Kingsway graduate Kylie Anicic is off to NCAA Division 2 Nationals after a monster performance at her conference meet.
Anicic qualified for NCAA Division 2 National Championships, scheduled for next Friday and Saturday at the Harvey Dean Track at Pittsburg (Kans.) State University, in the 5,000-meter run, thanks to her 16:47.87 performance at the Edinboro Invitational on Feb. 18. That ranks No. 15 this year in Division 2, but considering that she ran unchallenged – 2nd-place was nearly two minutes behind and there was no 3rd place – it seems like she’s ready to go much faster.
Especially considering her performance this past weekend.
At the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships this past weekend at Edinboro’s Zafirovski Recreation Center, Anicic won the mile in 4:58.38, the 3,000 in 9:59.46 and the 5,000 in 17:12.88 and anchored the winning distance medley, which ran 12:03.57 (the results site did not list splits).
Edinboro won its first team title ever with 96 points, 20 more than both Slippery Rock and California (Pa.), and Anicic had a hand in 40 of those 96 points.
You’re not going to get a ton of PRs when you’re racing four times in two days, but Anicic did PR in the mile, an event she had only run once since the end of her 2020 indoor season at Towson. Her 4:58.38 broke her PR of 5:13.41, which she ran in January of 2020 at the Towson Tiger Invitational Armory.
Anicic had already set PRs of 9:43.39 for 3,000 meters and 16:47.87 for 5,000 meters in February.
On the all-time Edinboro performance list, she now ranks No. 3 in the mile, No. 1 in the 3,000 and No. 3 in the 5,000.
At the PSAC meet, Anicic got started with the DMR win on Day 1 and then won the 5,000 about three hours later. On Sunday, she won the mile early in the afternoon and doubled back in the 3,000 about 2 ½ hours later.
In all, she raced four times in 25 hours and won all four.
At Division 2 nationals, Anicic races at 7:15 p.m. a week from Friday, March 11.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 