March 31, 2017
RESULTS LINK
LOS ANGELES - Running in her first ever 3000 meter steeplechase, sophomore Cora Gallop blew away the field and the Nevada school record at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival Friday night. Her time of 10:14.73 is third in the NCAA heading into the weekend, and likely will remain in the top five after all the action of the weekend wraps up.
For the first half of the race, Gallop, who was a triple jumper before transferring to Nevada just this year, was locked up with fellow sophomore Briar Brumley from Cornell. As both led the race, they continued to trade the top spot.
"At the beginning, I had a major mental block of whether or not I was going to be able to do this," Gallop said, "Then I just thought. I'm going to do this. I can do this."
As the two headed into the third to last lap, it was Gallop who began to pull away, slowly edging into the lead. Then, with a kick that she's been displaying since the 2016 cross country season, she put the field behind her with 600 meters to go, shaving seconds off her time with every stride. When it was all said and done, Gallop crossed the finish line the victor, the school record holder and one of the best steeplechasers in the country, all in her first ever year as a distance runner.
"I've been really open to this year," Gallop said. "I've never done any of these events, so I don't really know what I'm capable of. Every race is like a little mystery."
From being named to the All-Conference and All-Region teams during the cross country season to winning bronze in the 3000m at the conference indoor championships, Gallop has had a spectacular first year as a distance runner with the Wolf Pack.
"It's kind of unreal. I don't even know what to think yet. It's amazing really. But I have to keep going because this is only the beginning and I have to get better. I'm really proud of my teammates. This is all such a great experience."
Overall, Wolf Pack distance runners recorded a total of six personal records Friday night, including senior Sidney Root who also ran in the 3000m steeplechase. Her time of 10:45.84 put her seventh in the Nevada record book.
The majority of the team will compete on Saturday in the UCLA Legends meet, starting with pole vault at 11 a.m. Live results can be found on NevadaWolfPack.com and fans can follow along with all the action on Twitter with @WolfPackTrack. Members of FloTrack PRO can stream the meet live online.
