BRADENTON, Fla. — Washburn’s Carsyn Koch completed a season sweep of women’s national 800-meter titles by winning the event at the NCAA Div. II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held May 28, 2016.
The Cedarville University sophomore turned in a time of 2:03.48 to win the race by nearly a full second. She had also won the Div. II indoor 800 crown on March 12.
Koch was the 2015 outdoor runner-up in the same event.
Even though she entered the race as the prohibitive favorite, Koch knew not to taking anything for granted.
“I went in knowing that anything could happen,” she said. “I wanted to go in confident, but at the same time I knew that every competitor worked really hard to get here and would definitely give me a challenge.
“My family and friends were there to support me and overall it was a great day. It’s funny how you stress and work so hard for only two minutes of your life. It’s good to keep the experience in perspective,” she added.
Koch had set the Div. II all-time record in the 800 with a 2:02.39 performance at Stanford University May 1. The mark also met the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standard.
Koch’s time on Saturday rates second all-time at Cedarville. She owns the school’s top six times and eight of the top nine.
“It was the best way to end the nationals for Carsyn,” said her coach, Jeff Bolender. “She basically led the whole way and finished strong for the win. It is never easy to finish first and it is a huge blessing to be national champion. Thank the Lord she stayed healthy all the way through.”
Koch is a 2014 graduate of Washburn District High School and amassed numerous individual and team state championships as a member of the Beavers’ cross country, soccer, basketball and track and field teams during her four-year career. She is the daughter of Peter and Liane Koch of Washburn.
