DELAWARE, Ohio -- Brandeis senior Grayce Selig (Narberth, Pa./Springside School) earned her fourth career All-America honor, and second in the 1,500-meter run, with a fifth-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field championships held at Ohio Wesleyan University.
Selig, who finished fourth in the event at 2010 championships, lowered her own school record in the event, set last year, to 4:28.53, despite finishing one spot further back. The only returning All-American in the finals, Selig ran just behind the lead pack for much of the race. Wisconsin-Osh Kosh sophomore Christy Cazzola, who edged Selig in the preliminaries, won the race with a time of 4:22.11. Selig was third among runners from New England, as Middlebury junior Margo Cramer finished second and Wellesley sophomore Randelle Boots was third. Selig finished 0.39 seconds ahead of Washington (Mo.) University senior Liz Phillips, who had narrowly defeated her twice this season, at the UAA championships and in the preliminaries.
In the prelims, Selig finished third in her heat in an extremely tight finish with a time of 4:30.88 as the top three spots were separated by less than a tenth of a second. Cazzola of Wisconsin-Osh Kosh won the heat with a time of 4:30.80. Phillips, who edged Selig for the 2011 University Athletic Association title, finished second in 4:30.83. Overall, Selig had the eighth-best qualifying time, with the top five spots coming from the first heat, including Wellesley College sophomore Randelle Boots, who topped Selig at the 2011 NCAA DIII Indoor championships in the mile run.
On the second day of competition, senior Lucia Capano (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central) placed 20th out of 24 competitors in the triple jump. Seeded 19th headed into the meet, Capano's best jump was 11.09 meters (36 feet, 3 3/4 inches), coming on her third and final jump. She finished just over a foot shy of qualifying for the finals.
Selig, who had also qualified for the championships in the 5,000-meter run, opted not to compete in that event.
With the four points Selig gained in the 1,500, Brandeis finished in a tie for 52nd place out of 83 squads that scored points. The finish was seventh among New England teams, tied with Bowdoin, and tied for third among UAA schools with Carnegie Mellon and just half a point behind Case Western Reserve.
For complete coverage from the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field championships, visit Ohio Wesleyan championship web site.