ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – On Friday evening, Anne-Marie Blaney will make her NCAA Indoor Championship debut. She qualified for the 2017 meet in the 5,000-meter run.
Blaney will run at 9 p.m. ET at Gilliam Indoor Stadium on the Texas A&M campus in College Station.
The Ocala, Fla., native has made three NCAA Championship appearances during her UCF tenure – twice in cross country and once in outdoor track and field, but earned her first trip to the indoor meet with a record-setting time earlier this season.
"I really wanted to compete at the national level indoor because it was my last shot and it would be such a huge accomplishment for me," Blaney said. "I had been following the national list up until the end of conference and I was on the cusp of qualifying. Breaking 16 minutes put me in a really good spot and that's when I knew I had a chance."
Blaney posted a school-record time of 15:55.69 at the Music City Challenge on Feb. 10. Her mark ranks 12th among the 16 competitors in the event.
She became the first Knight to qualify since the 2013 indoor championships.
"I am so excited to have another chance to run a personal record, and to just compete at this level," Blaney said. "I feel like I belong in this group, running at this caliber. I have high expectations for myself here!"
The race will stream on ESPN3 and live results will also be available.