In June 2008, CU Buffalo Jenny Barringer (now Jenny Simpson) broke the collegiate record in the steeplechase with a time of 9:29.2 during the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Prior to her record, her seasonal best was 9:44.46.

 

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A few months later, Simpson broke the American record with a time of 9:22.73, and then again with a time of 9:22.26 in the Olympic final in Beijing. A year later, Simpson improved upon her collegiate record, running a 9:25.54 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

 

Since then, Simpson has proven herself as one of America’s premiere distance runners. She currently holds the American record in the steeplechase at 9:12.5, and is the only American woman in history to have won a gold medal in the 1500m at the World Championships since Mary Decker in 1983.

 

More recently, the 28-year-old from Oviedo, Fla. set a seasonal best and world leading time of 3:59.31 in the 1500m at the Golden Gala in Rome.

.@goldengala_roma had world leads for days, including @trackjenny's 3:59 1500! Recap: http://t.co/Chj3LnQuVZ pic.twitter.com/qwykIteG3U

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) June 4, 2015

Simpson’s collegiate record could be in danger this upcoming weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The steeplechase in Eugene, Ore. has the potential to be incredibly fast. Courtney Frerichs of UMKC, Colleen Quigley of Florida State, and Leah O’Connor of Michigan State all boast PRs of 9:35 or faster. O’Connor especially is known for being aggressive from the very beginning of a race, as seen during her NCAA Indoor Championship performance. The senior ran the second fastest NCAA indoor mile of all time (4:27.18) at the meet in March. 

 

Stay tuned for a full preview of the women’s steeplechase.