Marissa Bartello became the first Point Loma student-athlete to ever earn a trip to the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships when she was selected to compete in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase (May 17).
“I’m ecstatic for her,” said Point Loma head coach Jerry Arvin. “That was history-making. No one else can ever be the first (to qualify) again. It is an amazing accomplishment and I can hardly wait for the race next Thursday.”
Bartello earned the 21st spot in the 22-person field by posting an NCAA Provisional Qualifying Time of 10:43.77 at the PacWest Championships. She is the only freshman in the field. The Laguna Hills, Calif., native set the Point Loma and PacWest Championships meet records this season. She won the 3k steeplechase at the PacWest Championships with a season-best time of 10:46.54. She shaved over 24 seconds from her first mark of the season and won the conference title by 10.55 seconds. “I think she has a great chance in the race,” Arvin continued. “When you step back and look at the race you see opportunities for her to get in the top 12 to qualify for the finals. Just because you are 21st doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance.”
The NCAA Championships will be held May 26 to 28 in Bradenton, Fla. Bartello will run in heat 2 of the 3k steeplechase on Thursday, May 26 at 4:50 p.m. (PST). The top two from each heat and the next eight fastest runners will qualify for the finals. The finals will be run on Friday, May 27.
Bartello’s performance not only impacted her season but had a ripple effect throughout the team.
“Last year, we had no one hit the NCAA provisional mark, even though we thought we had some good athletes, but this year we had three freshmen (M. Bartello, B. Bartello and C. Lum) hit it,” explained Arvin. “That tells us how good these freshmen are. It has a huge impact on the team, and (all three) have made their teammates better. This lifts everyone on the team up and makes the girls coming in next year ask ‘how can I do the same thing’?”