Troy Fraley, a 2013 graduate of Glacier High School and a redshirt junior at Gonzaga, recently ran the NCAA’s fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase this season at a meet in California.
The Kalispell runner broke his own school record with a time of 8:39.30 at the 2017 Payton Jorden Invitational in Stanford, California on May 5. The prestigious meet featured top collegiate and professional runners from across the country. He finished second in his heat behind professional runner Brandon Doughty, 8:38.69. He was fourth overall, beating out Olympic Trial runners, the Venezuelan national record holder, and the third-place finisher from the U.S. Cross Country Championships.
Fraley is the only collegian in the country to surpass 8 minutes and 40 seconds this season.
“This was the greatest performance to date in Gonzaga Track and Field history,” Director of GU Track Pat Tyson told the college’s activities website, GoZags.com. “Troy is such a pleasure to coach. He buys in, is unselfish and does everything asked of him. He is a major reason the culture of Gonzaga running has changed to the next level. The exciting part is that there is much more in his tank. I love his ability to take risks and to mix it up with the very best.”
Fraley is poised to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminaries in Austin, Texas, May 25-27. It would be his second appearance at the prelims.