Tulsa Women Finish 1-2 in Steeplechase and Qualify Two Runners on Day Two of The American Outdoor Championships

Saturday, May 11

San Antonio, Texas

Tulsa

The American Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Sam Craft / American Athletic Conference

Tulsa Women Finish 1-2 in Steeplechase and Qualify Two Runners on Day Two of The American Outdoor Championships

5/11/2024 8:57:00 PM | Track and Field

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The University of Tulsa women's track team saw redshirt senior Katharina Pesendorfer and sophomore Alicen Ashley place first and second, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to combine for 18 points Saturday during the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at UTSA's Park West Athletic Complex. Senior Elizabeth Roca (400-meters) and Billie Rouse (800-meters) qualified for Sunday's final rounds.

After two days of competition, the Tulsa women are fourth in team standings with 33 points, while the men's squad is sixth with 22 points.

Women
Tulsa started the day with the 800-meter run trial, featuring sophomore duo Billie Rouse and Sarah Hosey competing in the event together for the fifth time this season. Rouse crossed the finish line second in heat No. 1 in 2:12.43, fast enough to advance her to Sunday's 800-meter final as the seventh-quickest runner on the day. Hosey would finish two spots outside the bubble for 10^th with a mark of 2:14.39.

Senior Elizabeth Roca was the second woman to qualify for Sunday's final round when she earned an automatic bid in the 400-meter dash by winning heat No. 1 and finishing fourth overall in 54.42 out of 25 competitors.

A successful day two for the women was capped off by a 1-2 finish by redshirt senior Katharina Pesendorfer and reigning AAC outdoor track freshman of the year and sophomore Alicen Ashley in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The pair led for the majority of the race as Pesendorfer pulled away in the final laps to finally get over the hump to earn her first AAC steeplechase title after finishing third in 2019, fifth in 2021 and second in 2022. She set a new Park West Athletic Complex record in 10:29.73 for 10 team points while Ashley added eight points in 10:35.34.

"Another pretty strong day for the women, capped by the 1-2 finish in the steeple," said Director of Track and Women's Head Coach Steve Gulley. "Elizabeth Roca (400m) and Billie Rouse (800m) both had great preliminary races to make finals. If we can compete on Sunday like we have the last two days, it'll be a really strong weekend for us."

Men
Action for the Tulsa men began in the 400-meter dash. True freshman Jayden Williams recorded a new personal-best time of 50.94 to lead the Hurricane with a 20^th-place finish while sophomore Dillon Stinson crossed the line in 52.18 for 22^nd. Junior Evan Sanni-Thomas, who has reached the 400-meter podium three times this outdoor season, went down with injury in the final bend of his heat.

Another group of three TU runners appeared in the 100-meter dash, including senior Josh Sutton, sophomore Zander Baker and freshman Jonathan Lee. Sutton would take 19^th in 10.85 with Baker finishing 21^st in 11.41 and Lee going 22^nd in 11.52.

Christian Baker ran the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase for Tulsa's final event of the day. The senior from Kirkwood, Mo., would finish seventh in 9:15.95 to add two points to the men's team score.

Day 2 Results ------

Women
400m TRIAL
4. Elizabeth Roca - 54.42Q
19. Raniya Laneau - 57.03
22. Kamree Dye - 57.75

800m TRIAL
7. Billie Rouse - 2:12.43q
10. Sarah Hosey - 2:14.39

3,000m Steeplechase FINAL
1. Katharina Pesendorfer - 10:29.73^
2. Alicen Ashley - 10:35.34

Men
100m TRIAL
19. Josh Sutton - 10.85
21. Zander Baker - 11.41
22. Jonathan Lee - 11.52*

400m TRIAL
20. Jayden Williams - 50.94*
22. Dillon Stinson - 52.18
Evan Sanni-Thomas – DNF

3,000m Steeplechase FINAL
7. Christian Baker - 9:15.95

Q – Automatic Finals Qualifier
q – Finals Qualifier
^ – Facility Record
* – Personal Best
Bold denotes all-conference recipients.

Tulsa's Remaining Championship Schedule (All times Central) -----

Triple Jump FINAL (W) - Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
Rylie Hancock

4x100m Relay FINAL (M) - Sunday, 4:40 p.m.
Zander Baker, Jonathan Lee, Dillon Stinson, Josh Sutton

1,500m FINAL (W) - Sunday, 4:50 p.m.
Katharina Pesendorfer

1,500m FINAL (M) - Sunday, 5:00 p.m.
Shay McEvoy

400m FINAL (W) - Sunday, 5:30 p.m.
Elizabeth Roca

800m FINAL (W) - Sunday, 6:00 p.m.
Billie Rouse

5,000m FINAL (W) - Sunday, 6:45 p.m.
Alicen Ashley
Chloe Hershenow
Robyn Kowalski
Tamara Reeves

5,000m FINAL (M) - Sunday, 7:10 p.m.
Shuaib Aljabaly
Christian Baker
Ben Black
Jaden Forester
James Knockton
Luke Lambert
Shay McEvoy
Chris McLeod
Malte Propp

4x400m Relay FINAL (W) - Sunday, 7:35 p.m.
Kamree Dye, Lianne Holtermann, Raniya Laneau, Elizabeth Roca

4x400m Relay FINAL (M) - Sunday, 7:45 p.m.
Evan Sanni-Thomas, Dillon Stinson, Josh Sutton, Jayden Williams (Alt: Zander Baker, Jonathan Lee)