St. John's University Athletics
Mooney and Van Pelt Named to USTFCCCA All-America Team
6/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
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QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's upperclassmen Claire Mooney and Stephanie Van Pelt were named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field All-America Team on Monday afternoon following their performances at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., this past weekend.
Mooney garnered Second-Team All-America honors with her 15th-place finish in the women's 800-meter race while Van Pelt was given Honorable Mention All-America accolades after placing 17th in the women's 1,500-meter race. Both Mooney and Van Pelt earned the first All-America honors of their respective careers.
"We are very proud of Claire and Stephanie for being named All-Americans by the Coaches Association," said Head Coach Jim Hurt. "Such recognition can only be earned by performing at a high level at the NCAA Championships and it reflects the talent, hard work, and ability to compete that both ladies have exhibited throughout their careers here at St. John's. Claire and Stephanie have represented our program at the highest level of collegiate track & field and we wish them continued success as they continue to compete during this Olympic year."
At the NCAA Track & Field Championships, Mooney ran in the first of three heats of the 800-meter race as the graduate student finished 15th-overall and sixth in heat one in a time of 2:05.48. Van Pelt competed in the semifinals of the 1,500-meter race as the senior finished 17th-overall and seventh in the second of two heats in a time of 4:20.10.
Both student-athletes wrapped up illustrious Red Storm careers with several St. John's track & field indoor and outdoor school-records and numerous BIG EAST All-Conference selections.
Mooney owns Red Storm indoor school-records in the 400- and 500-meter dashes as well as the outdoor school-record in the 800-meter race. Mooney ran her 800-meter school-record time of 2:05.08 in the preliminary rounds of the 2016 NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla. In the process of qualifying for the NCAA Track & Field Championships, Van Pelt broke her own school-record in the 1,500-meter after running a 4:15.68 for the fifth-fastest qualifying time entering the semifinals. Van Pelt also owns the indoor 800-meter school-record with a time of 2:09.43.
During Mooney's career she earned four All-BIG EAST indoor team selections as well as two outdoor All-BIG EAST selections. Van Pelt garnered one All-BIG EAST indoor team selection and two outdoor All-BIG EAST selections throughout her career with the Red Storm.
This past indoor season the pair of Mooney and Van Pelt also put up some of the best times in the world as both ranked top-10 in the 500-meter dash and 1,000-meter race, respectively, at the end of indoor season.
To receive updates on all team news, follow on Twitter @StJohnsXCTF and by using the hashtag #sjutf. To be added to the St. John's women's track & field fans e-mail list send a message to Adam.mckillop15@stjohns.edu with the subject: "St. John's women's TF e-mail."
Players Mentioned
