Top EWU Sports Story 2016 - No. 4
Sarah Reiter concluded a notable cross country career at EWU with her second appearance at the NCAA nationals.
After four years of stellar performances, senior Sarah Reiter ended her career with the Eastern Washington University cross country team with a top-100 finish at the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships, Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind.
Her efforts earned Reiter the nod as the No. 4 EWU sports story in 2016 staff voting.
Reiter, a Renton, Wash., native, was the only individual from Eastern competing. She ran the 6,000-meter course in a time of 20 minutes, 46.6 seconds, placing 86th out of a 250-competitor field.
"What an amazing cross country career Sarah had," head coach Chris Shane said. "Most women dream of this race, and Sarah was fortunate enough to make it here twice."
Reiter reached her second-straight appearance at the championships and matched the efort of Kari McKay (1990-91) for multiple appearances.
Last season, Reiter placed ninth in a field of 243 competitors, recording a time of 20:54.0 with a 5:36.3 mile pace.
Earlier in the fall, Reiter finished second at the 2016 Big Sky Conference Championships at the University of Idaho.
Reiter was honored in October twice as the Big Sky Conference Athlete of the Week after a sixth-place finish at the University of Washington Invitational and the title at the Inland Empire Championships in Lewiston, Idaho. She set a new personal best on the 5,000-meter course in Lewiston with a time of 16:36, which was the second-best in school history.
Throughout the season Reiter went toe-to-toe with some of the best cross country athletes in the nation, defeating and running alongside competitors such as No. 5 Portland, No. 6 Michigan State and No. 8 Penn State.
She was runner-up at Idaho's Clash of the Inland Northwest and seventh overall at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota.
"Sarah is having a dream season," Shane said in an earlier interview. "It is a credit to the hard work and preparation she has put into the many hours of training over the summer and beyond.
On the track, Reiter holds two school records in the 5,000 meters outdoors with a time of 16:27.33 and the 3,000 indoors with a time of 9:39.19. She is eighth in all-time Big Sky rankings for the 10,000 with a time of 33:46.71.
At the 2016 Big Sky Outdoor Championships she placed fourth in the 5,000 with a time of 17:16.50, while at the Stanford Invitational, Reiter set a personal record of 33:46.71 in the 10,000, second all-time at Eastern.
Reiter earned the 2014 title of the top runner in the conference, finishing first at the 2014 Big Sky cross country championships with a time of 17:05. She was selected to the Big Sky spring all-academic team in 2014.
In 2013, her first season at EWU, Reiter solidified her spot as Eastern's top runner on the team, finishing first or second for the Eagles in five out of six meets.
Reiter claimed the state title at the 2010 WIAA 2A cross country championships running for Lindbergh High School in Renton.
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