College : UC Irvine’s Stirling Runs Her Race and Qualifies for NCAA Meet

Brigid Stirling of UC Irvine did precisely what she had to do Saturday night at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in order to qualify for the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. meet in the 3,000 meters.

Stirling, a junior, stayed well behind the early leaders and ran steady 75-second laps for the 7 1/2-lap race. Her conservative strategy paid off in a personal-best time of 9 minutes 23.8 seconds, just under the NCAA qualifying time of 9:25.

Trina Leopold of Team Nike won the race in commanding fashion in 9:09.97, the fastest time by an American this year. Stirling was 11th.

“She (Stirling) stayed out of the fast stuff,” UC Irvine Coach Vince O’Boyle said. “We wanted her to come by at 5 minutes and she was at 4:57. Almost every lap was at 75. Only one was at 76.”

Stirling was the Big West Conference cross-country champion last fall, but this was her first important track meet for Irvine.

While at Claremont-McKenna, Stirling had been a Division III All-American with a 3,000 best of 9:28. She transfered to Irvine last fall.

“It was a big debut for her,” O’Boyle said.

But not nearly as big as the NCAA meet, which will be in Provo, Utah in early June.

Irvine’s Beth McGrann also qualified for the NCAA meet by running 33:07 in the 10,000 meters. It also was a personal best for McGrann, who was All-American in the event last year. Monica Joyce of Ireland won the race in an unofficial time of 32:21.14, a meet record.

Irvine finished fifth in the men’s distance medley relay with a time of 9:56.97, but O’Boyle was encouraged by the performance of Jim Geerlings. Geerlings, a freshman from Newport Harbor High School, ran 3:01 on the opening, 1,200-meter leg.

Like Stirling, Geerlings ran a steady pace. He passed the 400 mark in 60 seconds and the 800 in 2:00.

Andy Shaben ran 48.5 for the 400 leg, then passed the baton to Kevin Harris, who ran 1:54.4 for the 800. Irvine was in second place at that point, trailing the Atlantic Coast Club, the eventual winner in 9:51.37.

Greg Houlgate ran 4:12.4 on the 1,600 anchor leg, but it wasn’t enough as Irvine fell to fifth.