HAYWARD — Former Middletown High School cross country and track star Grace Southern qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals Championships in not one but two events Sunday during the West Coast Last Chance Meet at Chabot College in Hayward.
The 2019 Middletown graduate went on to star for Shasta College’s cross country and track squads before enrolling at Academy of Art University in San Francisco where the junior is majoring in textile design.
Southern’s strong showing Sunday came within a two-hour span as she posted NCAA Division II provisional times in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. First up was the 1,500 meters as she placed second with a season-best time of 4 minutes, 27.50 seconds, finishing less than a second behind winner JJ Escalera (4:26.67) from NCAA Division I Santa Clara. It was the second fastest 1,500 ever run by a Academy of Art University runner.
Coming back a short time later to run in the 5,000 meters, Southern turned in another career-best time while winning in 17:03.46, which was more than 46 seconds ahead of the next-fastest runner. Southern jumped to an early lead in the race and never looked back. It was the third-fastest 5,000 time in Academy of Art University history.
Southern’s times Sunday rank her 37th (1,500) and 49th (5,000) nationally in NCAA Division II.
The former Middletown High standout also competes in the 800 for the Urban Knights.
Next up for Southern and her teammates is the APU Franson Last Chance Meet this Friday and Saturday in Azusa.
The NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships take place May 25-27 in Pueblo, Colorado.
