TERRE HAUTE, IN -- Two graduates of Fairfax County schools, American University junior Keira Carlstrom ('02 Oakton HS) and Brigham Young University senior Laurie Turner ('98 Centreville HS) earned All-American honors once again at the NCAA Division I National Cross Country Championships. Carlstrom became a two-time All-American with a 17th place finish, while Heiner became only the second athlete in her school's history to become a four-time All-American honoree in cross country. Meanwhile, Yale sophomore Cara Kiernan ('03 The Potomac School) and Wake Forest sophomore Selina Sekulic ('03 Ocean Lakes HS) received their first All-American honors with finishes of 33rd and 39th places respectively.
Laura Turner (formerly Laura Heiner), a 1998 graduate of Centreville High School (Centreville, VA), became only the second runner ever in Brigham Young University (UT) history to earn four All-American honors. Turner spent several years after her sophomore year in college on a mission in Switzerland. In her freshmen year, Turner finished 31st at NCAA Nationals and has continued to improve her placing at every national meet (sophomore-26th, junior-14th) as she recorded her best finish in her final NCAA Championship meet with a fourth place finishing performance of 20:37.5.
Meanwhile, Oakton High School (Vienna, VA) graduate of 2002 and current junior at American University, Keira Carlstrom earned her second consecutive All-American honors at the NCAA Division I National Cross Country Championships as she nearly duplicated last year's performance with a 17th place performance. In last year's race as a sophomore, Carlstrom finished 16th overall to earn her first All-American honors as a sophomore. Carlstrom finished the rain soakened and muddy 6K course found in Terre Haute, Indiana with a time of 20:49.8 among a field of 250 runners. In last year's race, Carlstrom became the highest finishing runner all-time from the Patriot League at the NCAA Championships and nearly eclipsed her own mark once again this year.
Yale sophomore Cara Kiernan, a 2003 graduate of The Potomac School, earned All-American honors for the first time with a 33rd place finishing performance of 21:09.4 for the 6,000 meter course. Last year as a freshmen, Kiernan had a solid debut performance at the NCAA Championships with a 61st place finish and the fourth highest finishing freshmen in the field. In high school, Kiernan was the private schools state champion of Virginia and a Foot Locker Nationals qualifier and All-American.
Although Wake Forest sophomore Selina Sekulic finished 39th overall in the race, the removal of non-Americans in the race, placed her at 27th overall as the top 30 American finishers earn All-American honors. The 2003 graduate of Ocean Lakes High School (Virginia Beach, VA) earned her first All-American honors in cross country as she covered the 6,000 meter course in a time of 21:13.4. Sekulic was the top finisher for the Wake Forest women as she led them to a 19th team finish.