Teschuk Places 4th in 3,000m, 6th in Mile at NCAA Indoor Championships

Saturday, March 12

Birmingham, Ala.

4:10 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

NCAA Indoor Championships - Day Two

Photo by: Walt Middleton

Teschuk Places 4th in 3,000m, 6th in Mile at NCAA Indoor Championships

3/12/2016 8:28:00 PM | Women's Track and Field

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – North Dakota State senior Erin Teschuk concluded her collegiate indoor career with a pair of All-America honors on Saturday evening at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Teschuk finished sixth in the mile with a time of 4:38.94, and she bounced back two hours later to earn an impressive fourth-place finish in the 3,000m. In the 3,000m, Teschuk ran in 13th place for much of the race before unleashing a finishing kick that moved her from 10th to fourth over the last 300 meters. She finished in 9:08.45 for the third-fastest time of her career.

Teschuk's fourth-place finish in the 3,000m matched Leslie Brost for the highest NCAA Division I indoor finish in NDSU history. Brost took fourth in the pole vault in 2012.

Oklahoma State's Kaela Edwards took the national title in the mile in 4:35.62. Notre Dame's Molly Seidel won the 3,000m in 8:57.86.

Teschuk earned first-team All-America honors in both events – the eighth and ninth indoor All-America distinctions for the Bison women in the Division I era.

NDSU head women's track & field coach Stevie Keller did his best to sum up Teschuk's latest accomplishments.

"It's pretty amazing," said Keller. "To double two years in a row indoor, that's amazing on its own. But then when you also consider what she's done in outdoor track and cross country, that's pretty unbelievable."

Teschuk's finishing kick in the 3,000m was impressive in itself. She ran most of the race in 13th place before passing a large pack of runners on the final lap to climb the awards stand.

"It shows her toughness," Keller said. "It shows her competiveness. She didn't press or do anything out of character. She was comfortable enough to run her race, and then that kick – her last 300 meters were very impressive."

NDSU distance coach Andrew Carlson agreed.

"That was a sign of a very savvy athlete who has competed at the highest level," said Carlson. "She has world championships experience, and it shows in races like this. She can close as well as anyone. Tonight, she stayed patient and kept waiting, and when the time was right, she made a move."

"I was kind of disappointed with the mile because I know I'm capable of a lot better than that," Teschuk said. "Once that race was over, I had to do my best to make sure I was prepared for the 3k."

"You have to keep your focus," Teschuk continued. "Mentally, it's tough to come back for another race, but I knew I was capable. You just have to stay positive and get as much recovery as possible in the time that you have."

Teschuk has cemented her place in the NDSU record books, as she now owns six All-America honors since last March – four indoor, one outdoor and one in cross country. The 10 fastest mile times in NDSU history now all belong to Teschuk.