June 10, 2006

Complete Results

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sophomore Nicole Bush (Wyoming, Mich.) shattered her previous school record and earned All-America honors by placing fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase late Friday night at the NCAA Track and Field Championships. In the semifinals, Bush ran the event in school-record fashion in 10:09.67, but in the finals, she surpassed that mark with a time of 10:01.04.

By placing fifth, she earned four points for Michigan State and becomes just the second Spartan in program history to garner All-America accolades in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (Ann Somerville, 2002).

Freshman Jennifer Barringer of Colorado claimed the national title with a time of 9:53.04.

Bush's achievement is even more remarkable considering she began competing in the event for the first time in her career in April.

In her first race on April 15 at the Spartan Invitational, she qualified for the NCAA Regionals with a time of 10:40.80. Since then, she has steadily improved her time by an impressive 40 seconds.

At the Hillsdale Relays on April 27, she finished first in 10:21.97, and then set a school record at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships by running a 10:10.94.

Bush qualified for the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regionals with a time of 10:16.29.

Bush is the ninth All-American since 2000 for Michigan State.