It didn’t take long for Ruth White to surpass her own University of New Hampshire record in the women’s 10,000 meters.
The freshman runner from Orono not only improved on her record pace for the Wildcats by roughly 30 seconds over the weekend, she also set a new America East Outdoor Track and Field Championships record with a blistering time of 32:57.83 in the 6.2-mile race.
White previously broke the UNH 10K record in late March that had stood since 2011. Her record-setting America East Championships time in the 6.2-mile race smashed the 2008 event benchmark by nearly two minutes and was almost four minutes faster than the second place finisher running behind her on Saturday.
UNH hosted the conference outdoor track championships over the weekend, and along with her first place finish in the 10K, White took home the award for Most Outstanding Female Rookie Performer. The Wildcat women finished second overall in the conference competition.
White’s time on Saturday keeps her among the top 10K performers in women’s track across the entire country, good enough for 23rd fastest in NCAA Division I competition as of Monday.
As UNH assistant track coach Alison Duffy explained earlier in the season, White has been well-positioned to compete in NCAA regionals and then potentially nationals. The top 48 runners qualify for regionals, according to Duffy, who also said that White had already qualified for the under-20 national meet in Eugene, Oregon, in June.
