Proulx Wins 10,000 Meters at Penn Relays
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 4/24/03 - Keene State College’s Mary Proulx added another accomplishment to her outstanding running career when she won the 10,000-meter event at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia late Thursday night.
A senior from Ashland, N.H., Proulx finished with a time of 33:21.80 to win the event by 13 seconds over defending champion Tara Quinn, a former runner from the University of North Carolina, who is now a member of the Toronto Running Club.
“They traded the lead until the four-and-a-half-mile mark, when Mary dropped the hammer,” said a pleased KSC Coach Peter Thomas.
Proulx’s time qualifies her for the U.S. Track and Field Championships, which will be run at Stanford University in June.
Not only was it an NCAA (Div. III) Championship automatic qualifying mark for the four-time national champion, but the fastest time ever recorded by a Division III runner in the event. “Right now if she were running in Division I, it would be the third fastest time this season,” Thomas said.
According to Thomas, if Proulx can repeat her time, she would qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials. “She’s ecstatic,” added Thomas. “This is her favorite venue, and she went out and ran the race of her life. “This is by far her top accomplishment.”
In other events, Mark Miller (Shelburne Falls, Mass.) placed fourth in the steeplechase with a time of 8:55.29. It is the second-fastest time posted in Div. III this season.
Returning to collegiate running this spring, Wilson Perez (Newmarket, N.H.) also had an NCAA Championship qualifying time (30:16.21) with his 10th-place finish in the 10,000 meters. His mark is the second-best among Div. III runners this year. Josh Ferenc (Westmoreland, N.H.) also posted an NCAA provisional time (31:05.51) in the 10,000 meters with his 26th-place performance. Dave Bridgewater (Unionville, Conn.) also competed in the 5,000 meters (14:57.62).
