Gonzaga’s Shelby Mills made most of switch to steeplechase
Shelby Mills must be a fast learner.
It was only a year ago that the Gonzaga distance runner was introduced to the steeplechase. This afternoon, Mills will be introduced to 10,000-plus fans as the first GU athlete to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.
“It’s really exciting, but honestly I had trouble believing that I’m the first one,” said Mills, a sophomore from Snohomish, Washington.
Believe it: Mills finished 10th in the NCAA West Preliminary Round to qualify for today’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
The event begins at 4:38 p.m. in Eugene. She is in the second of two heats.
Entering the event, Mills’ season best of 10:11.37 is the 22nd-fastest seed time in the 24-runner field, and the 11th-best in her heat. The top five finishers from each heat, along with the next two best overall times, advance to Saturday’s national final. Michigan State’s Leah O’Connor has the best seed time in the field at 9:35.33.
“This is really exciting,” Mills said. “It’s something that I have trained for since I came to Gonzaga. At regionals, I wish I would have competed a little bit more. I kind of just sat in fourth and hoped for the time to make it through. Now, I’m hoping for another shot to crack 10 minutes, qualify for finals, or do something really cool.”
Mills already has done that: after running mostly in the 1,500 and 10,000, she picked up a new event midway through her college career. In the spring of 2014, coach Patty Ley encouraged Mills to try the steeplechase, considered one of the more demanding events.
“I thought, why not,” said Mills, who credits Ley and her teammates for pushing her to excel.
At the NCAA Preliminaries in Austin, Texas, Mills broke her own school record with her 10:11.37 effort. She finished fourth in the second heat, and qualified with one of the top 12 times in the 48-runner field.
Mills wasn’t an automatic qualifier from her heat, but she had the third fastest at-large time.
“Going in I think she was underrated,” Ley said. “She was 14th heading into the regional meet, so she had the opportunity to do it.”
The next opportunity awaits this afternoon.
Mills will be an underdog to reach Saturday’s 12-woman final, but says she’s in an opportunistic frame of mind. “I know that there aren’t many experts picking me to advance, but I like to think that I have a chance,” Mills said.