard - the 14th fastest time run in the United States in 2013. The mark would have qualified Holt for the U.S. Olympic Trials last summer and was the fifth-fastest time recorded by a collegiate runner this season.
Holt earns a spot in the U.S. National Championships, set for June 20-23, in Des Moines, Iowa. The top-three finishers n the 1,500-meters will represent the United States in the World Track & Field Championships in Moscow, Russia.
The mark was the fastest 1,500-meter time ever run by a collegiate runner in the State of Idaho - breaking the record of 4:17.88 set by Niamh Beirne of Boise State in 1997.
Running against three-time Great Britain national champion, Jemma Simpson, Holt broke away from the pack on the bell lap to win by over four-seconds - crushing her C of I school record by seven seconds.
Holt and the Lady Yotes will compete next weekend in Gresham, Ore., at the Cascade Conference Championships.
