SEATTLE – Sophie O’Sullivan’s record-shattering summer has now stretched into September. At a World Athletics Continental Tour meet tonight in Rovereto, Italy, O’Sullivan took down the 41-year-old 3,000-meters School Record, also setting the Irish U23 National Record, and going to No. 5 in the NCAA all-dates record list as she posted a time of 8:44.72.
At the same meet, former Huskies Brian Fay and Kieran Lumb went 2-3 in the men’s 3,000-meters, with Lumb breaking the Canadian Record with a time of 7:38.92, while Fay ran 7:36.89 and moves to No. 3 in Irish history.
O’Sullivan powered to second-place in the race behind Wubrist Aschal of Ethiopia, and she finished a step ahead of former Husky Amy-Eloise Markovc who runs for Great Britain. She took nearly twenty full seconds off her PR, which was previously a 9:03.91 set back in January in the indoor season in the Dempsey.
By more than ten seconds, O’Sullivan broke the long-standing 3k School Record set by Regina Joyce, yet another Husky great with Irish roots, back in 1982, when she ran 8:55.05. Joyce formerly had a monopoly on the UW distance school records, but this 3,000-meters mark was the last one standing for the Husky Hall of Famer.
O’Sullivan goes to No. 5 in the collegiate all-dates records, which goes beyond the end of the collegiate season to include all marks set by athletes who competed during the most recent collegiate track season. O’Sullivan still will have eligibility remaining as a Husky this fall, winter and spring.
Previously this summer, she went to No. 1 all-time in collegiate history in the 1,000-meters (2:37.08) and No. 3 all-time at 1,500-meters when she ran 4:02.15 at the World Championships, earning the Olympic Standard with that effort.
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