NEW HAVEN, Conn.- Three Yale alums will take to the track in the 3000m steeplechase at the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., this week. The first round of the women's steeplechase will be conducted at 6:05 p.m. PT on Friday and the final will take place at 11:15 a.m. PT on Sunday (note updated time). The field of 25 athletes will be competing for the top three spots which will represent Team USA at the World Championships in Eugene next month. Yale and Colorado (Madison Boreman, Emma Coburn, Valerie Constien) are the only schools with more than two current or former athletes in the steeplechase.

Wearing the Yale "Y" for the last time on the track will be none other than phenom Kayley DeLay '22. DeLay is coming off an incredible last outdoor season with the Bulldogs which resulted in two Ivy League titles, a Northeast Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year award, a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships, and the third-fastest time in NCAA history for the steeplechase among other accolades. DeLay heads into Thursday with a personal best of 9:25.08 from the NCAA Championships and is the fifth-fastest entrant in the event. Needless to say, she has a good chance of qualifying for the World Championship meet, but she will be up against many professional athletes and Olympians who have had the time to train for this event for months. Her ability to be ranked so highly while having the time constraints of a student-athlete proves that DeLay is as tough as they come and is ready to assert herself amongst the best.

Representing Tracksmith and the Tracksmith Boston Hares will be Meredith Rizzo '17. Rizzo sits at second on Yale's all-time list for the 3000m steeplechase behind DeLay and is heading into the US Championships with an impressive seed time of 9:42.11. Rizzo is seeded in the middle of the pack.

Representing Idaho Afoot in the steeplechase will be Dana Klein '18. Klein heads into the competition with a best time of 9:46.01. Klein finished 17th in the US Olympic Team Trials preliminary round last year for the steeplechase and is seventh on Yale's all-time list in the event. She will look to improve upon her personal best this week at Hayward Field.

All three athletes worked hard to contend for a spot at the World Championships, and it will be exciting to watch them race this weekend. The World Athletics Championships Oregon22 will be held from Friday, July 15th to Sunday, July 24th.

Information and Results from the 2022 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships can be found here.