Ferrell 3rd in 3,000m at indoor nationals

When junior Cack Ferrell arrived at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships at the University of Arkansas to race the 3,000 meter run, she and head coach Peter Farrell had no expectations.

"I didn't have a time goal, I didn't have a place goal," Ferrell said. "There was no one person that I thought could win, so I thought it was anyone's race to win."

Anyone, including herself. After the race began at a slow pace, Ferrell took the lead, hoping she could hold off her competitors to secure a good finishing place.

Little did Ferrell know how well that strategy would work. Not only did she finish third in the race, earning All-American status for the second consecutive year, but she managed to avoid the crowding in the back that caused two of her top competitors to fall during the race.

Ferrell's success at the race was even more impressive considering her training problems. Her coach said she had strep throat for a 10-day period before and after Heptagonals. Though Ferrell attended every practice, she could not train.

"At the NCAA level, you can't fudge it," Coach Farrell said. "She literally missed two weeks of important work."

But healthy again and with three strong workouts under her belt going into NCAAs, Ferrell was ready to give the meet her best shot.

Slow start

The race started slowly, and Ferrell, just behind the race leader, passed through the first mile in 5:08. When she placed ninth in the 3,000 last year, she went through the mile in 4:52. That race was led by Providence College's Kim Smith, who set the collegiate record in 8:49.

This race was more tactical. Just after the mile, Ferrell assumed the lead. Though the other athletes in the race continued to try to pass her, she held them off until the final lap.

University of Colorado senior Renee Metivier and University of Texas-El Paso senior Adriana Pirtea overtook Ferrell, but Ferrell managed to place third, fending off Yale freshman Lindsay Donaldson. Metivier won the race in 9:22.81, Pirtea followed in 9:23.58 and Ferrell finished in 9:24.20. Donaldson was just a half-second behind.

Though he too said he was unsure of what to expect coming into the meet, Coach Farrell said her finish impressed him.

"I didn't put expectations on her because of the block of time [of training] she missed," he said. "Third place exceeds your hidden expectations."

Focusing on the mile

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The completion of the race marked the end of Ferrell's indoor season and her last opportunity to run the 3,000 this year. Her outdoor season will begin with the Sam Howell Invitational at Princeton's Weaver Track on Apr. 8. Ferrell will run in the 5,000m event, a last chance to work on her distance events before she focuses on the 1,500m race.

Ferrell said she plans to pursue the 1,500m school record of 4:17, which would require cutting nine seconds from last year's personal best of 4:26. Her personal record of 4:41 in the mile, set during this indoor season, demonstrates her recent improvement and the potential of this upcoming season.

"That time means she's one of the best in the country. The best in the country ran a 4:38 in the mile," Coach Farrell said. "We don't want to give up on that."