California Baptist University
NCAA DI West Regionals
Karinauskaite Earns Second Consecutive Trip to Nationals in the Steeplechase with Dominant Showing
5/25/2024 7:08:00 PM | Cross Country & Track
FAYETTEVILLE, AR--- The final day from the DI West Regionals was one to remember for the California Baptist University track team as they earned another qualifier to the 2024 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Greta Karinauskaite.
Karinauskaite and Yasna Petrova were the two competitors on the day for the Lancers, competing in the Steeplechase and 5K, respectively. A season ago, these two athletes made program history by becoming the first runners ever to earn a trip to the National Championships.
Karinauskiate was the first runner of the day for CBU as she competed in the 3000M Steeplechase. She entered the competition as the 4th highest-rated athlete in the NCAA in the event, setting a season-best at the Bryan Clay Invitational, where she ran 9:37.31. More recently, Karinauskiate won her third consecutive Western Athletic Conference Steeple crown in Orem, Utah, defeating her competition by 50 seconds.
In this competition, Karinauskiate dominated the field as she did at the WAC Championships, besting the entire 48-runner field emphatically. Karinauskiate did not trail for a single second of the race, and her nearest competition finished 20 seconds behind her. She was the only runner to complete the event under 10:00, doing so at 9:40.22. The time was her second fastest of the season and her fifth fastest of her illustrious career. The time was the third fastest in either Regional this season, trailing only last season's gold-medal winner, Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame, and top-ranked Doris Lemngole of Alabama.
Yasna Petrova finished the weekend for the Lancers as she competed in her second event of Regionals in the Women's 5K. Petrova would come up short on her bid to Nationals, finishing in 37th of 48 runners at a time of 17:07.17. Petrova's incredible Outdoor Season ends after earning her third consecutive First Team All-WAC distinction in the 5K and setting a new personal best in the 10K. That personal best was the seventh-best time in the NCAA this season at 32:36.97 and would also serve as the best time in program history. Petrova set her new best mile time at the Steve Scott Invitational at 4:50.93 and was the second athlete in program history to earn consecutive Regional bids.
NEXT: Karinauskaite and Valentin Soca will continue their outstanding seasons at the National Championships in Eugene, Oregon, which will take place from June 5-8.
Players Mentioned
