Dani McCormick, a 2015 graduate of Soldotna High School and senior at the University of Alaska Anchorage, earned two All-America honors at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas, on Friday and Saturday to help the Seawolves to a fourth-place finish at the meet.
Friday, McCormick helped the UAA distance medley relay team to second place. McCormick ran the third leg, which is the 800 meters. She started her leg in fourth place, but was able to get the Seawolves back into a tie for second place. Senior Caroline Kurgat was able to secure second place.
Saturday, McCormick finished third in the 800 in 2 minutes, 6.28 seconds, to break her own school record. Skylyn Webb of UC-Colorado Springs led from the opening gun to win in 2:04.94.
“Dani ran aggressively, which is what she needed to do because the 800-meter field was stacked,” said UAA head coach Michael Friess in a released statement. “Her school record and third place finish set the stage for Caroline.”
Kurgat would go on to win the 3,000 for her fifth national title.
The fourth place finish sets a new high-water mark for the UAA women.
“I’m amazingly proud of our team,” Friess said. “A total of 11 American performances and an amazing podium finish for the women’s team. We are bringing back a trophy! It was an amazing weekend for UAA track and field.”
