Emma Stolte will compete in the first round of the women’s 1,500 meters at the NCAA West First Round on May 28. Stolte qualified for the event after placing second in the 1,500 meters and winning the conference title in the 5,000 meters at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships. She is scheduled to race at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday. If she advances by finishing in the top five of her heat or posting one of the next four best times across all heats, she will move on to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
The quarterfinals are set for Saturday at 3:15 p.m. Pacific Time. The top five finishers from each of two heats, plus the next two best times across both heats, will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships scheduled for June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon.
Stolte earned her spot at regionals with a school record time of 4:20.17 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 18. She also set school records during this season in both indoor and outdoor events: an indoor 800 meters time of 2:08.51 and an outdoor 5k time of 15:59.87.
Her performances broke previous marks held by notable athletes including two-time NCAA second-team All-American Katie Camarena and former Viking Debbie Myra, whose record had stood since 1987.
Stolte is only the third Viking ever to qualify for regionals in this event and is facing a competitive field that includes ten runners who have run under four minutes and ten seconds this season.
