BOISE, Idaho — Former Boise State All-American Marisa Howard is headed to the 2024 Paris Games after finishing third Thursday night in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase final at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Howard ran a personal-best time of 9:07.14 to claim one of three spots on Team USA, joining Valerie Constien and Courtney Wayment on the podium in Eugene following a memorable final quarter-lap.
After falling two spots shy of representing the United States in 2021, Howard will make her Olympic debut this summer. She is the first female Boise State alum and seventh Bronco to ever earn a spot on the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Team.
Howard has advanced to five finals between the USATF Outdoor Championships and U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Her success at Hayward Field continued Monday when she posted a then season-best time of 9:26.38, finishing as the second-fastest runner across both steeplechase heats.
"I don't know if we're gonna sleep tonight. I don't know if we'll sleep for the next week," Howard told KTVB's Jay Tust. "All glory to the Lord. I couldn't have done it without him. My legs were pretty wobbly over that last hurdle and I was just praying I could make it to the finish line. Very, very sweet."
During her collegiate career, Howard was a three-time Mountain West champion, two-time All-American and the 2014 national runner-up in the 3,000m steeplechase. She is still coached by Pat McCurry, who was named the head coach of Boise State's track and field and cross country teams on June 3.
Thursday's steeplechase final featured three Team Idaho athletes, with Howard competing against fellow Bronco great Allie Ostrander and former Mountain View High School standout Lexy Halladay-Lowry for the second time this week in Eugene.
All three athletes posted top-five times out of 30 competitors in the opener Monday, with Halladay-Lowry claiming fourth at 9:27.36 and Ostrander in fifth at 9:29.32. With Paris in sight, the entire steeplechase field stepped up the speed in Thursday's main event.
Ostrander finished seventh, hitting the Olympic standard with a personal-best time of 9:21.82. Halladay-Lowry's ninth-place time of 9:22.77 was also under the Olympic standard and marked the best performance of her career.
Constien set a new U.S. Olympic Team Trials record in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase Thursday with a personal-best time of 9:03.22. Nine runners posted personal bests in the event's finale, and Constien's time now ranks third on the U.S. all-time steeplechase list.
The 2024 Paris Olympics get underway on Friday, July 26, with the first round of the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 4. Lizzie Bird, who is also coached by McCurry, looks to join Howard in the field during this weekend's British Olympic Trials.
Howard is the seventh athlete with ties to the Gem State to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Rexburg native Chari Hawkins also punched her ticket to Paris in Eugene by finishing second overall in the women's heptathlon with a personal best 6,456 points.
Watch more Sports:
See KTVB sports coverage in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.