Holt Named NAIA Athlete of the Meet, Lady Yotes 5th
GENEVA, Ohio - Hillary Holt and The College of Idaho had a record-setting day at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships, winning three National Championships to close out competition in the SPIRE Institute.
The three titles helped the Lady Yotes to their best finish at Nationals in program history, finishing fifth overall with 33 team points - behind champion Oklahoma Baptist, Indiana Tech, Concordia (Ore.), and Doane (Neb.).
Holt became the most decorated women's student-athlete in C of I history, claiming individual NAIA titles in the mile-run and the 3,000-meters, while anchoring the Lady Yotes victory in the distance medley relay. For her efforts, she was named NAIA Women's Athlete of the Meet.
Holt has now won four individual national titles - including her 2012 outdoor track title in the 1,500-meters and her title in the 2012 NAIA Cross Country Championships - the most by a C of I female athlete, and joining skiers Brett LaBounty and Evan Williams, who also won four individual titles.
The junior, from Meridian made a huge push in the mile final, taking the lead with 900-meters to go, finishing with a time of 4:49.49, defeating Kellian Hunt of Biola by eight seconds. In the 3,000-meters, Holt broke from a tight pack with a mile to go and ran unopposed, clocking a time of 10:00.73, eight seconds clear of Kelly Thompson of Cal State San Marcos.
In the DMR, Sora Klopfenstein ran a strong 1,200-meter leg, as did Jasmine Sibert in the 400-meters and Elynn Smith in the 800-meters, but the Yotes went into the final exchange in fifth-place in the eight-team final. Holt took the baton and quickly moved into second-place after two laps, chasing down Concordia's Linsie Michael's with 800-meters remaining and blew away the field - establishing a new school record with a time of 11:49.70, 12 seconds faster than the second-place Cavaliers.
Klopfenstein also earned her fourth NAIA All-America honor, placing sixth in the 3,000-meters with a time of 10:19.18.