To say that Alex Burkhart has had a productive 2017 season is certainly putting it mildly. In just three races, the Rancho Cucamonga product came up just two seconds short of her personal best in the 1,500-meter run, and has twice run the fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase in the program's history. Burkhart's latest assault on the Wildcat record books came at the high-profile Stanford Invitational, and her historical performance makes her the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Competing against a Division I-heavy field Saturday at Cobb Track in Stanford, Burkhart finished second in her section and fourth overall, stopping the clock at 10:21.41. The time bettered her existing NCAA provisional qualifying mark, and was just .08 second shy of an automatic mark.
More importantly, Burkhart broke her own Chico State record in the event (set March 17 at the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento) by nearly two seconds.
Burkhart, who has all but punched her ticket to her third straight NCAA Track & Field Championship, currently owns the fastest steeplechase time among California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) runners (by over 17 seconds) and the fourth-best in all of Division II.
Burkhart and the Chico State women's track & field team will be home this Friday and Saturday to compete in the annual Chico Distance Carnival and Twilight Invitational.
