Rochester, New York - Ally Hammond has become the first Pacific athlete in history to compete at the NCAA Division III Indoor National Track and Field Championships. After setting a personal record and bettering her existing school record in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.73 seconds, Hammond finished the indoor season ranked 12th in the nation, earning her a spot in the championship meet.

Hammond's first test came on Friday, March 14th with the preliminary round of the women's 60-meter hurdles. Running in the second heat with previous All-Americans, Hammond blasted out of the blocks to a second-place finish to get her an automatic qualifier for Saturday's final in a time of 8.50, a 0.23 second improvement from her previous best set back on February 1st. This performance gave her the second fastest time in the preliminary rounds and a great boost of confidence going into the finals race, which was contested the following day. 

"That prelim race was the most nerve-racking race I've ever been in," recalled Hammond. "I knew I had a big PR in me, but to have to run it on the big stage was a scary feeling. Crossing that line, knowing I had secured and qualified for the final, the weight fell off my chest."

Hammond had another strong performance during the finals, matching her time of 8.50 and finishing second in the nation. She is now Pacific's first athlete to become a First Team All-American in an indoor track event, and it was awarded in spectacular fashion.

"Competing in the final was something special," Hammond said. "I had expected a lot out of myself. The crazy thing is that I crossed the line, knowing I finished second, and I wasn't even excited. I wanted to be the champion so badly. Now, I'm happy with my finish. To come to this meet in the 12th spot and leave as the runner-up is pretty cool. To tie the 9th best time of al- time in DIII is also pretty cool. I'm happy to be an All-American, but I'm coming back for more in outdoor."

Hammond, who already had the school record in the 60 hurdles going into this weekend, now has lowered it even further making this the third instance just this season that she has bettered her own school record. Her record is nearly a full second faster than the next best time in school history. She has raced one outdoor hurdle race in preparation for indoor nationals, and has already run a mark that will likely qualify her for outdoor nationals. This is only the beginning.

Up Next

Pacific will be sending a small crew of athletes down to Eugene, OR to compete at the Oregon Preview this Friday and Saturday. Friday will contest the 1500, 5000, and 3000 steeplechase on the track, along with high jump, triple jump, javelin, and hammer throw. Saturday will contest the rest of the track events as well as the long jump, shot put, and discus.

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