Senior Kallie Nixon finished third out of 16 runners – second among collegians – in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Princeton’s Sam Howell Invitational on Friday to gain Bobcat of the Week accolades.
The only Division III athlete in the field, the Medfield, Mass., native moved up from last place to third over the course of the race, finishing in a personal-best time of 10:38.63.
Her efforts earned her NESCAC Women’s Track Performer of the Week honors.
Nixon, who placed 13th in the steeplechase at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, chopped 12.57 seconds off of her previous personal best time of 10:51.20 and moved into third place among all Division III athletes in the event so far this season. Already second on Bates' all-time performance list in the event, Nixon moved within shouting distance of the team record, 10:33.20, set by Kathryn Moore in 2007.
Nixon passed runners from Maryland, Syracuse, Buffalo, Penn, Brown, Cornell, Columbia and Harvard before crossing the finish line 1.67 seconds behind top collegian Sarah Delozier of Dartmouth.
Nixon and the Bobcats return to action with a home meet at Russell Street Track on Saturday beginning at noon against Colby and MIT.
