The women’s 3,000 meter Steeplechase has only been around for a short time on the collegiate level.  Oregon does have a long, glorious history of running the 3,000 meters though and this ranking will include both events.

            Last year Senior Nicole Blood was the first all-American for Oregon over 3,000 meters since 2000.  Oregon has more awards in this running event than any other (18).  In 2008 Blood was one of the top seeds and tried to stay with the top runners and fell off the pace.  She finished 14^th.  Last year she fought to recover from injury and barely qualified for the NCAA indoor championships.  She finished sixth after helping the Distance Medley Relay (1,200 meter leg) to a sixth place finish the day before.  She won a US junior 3,000 meter championship as a freshman.     

            Junior Claire Michel had a breakout year last year.  In her senior year of high school she had a stress fracture running at the Steen’s Mountain camp and her freshman year she broke ten minutes for 3,000 meters for the first time (9:49.35).  She ran the steeplechase her first season and as a sophomore (2008) set the school record of 10:26.62 when she finished seventh at the West Regional meet.  Last year she was sixth in the Pac-10 meet and then shocked everyone with a fifth place west Regional finish and set the school record (10:13.59) at the NCAA semifinals to make the finals. 

Top 1500 meter/mile runners of the ‘00s (top time, UO ranking, indoors, all-American awards in event and years of career)

1.      Nicole Blood, 9:08.44i, #6 UO ind/out, #2 UO indoor, ’09 6^th NCAA, 7x a-a, ’07-

2.      Claire Michel 10:13.59 Steeplechase SR, ’09 NC final, ’08-

3.      Alex Kosinski 9:11.24i, #8 UO in/out, #4 UO a-t indoor, ’09 NCAA ind comp, 3^rd MPSF, 3x a-a (twice in cross country), ’08-

4.      Dana Buchanon, 10:28.53 #2 UO a-t Steeple, 4^th ’06 P-10, ’06 and ‘09

            Top athletes of other decades (including other NCAA champions if there are more than one)

90s – Melody Fairchild, 9:07.25i, Uoi SR, ’96 NCAA indoor champion, 3x a-a (2x in  3,000 meters), ’94-‘96

          Milena Glusac, 9:13.29, #9 UO a-t, 9:13.31i, #5 Uoi a-t, 2^nd ’96 NCAA ind  and 6^th out, 6x a-a (3x 3,000 meters), ’94, ’96-‘98

80s – Kathy Hayes, 8:50.79, SR, 9:11.0i,#3 UOi a-t, Pac-10 record, former CR, 9x a-a (5k and 10k and 4x XC), ’85 World Cross country competitor, ’82-‘85

          Annette Hand, 8:59.15, #2 UO a-t, 9:13.70i #5 UO a-t, second ’88 and fourth ’87 NCAA, 5x a-a (2 at 3k), ’87 and ’88 Pac-10 champ (four total), set 5k US record, ’92 Olympian, 3x World Championships competitor, 4x World Cross competitor, ’93 US cross country champion, ’87-‘88

          Penny Graves, 9:07.86, #4 UO a-t, 3^rd ’88 NCAA, 6x a-a (one at 3,000 meters, three times cross country), ’85-‘88

Oregon has 18 all-Americans and one NCAA champion in this event.