Courtesy Westfield State Sports Information

BEREA, Ohio - Westfield State senior Kerry Arouca (Hanson, Mass.) earned All-America honors by placing eighth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the NCAA Division III outdoor track and field national championships at Baldwin-Wallace College on Friday, May 28.

Arouca was clocked in 10:45.07 in the competitive, senior-laden field, with the top eight earning All-America status. She was seeded ninth entering the national championships with a time of 10:39.81. Last year she finished third in the NCAA championships with school record clocking of 10:31.71.

"Kerry was right there (with the leaders) at the beginning of the race but it was rough and elbows were flying," said Westfield State head coach Sean O'Brien. "Kerry got boxed in and it threw off her a bit, plus it was hot. Near the end of the race she finished strong and started to pick off (pass) runners. At one point she was in 14th place."

MIT's Jacqui Wentz ran away from the competition, winning the national crown with a season-best time of 10:16.16. Kim Chinn of Baldwin-Wallace placed second in 10:30.53, followed by Stephanie Perleberg (Wisconsin La Crosse, 10:32.64) and Hannah Humbach (Wisconsin Eau Claire, 10:40.18).

Arouca closely followed three runners across the finish line: Elizabeth Smit (Calvin College, 10:43.79), Katie Dolan (Luther College, 10:44.23), and Greta Sieve (St. Catherine, 10:44.29).

Arouca is now a four-time All-American. In addition to earning All-America status twice in the steeplechase, Arouca placed second in the 5,000 meter run at the 2010 indoor national championships and finished 13th in the 2009 NCAA cross country finals.

Arouca concludes her outstanding collegiate career on Saturday when she competes in the 5,000 meter run at the NCAA championships. She is seeded 17th in the highly competitive 5,000 meter field.