Throughout the 2024 track season, Olivia Cisco has broken out and proven herself as one of the most skilled runners in the River States Conference -- regardless of event type.
Friday, however, proved to be Cisco's official coming out party on the national stage.
In a highly competitive 10,000 meter run race that featured seven top-60 NCAA Division II runners, four top-20 NAIA runners and five NCAA Division I runners in the Cleveland, Tenn. event, Cisco proved her talent was just as strong as anybody's out there by notching a 37:32.79 to notch a NAIA National 'B' Standard mark and place 13th in the 10,000 at the Lee Fast Break Athletics Invitational, adding onto a fruitful day for the Shawnee State track and field program as a whole.
In notching her 37:32.79, Cisco not only set a NAIA National 'B' Standard but also came within three seconds of setting a NAIA National 'A' Standard mark in the event. Her time bettered an NCAA Division I competitor from Mercer (Ga.) and six additional NCAA Division II harriers, including four who hold top-70 times nationally at the NCAA Division II level, and was the second-fastest overall NAIA mark in the event.
Additionally, Cisco, who posted the 15th-best NAIA mark in the event, set the best River States Conference mark in the event, bettering Rio Grande's Mackenzie McCarthy and Amarissa Kerns, who finished the event running strong times of 21st and 24th in the NAIA, respectively, by one minute, 12 seconds and one minute, 26 seconds, respectively.
Along with Cisco's strong performance, Jessica Elick and Mckenna Pannell also posted competitive times in the 5,000 meter run in a stacked field. Elick, who finished 68th, posted her personal best with a 19:29 while Pannell, who notched a 20:23.89, finished 80th.
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