Simon Fraser University’s Lindsey Butterworth capped her NCAA Division II career with her second national track title this season.
The Clan senior won the women’s 800 metres in convincing fashion at the Div. II national outdoor championship just missing the meet record by a fraction of a second.
Butterworth won the outdoor metric half-mile in a near-record time of 2:02.88, just 78/100ths of a second off the Great Northwest conference record set by SFU alumna Helen Crofts in 2013 and four-tenths off the 25-year-old championship meet record.
“I’m in shock. I had no idea I could run that fast,” said Butterworth in a school press release. Butterworth’s previous best coming into the championships was a 2:04.11 clocking she posted at the Payton Jordan Invitational meet earlier in the month.
The national title was the second one for Butterworth this season. Earlier in year, she won the Div. II indoor title at 800m.
“I ran a tactical race staying to the outside trying not to get boxed in, and then with 300 metres to go along the back stretch, I made my move,” Butterworth added. “I didn’t take the lead until 200 metres to go and then I just ran hard to the finish and I didn’t look back.”
Butterworth, who ran even through the opening 400m with overall heats winner Carsyn Koch, crossed the finish line 2.43 seconds ahead of the Cedarville (Ohio) freshman.
“I gave everything I had. I didn’t know I was capable of running so fast,” said Butterworth. “This is a breakthrough for me.”
Butterworth was the national leader in the women’s 800m and pre-race favourite coming into finals. She easily won her heat to advance to the finals, but her time of 2:06.87 was slower than that of Koch.
“I was feeling strong after the heats and I was able to see the times everyone ran. I felt like my goal was within reach and I could win this,” Butterworth said. “I couldn’t be happier to finish my SFU career with a national championship.”
In other national finals, Travis Vugteveen finished in ninth place in the men’s 1,500m in a time of 3:50.29. Adams State freshman Oliver Aitchison won in a championship record time of 3:45.92.
In the women’s 5,000m, Clan grad student Jennifer Johnson placed 13th overall at 17:13.68. Junior Emily Oren of Hillsdale won the event in a time of 16:36.10.
Two other Clan runners failed to make it past the heats.
Marc-Antoine Rouleau was 17th in the preliminary heats of the men’s 1,500m and did not advance.
Nationally-ranked middle distance runner Cameron Proceviat placed 11th in the men’s 800m and missed the cut by just 42/100ths of a second.
