PITTSBURG, Kansas — Carsyn Koch became Cedarville (Ohio) University’s first NCAA champion by winning the 800 meters at Saturday’s Division II Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship in meet record time.
“I went into the race knowing there were definitely other girls who would be tough contenders, but I felt I was ready to compete with them. I tried to run a smart race and overall I think I did what I set out to do,” said Koch. “I raced thinking that there is always the possibility of losing, but if I was going to do my best not to let that happen.”
The meet was held at Pittsburg State University’s Robert W. Plaster Center.
The sophomore from Washburn turned in a winning time of 2:05.12 to win the race by 2.4 seconds. She broke the previous meet record by 0.63 and crushed her own school mark as well.
“She was focused and determined going into it while running a great tactical and efficient race,” said Cedarville coach Jeff Bolender. “She took the lead at about 350 meters and ran strong all the way to the finish. The win was exciting, but the meet record was a big bonus. We thank the Lord for safety and health during the season and at nationals. This week was a real blessing.”
While Koch is the school’s first NCAA champion in any sport, she is the Lady Jackets’ sixth indoor national champion overall and the first since Lydia Wong won the mile run at the 2010 NAIA Championship.
Koch had won her heat in Friday’s prelims with a time of 2:09.79 — then the fastest time in school history.
“Carsyn ran a very smart and controlled prelim and was able to conserve some energy for the final,” Bolender said.
Koch’s 10 points from winning the 800 meters allowed Cedarville to tie for 25th place overall as a team.
“I’m proud of how the season ended and I’m ready to drop some time for outdoor,” Koch added.
She was a standout athlete at Washburn District High School, competing in cross country, soccer, basketball and track and field and compiling numerous team and individual state titles. Koch, a 2014 WDHS graduate, is the daughter of Peter and Liane Koch of Wade.
