MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Junior Alison Bode of the St. Olaf College women's track and field team ran to All-America honors in the 10,000-meter run for the second season in a row with a ninth-place finish on the opening night of the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday night at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.

After entering the meet as the No. 20 seed in the 22-runner field, Bode easily outperformed her seed by taking ninth in 36:32.74 to earn Second Team All-America honors. Coupled with her eighth-place finish a year ago, the junior's performance made her St. Olaf's first two-time All-American in the event.

This year, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) expanded the All-America criteria to include the top-16 finishers in individual events and the top-12 finishers in relays. Finishers 1-8 in individual events and relays earned First Team All-America status, while finishers 9-16 in individual events and 9-12 in relays landed Second Team All-America laurels.

In a race run with temperatures in the upper 70s and humidity upwards of 80 percent, Bode was in the top 16 at all 25 of the 400-meter splits during the race but rose six places over the second half of the race after sitting 15th midway through. After splitting laps of 87-90 seconds for 11 laps in a row starting midway through the race, Bode closed the race with a 1:20.30 final lap to solidify her second top-10 national finish in a row in the event.