Lyle advances to NCAA Finals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu May 27, 2016 Della Lyle becomes first MSUB female track and field All-American MSUB Track and Field on Facebook | MSUB Track and Field on ISSUU NCAA Championships | NCAA Results

Senior Della Lyle places ninth at NCAA Championships, becoming the first female track and field All-American at MSU Billings.

Senior Della Lyle races in the NCAA Division II National Championships, placing ninth in the final, becoming the first female All-American at MSUB in track and field.

BRADENTON, Fla. – Senior Della Lyle concluded her collegiate career an All-American, placing ninth during the finals of the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the 2016 NCAA Division II National Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Tampa at the IMG Academy on Friday.

Lyle placed ninth in the field of 12, finishing the race in 10:33.17. With her finish, Lyle becomes the first female track and field All-American at Montana State University Billings. She placed one spot of the podium with the top-8 finishers earning First Team All-American honors and the next four earning Second Team All-American awards.

Emily Oren from Hillsdale successfully defended her national title, breaking open the race in the first lap by rocketing out ahead of the field, gradually increasing her lead through the entire 7 and ½ laps. Oren finished the race in 10:06.75 to

win the championship. Her sister, Molly Oren, finished the runner-up in the event in 10:11.40. Nicole Borofski from Stonehill placed third in 10:15.27.

Dani Eggleston from Central Washington finished eighth, earning the final spot on the podium, just ahead of Lyle in 10:28.85. Eggleston also finished just ahead of Lyle in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships two weeks ago during the conference title race.

Lyle punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships with her runner-up result at the GNAC Outdoor Championships with a time of 10:29.98. Lyle bettered that time yesterday in the preliminary round of the 3,000 meter steeplechase.

Lyle qualified for Friday’s final with an 11th place result during the preliminary heats on Thursday. The native of Buffalo, Wyo., finished fifth in the first heat in 10:26.88. With the top-4 advancing from each of two heats plus the next four fastest times, Lyle had to wait for the second heat to finish to see if she had earned a spot in the finals.

The second heat ran out faster, but at the finish line, Lyle earned the third at-large qualifying time, securing a place in the finals. With her advance into the championship race, Lyle became the first female Yellowjacket track athlete to compete for a NCAA Division II national title.

Unlike the preliminaries yesterday, the final of the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase was all Emily Oren from the getgo. Oren laid down the pace, drawing out to a six-length lead after the first lap of competition. Pushing hard, the multinational champion drew out her lead on the second lap with a blistering speed, moving out ahead by almost 10 seconds in the second lap.

Lyle stayed in 11th place through the five-minute mark. With two laps remaining, Lyle moved up to 9th place. The second through tenth runners began to thin out for the final two laps of the race. Emily Oren continued to draw out her lead with sister Molly Oren, Borofski, and a group of four runners chasing almost a quarter of a lap behind.

In the final lap, Lyle fell back to 10th place, but was able to climb to ninth on the straightaway. Emily Oren won the event by close to five seconds over sister Molly Oren. Lyle finished 1:23.44 off the pace.

THE BUZZ: Lyle’s preliminary time on Thursday that qualified her for the national title race dropped the MSUB school record…Lyle had run the fastest time at MSUB at the GNAC Championships in 10:29.98, but bettered that time on Thursday during the preliminary heat with her finish in 10:26.88.

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