March 9, 2012

Complete Results

Nampa, Idaho. - Navy senior Jess Palacio (Sun Valley, Nev.) placed 16th in the prelims of the mile run at the 2012 NCAA Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship at Jacksons Indoor Track on Friday in Nampa, Idaho.

By placing 16th, Palacio will earn All-America Second Team honors from the USTFCCCA. The official USTFCCCA All-America teams will be formally released next week.

Palacio becomes the first female Midshipman to earn All-America honors in indoor track and field at the Division I level after also becoming the first female Midshipman to qualify for the national championships at the nation's highest level.

Palacio ran in the second of two preliminary heats and stayed with the pack through the first three laps before a recent hamstring injury caught up to her and she fell off the pace to place eighth in her heat and 16th overall at 4:52.66.

"She started to feel that hamstring on the third lap but she did a great job to finish the race," Navy distance coach Karen Boyle said. "She will be ready for the outdoor season and will be totally healthy."

Palacio hit the half-mile mark at 2:28.50, just .90 seconds off the lead, but was unable to stay with the lead pack as the race progressed.

The top ten runners in the field advanced to the finals of the mile run, which will be contested on Saturday night. Stony Brook's Lucy Van Dalen confirmed her top seed time by running the fastest prelim time, a 4:40.29.

Friday's NCAA mile marks the end of Palacio's illustrious indoor track and field career, in which she won 31 of 39 career races and set school records in the indoor 800m, 1,000m and mile run.

Palacio also competed in the 2011 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship last fall and will have the opportunity to qualify for a third NCAA Championship in her senior year by advancing to the national outdoor track and field meet in June.

2012 NCAA Indoor Mile Run Prelim Results

Place   Name        School      Time    1Q  Lucy Van Dalen  Stony Brook 4:40.292Q  Morgane Gay Virginia    4:40.453Q  K. Gillespie    Arkansas    4:40.474Q  Becca Friday    Oregon      4:41.035Q  Jordan Hasay    Oregon      4:41.236Q  Aisha Praught   Illinois State  4:41.507q  Hannah Brooks   Florida State   4:41.968Q  Agata Strausa   Florida     4:42.179Q  Anne Kesselring Oregon      4:42.3410q Shannon Osika   Michigan    4:43.1211  Cory McGee  Florida     4:45.3012  Emily Lipari    Villanova   4:46.6613  Laura Carlyle   Oregon State    4:46.9314  J. Moultrie New Mexico  4:49.5615  Heidi Gregson   Iona        4:52.1816  Jess Palacio    Navy        4:52.66