TU Steeplechasers Race to National Standards

JOLIET, Ill. – Taylor's trio of steeplechasers competed at the Fighting Chance Meet hosted by the University of St. Francis on Friday night for a chance to hit national qualifying marks and tune-up before the 2021 NAIA Outdoor National Championships.

The ladies leaped through water and cruised over barriers under the lights, as action began well past sunset for the Trojans. The conditions were near perfect and three steeplechasers took advantage of strong competition as Mollie Gamble, Ahna VanderWall and Giovanna Domene all hit NAIA A-standard.

Freshman Mollie Gamble led the Taylor women with a significant personal-best time of 11:01.83. Gamble ended sixth overall and claimed the fourth-fastest time in TU history.

Fellow freshman Ahna VanderWall finished in seventh behind Gamble, clocking a time of 11:12.14. VanderWall's career-best time moved her to sixth on the TU top-10 list.

Giovanna Domene ended 10th overall, cruising to a career-best time of 11:16.56 and claiming the seventh-best time in Taylor history.

A handful of Taylor women will return tomorrow for the second day of the Fighting Chance Meet. Action will kick off for the Trojans at 2:00 pm EST.