2006 NCAA Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase

The 3,000 meter steeplechase is arguably the most difficult race in track and field. First, it takes strength and endurance to race for almost two miles. Second, it requires speed to race with top-notch competitors. Lastly, it takes mental and physical toughness to hurdle 28 barriers and seven water jumps that don't allow one to get accustomed to any sort of rhythm that is the norm in any other distance race. With all of the demands that the steeplechase encompasses, it is a race that takes quite a while to learn and a long time to master.

Jenny Barringer arrived at the University of Colorado in the fall of 2005 as a heralded freshman. While at Oviedo High School, just outside of Orlando, Florida, Jenny won the Florida State Cross-Country title three times and won five state titles in track. She represented the United States twice on the Junior national Cross-Country team, competing in Belgium and France. Though she didn't do as well as she had hoped in her first collegiate cross-country campaign, she finished second in the Big 12 Conference and narrowly missed All-American status at the NCAA Championships as she helped Colorado to a second place team finish. Jenny didn't compete in indoor track, but with her coach, Mark Wetmore, she decided to compete in outdoor track rather than redshirt.

Racing at a variety of distances, Barringer ran her first 3,000 meter steeplechase at Stanford, finishing in 10:19. She hurdled all of the barriers and was comfortable with the water jumps, highly unusual for a novice in the event. Her time showed promise and indicated that she might have a chance of qualifying for the NCAA Championship meet. A second place finish in 10:26 on a hot day at the NCAA Midwest Region Championship punched her ticket to Sacramento and her first NCAA Track and Field Championships.

On Wednesday, June 8th, the qualifying heats were held for the steeplechase. Coach Wetmore advised Barringer to just concentrate on making the final. She breezed through with a personal best time of 10:12 for a second place finish and would join 13 other competitors in the final on Friday. When asked if she had to give an all-out effort to make the final, Jenny replied, "I had a lot left in my tank."

Fourteen young women toed the line for the 3000 meter steeplechase final. The top eight finishers would become All-Americans. Coach Wetmore is a bit superstitious about discussing specific race places and goals, but he told Jenny to just stay around eighth or ninth place and aim for that top eight. "Your best is 10:12 and a lot of these girls can run 9:55," said Wetmore. "I can run a 9:55," thought Jenny.

The first few laps were uneventful as Barringer raced according to plan and stayed at the back of the lead pack of eight runners. As the laps went by, girls fell from the pack one by one until Jenny was in third place with two laps to go. She had told her coach in a previous conversation that whenever she had a chance for a victory she went for the win. As unlikely as it seemed, she started thinking about first place. With a lap to go, Cassie Hunt of Illinois had about a 20-meter lead on the second place Jenny Barringer. But Hunt's form was getting a bit ragged. "I noticed that Hunt was losing form over the barriers and I decided there was no way she was going to beat me." Barringer caught Hunt at the last water jump and they ran side-by-side until the final barrier with less than 100 meters to go. As the runners hurdled the barrier, Jenny accelerated, finding another gear that was way too much for Hunt and she sprinted to the finish winning 9:53 to 9:55 - a most improbable victory and an NCAA championship. In only her sixth time running the steeplechase, her effort yielded what her coach hadn't even discussed with her beforehand. There was no discussion of tactics focusing on a win as it didn't even seem within the realm of possibility. "Afterward, Coach Wetmore gave me a big hug, but for the first time ever he was speechless," said an ecstatic Barringer.

When asked if her parents had been able to be in Sacramento for the race, Jenny confided that they were on an Alaskan cruise with her grandparents celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. The cruise had been booked months earlier without regard to the potential conflict with the NCAA Championships. "When I talked to my parents after qualifying for the final, I told them I would have more NCAA finals in the future and not too worry about missing one," said Barringer. "It's not like I'm going to win!"