June 24, 2005
Los Angeles - Former Yale track star Laura O'Neill '03 placed sixth in the 10,000m run at the USA Track and Field Championships Friday night. O'Neill finished in 32:15.70, less than 42 seconds behind first-place Katie McGregor.
O'Neill and her twin sister Kate left Yale as two of the most decorated athletes in school history. They were both Academic All-Americans as seniors and became the only female runners in Ivy League history to run under 16 minutes in the 5,000 meters as well as the only ones to go below 33 minutes in the 10,000. They were together named the Most Outstanding Performer at the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships in 2003. Between them, they finished first and second in the 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m - finishing within a second of each other in all three events. Kate became the first woman to win the 5000m three straight times and Laura was the first do so in the 10,000m.
Laura earned three All-America honors as a senior in 2002-03. She finished fourth in the 10,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, fifth in the 5000m at the indoor championships and 13th at the cross country championships.
The USA Track and Field Championships, held at the Home Depot Center, hosted more than 1,000 athletes as they competed for the right to represent Team USA at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Athletics August 6-14 in Helsinki, Finland.
report by Sam Rubin '95, Yale Sports Publicity
Women 10000 Meter Run Open
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World: W 29:31.78 9/8/1993 Junxia Wang, CHN
American: A 30:52.32 5/3/2002 Deena Drossin, Asics
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Katie McGregor Reebok 31:33.82
2 Blake Russell Reebok 31:35.25
3 Jennifer Rhines adidas 31:37.20
4 Deena Kastor Asics 31:45.08
5 Elva Dryer Nike 32:00.91
6 Laura O'Neill Nike 32:15.70
7 Jennifer Crain Wisconsin Ru 33:07.43
8 Turena Johnson Lane Unattached 33:22.69
9 Casey Owens S W Missouri 33:32.51
10 Lindsey Scherf Westchester 33:35.91
11 Nicole Hunt Moving Comfo 33:42.01
12 Melissa Cook Reebok 33:49.77
13 Anne Bersagel Wake Forest 34:20.99
14 Sabrina Monroe Hansons Odp 34:29.51
15 Megan Daly Impala Racing Team 34:40.59
16 Melissa White Hansons Odp 35:37.40
-- Sylvia Mosqueda Nike DNF
-- Samia Akbar Unattached DNS
-- Kimberly Fitchen-Young Unattached DNS
-- Amy Rudolph adidas DNS
