RONO POSTS NATION-LEADING 3,000 METERS AT ICHABOD INVITE
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Hutchinson CC Sports Information
TOPEKA – Hutchinson Community College freshman distance runner Mildred Rono continues her extraordinary freshman season by posting the nation's top time in the 3,000 meters on Saturday at the Ichabod Invitational on Saturday at the Sneed Indoor Athletic Facility.
Running the event for the first time this season, Rono posted a blistering time of 9 minutes, 26.89 seconds, winning the Ichabod Invitational by a time of 24.55 seconds.
In addition to winning the 3,000 meters on Saturday, Rono:
+ Posted the No. 1 time in the NJCAA in 2026;
+ Broke the Blue Dragon school record; surpassing teammate Ashara Frater, who ran 10:13.09;
+ Broke the Ichabod Invitational record, the old record was 9:36.27;
+ Broke the facility record at Washburn, the old record was 9:30.02.
Rono has now qualified for nationals in both the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, where she is ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA.
Sophomore pole vaulter Grace Bender increased the Blue Dragon women's national qualifying total to 11 athletes wit her fourth-place performance on Saturday. Bender cleared a personal-record 10 feet, 4 inches (3.15 meters) to earn a second-straight indoor nationals appearance. Bender is now tied for seventh on the Blue Dragon women's indoor all-time chart.
The Blue Dragons broke their 13th and 14th school record on Saturday.
Other top Blue Dragon performances on Saturday:
+ Also breaking a Blue Dragon record is sprinter Anecia Campbell, who placed seventh in the 400-meter finals with a record time of 56.80 seconds.
+ Freshman Xylavene Beale was the Ichabod Invitational runner-up in the weight throw at 56-8 (17.27 meters). Sophomore Deisheline Mayer Scott was seventh in the event at 52-6 3/4 (16.02 meters).
+Freshman Kimberlin Lovell placed 23rd in the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:48.39, the seventh-best time in Blue Dragon indoor history.
Next up for the Blue Dragon women's track and field team is the Region 6 Indoor Championships next Saturday and Sunday at the Robert Plaster Center in Pittsburg.