University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Represented in U.S. Performance Rankings
01/10/2012 | Women's Track & Field
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Several current Spiders and recent Richmond Track & Field alumni were featured in the U.S. Track & Field News' 2011 end-of-year performance rankings released recently by the organization.
Representing Richmond on the list were senior Nicol Traynor (3K steeplechase), volunteer assistant Andrew Benford '11 (3K steeple), Matt Llano '11 (10K meters) and the 4x1500 meter relay squad of Traynor, sophomore Alli Mannon, Jenn Ennis '11 and Amy Van Alstine '11.
The 4x1500 relay placed fifth in the race at the 2011 Penn Relays with a time of 17:58.28 and would finish the year ranked seventh in the event.
Traynor turned in a time of 10:02.94 in the 3K steeple at the NCAA Championships to place 19th on the U.S. national performance list and ranked her eighth among American collegians and fifth among underclassmen. With her finish, Traynor earned All-America honors and qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials to be held in Eugene, Ore., in June.
Benford clocked an 8:39.71 in the 3K steeple to place him 19th on the national performance list. With his time, he joins Traynor as an All-American and U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier.
Llano, who now runs professionally for Team USA Minnesota, crossed the line in 28:43.30 in the 10K to finish with the 31st-fastest time in the nation last year. The 2010 All-American's mark ranks eighth among U.S. collegians.
For more details on the Spiders in the national performance rankings, please visit head men's coach Steve Taylor's blog. Be sure to stay updated on all the latest Richmond Track & Field news and notes right here on RichmondSpiders.com and by following Coach Taylor on Twitter.
Players Mentioned
