Nixa high school graduate Courtney Frerichs is one of two young ladies from the Ozarks who are making a big splash on the national stage this weekend.
On the same weekend that former Missouri State Lady Bear All-American basketball player Jackie Stiles was inducted into the National Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in ceremonies in Knoxville, Tennesee, Frerichs was winning a national championship at the college level.
The 23 year-old Frerichs, now competing for the University of New Mexico, won the NCAA's national title in the steeplechase…A three-thousand-meter event that involves jumping over 28 barriers and 7 water hazards.
Competing at the NCAA National Track and Field meet in Eugene, Oregon, Frerichs beat out Neosho's Jessica Kamilos from the University of Arkansas by almost 17-seconds and set a new NCAA record by 1.13 seconds in her last college meet as a senior before heading to the Olympic trials in three weeks. That meet will also be held in Eugene.
Courtney thinks that she has a better chance of making the USA Olympic team in 2020 after she's finished her college career and turned pro. Distance runners also tend to reach their peak in their late 20's, but Frerichs record-setting moment at the highest level of college definitely makes her a prime contender to reach Rio this summer. Stay tuned for updates as the Ozarks as a potential Olympian to watch for this summer!
