LA CROSSE, Wis. – Senior Taryn Cordani of the nationally ranked No. 11 Ithaca College women's track & field team picked up where she left off a year ago, as she repeated as the national champion in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 35:03.20 at the 2018 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in La Crosse, Wis. on May 24.
Cordani becomes the first-ever student-athlete at Ithaca College to win four national titles during their career and runs Ithaca's total to 44 individual national championships. She is also the first repeat winner in the 10K since Carter Hamill of Amherst claimed back-to-back titles in 2004-05, and just the sixth runner all-time to win more than one 10K title since 1982.
Cordani, who was the top seed in the championship by more than a minute, jetted to the front of the pack from the opening gun and never looked back for the wire-to-wire victory. By the end of her first lap, she led by more than three seconds, as she maneuvered the opening 400 meters in 1:17.327 – her fastest lap of the championship.
By the mile mark of the race, she extended her lead to 11 seconds. As she crossed the two-mile junction, Cordani pushed her advantage out to 18 seconds. Midway through the three-mile mark (15:59 – 11th lap), she began to lap the field.
From laps 12 to 17, Cordani slowed her pace to an average of 1:26.5 seconds, which trimmed her lead down to 14 seconds. With three laps to go, Katherine Cook of Bates pulled to within 10 seconds, but Cordani went into her final kick and ran the last 800 meters in 2:41.81 to prevail by 14.3 seconds.
On her final lap, Cordani clocked a time of 1:18.796.
Her time of 35:03.20 is the 12th-fastest time in DIII championship history in the 10K. Last season, she won the race in 34:41.11, which was the fifth-fastest time.
This individual title marks the fifth for Ithaca this season, as teammate Katherine Pitman won the indoor pole vault championship, Ben Brisman of the wrestling team won the 141-lb. championship and Nickie Griesemer claimed the 1-meter and 3-meter diving championships for the women's swimming & diving team.
The Douglas, Mass. native will run again on Saturday at 3:25 p.m. in the 5,000-meter run. Cordani clocked the fifth-fastest time in the nation at 16:42.59. She placed third last year in the 5K.
