10th in the WORLD... the WORLD

From the Jacob Skipper article found on the William and Mary Tribe website:

William and Mary had two women competing late Thursday night at the Mt. SAC Relays in California, and both turned in some of the nation's top performances and re-wrote the record books in the process.  Both athletes raced in the top section of the 10,000m, and came in well under the ECAC qualifying barrier.

Sophomore Emily Stites ('12 Wyoming, Ohio) led most of the second half of the race before being overtaken in the final 300m, and absolutely crushed the school record with her time of 32:41.55.  More than a minute faster than the previous best and 90 seconds better than Stites' only other attempt at the distance, the performance also qualified her for the USAT&F National Championships this summer.  Stites, who now holds the school records in both the 5,000m and 10,000m, currently ranks third in the NCAA this season and should easily qualify for the eastern semifinals at both distances.  She also ranks 10th in the world so far in 2014, and ranks first among American women.

Also running a big PR was senior Elaina Balouris (Allison Park, Pa.), who led for much of the first half of the race and finished fourth overall.  Balouris crossed the finish in 33:31.59, nearly 12 seconds ahead of her previous best which was the school record coming into the night.  Already a two-time All-American at 10,000m, Balouris will also have the luxury of choosing her race at the end of the season, as she currently ranks ninth in the nation at 5,000m and 14th now at 10,000m.  Last year, she entered the NCAA Championships ranked 42nd nationally and went on to take 10th.  Balouris now owns three of the top five races all-time at W&M, and six of the top ten.

Thanks to our own Coach Knickel for helping us try to keep up with Emily.