EUGENE, Ore.—Arizona State track and field’s senior Shelby Houlihan broke her school record in the 1500m and earned a pair of First-Team All-America honors on Saturday at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.
“When you just look at the day’s results, I think that if you weren’t here in Eugene or watching on ESPN, it doesn’t represent what a champion Shelby Houlihan really is,” Director of Track and Field Greg Kraft said. “If you saw her race, the way she came out and took command of it, but got caught at the end. But to come out in less than two hours and run 15:49 and be seventh in the 5000m, a lot of times, that’s the winning time. So I cant say enough great things about Shelby Houlihan and what she’s meant for our program. Nothing she did today diminished her legacy at ASU, in my opinion it only enhanced it. The way she handled her disappointment and just got ready for the next race just shows you what a bright future she has as a next-level competitor. We wish her nothing but the best as she moves forward.”
In her bid to defend her 2014 title, Houlihan was edged out at the finish line by Mississippi State’s Rhianwedd Price, crossing second at 4:09.67 and breaking the previous record, 4:10.89, which she set last summer.
“The 1500m was a tremendous race, Shelby led for 1490 meters, and then overtaken at the line,” distance coach Louie Quintana said. “Shelby executed our plan wonderfully, was unaware of the girl from Mississippi State’s late charge, and it’s a of a bummer that she couldn’t repeat. She ran a personal best, so we can’t be too disappointed. Second place is still a phenomenal achievement, and we’re really proud of her.”
Less than two hours later, Houlihan ran a personal best in the 5000m finals, coming back from 18th to finish seventh overall at 15:49.71, the new No. 2 time in the Sun Devil record book, just behind Victoria Jackson’s 2006 record of 15:49.03. She also picked up two team points.
“What really signifies who she is and her personality is how she came back after going through the 1500m awards ceremony, and she really only had about 45 minutes before the 5000m finals,” Quintana said. “She went out there, in a field of 24, and finished seventh among probably 17 women who were fresher than she was. She earned another All-America honor, a couple more points for the team, and that’s really who she is. She’s a great Sun Devil, multiple time All-American, scored a lot at the NCAA Championships for us over the years, so there’s nothing for her to hang her head about. We’re very excited for her professional career, which pretty much starts now. It’s been a great ride.”
The 12-time All-American earned a pair of first-team accolades on Saturday, and has now amassed the second-most honors for a Sun Devil woman in program history. Her recognition in the 5000m marks her as the first Sun Devil All-American in the event since Jenna Kingma in 2006.
With Houlihan’s 10 total points, the ASU women’s team finished in a tie for 20th. Oregon won the women’s title with 59 points.
Also for the Sun Devils, redshirt freshman Magdalyn Ewen earned Second-Team All-America accolades as she finished 12th in the discus finals with a throw of 52.63m (172-08).
“Magdalyn Ewen hopefully learned from her competition today in the discus,” Kraft said. “She’s a redshirt freshman, a Second-Team All-American, and she has the tools to be another great one in the long list of champions Coach Dumble has developed. She’s our future.”
Arizona State Results
Women’s 1500m Finals
2. Shelby Houlihan – 4:09.67 (All-American) (PR, School Record)
Women’s 5000m Finals
7. Shelby Houlihan – 15:49.71 (All-American) (PR, No. 2 in ASU Outdoor Record Book)
Women’s Discus Finals
12. Magdalyn Ewen – 52.63m (172-08) (Second-Team All-American)
