As a sophomore last season, Dominik Notz was all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the 10,000 meters, yet his fastest time left him well short of qualifying for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the longest race on the meet docket.
"Not even on the radar, not even close,'' said UAA coach Michael Friess.
But after a year of increased mileage, quality training and precision focus, Notz on Thursday claimed All-America status when he placed fourth in the 10,000 at the national meet in Allendale, Michigan.
Notz, a junior from Germany, clocked 30 minutes, 1.43 seconds.
"The first individual I would credit is Dom – he accepted the challenge,'' Friess said. "But I would also credit (four-time national champion Micah) Chelimo. Dom saw how hard Micah ran, how committed he was.''
Notz's All-America effort highlighted Seawolves results Thursday on the first day of the three-day meet that also included strong performances by UAA sophomore sprinter Jamie Ashcroft and senior hurdler Haleigh Lloyd.
Ashcroft broke her GNAC and school record in the 100 meters, crossing in 11.64 seconds to finish third in her heat and sixth among 24 runners, and make her the first 100- or 200-meter runner in school history to qualify for the finals in either event. She produced her previous GNAC and school record of 11.69 at the NCAA meet last year, but did not advance to the finals.
"The sprinters in Division II are very good at the national and international level, and for us to have a runner in the final is very big for us,'' Friess said.
Ashcroft will run the 100-meter final Saturday. First, though, she has a preliminary-round race in the 200 meters Friday.
Lloyd finished second in her 400 hurdles heat and fourth among 20 runners overall, clocking 1:00.29 to advance to Saturday's final.
Meanwhile, junior heptathlete Karolin Anders, runner-up at the national outdoor meet last season, finished the first day of the two-day multi event in 11th place among 19 competitors. Anders' 3,062 points leaves her 82 points out of All-America position – the top eight finishers in individual events earn All-America honors.
Anders ran a solid 15.37 seconds in the 110 hurdles, cleared 5 feet, 5.75 inches in the high jump, reached 38-0.25 in the shot put and clocked a season-best 25.77 in the 200. She will compete Friday in the long jump, javelin and 800 meters.
"She's definitely in All-America range,'' Friess said. "It's really going to come down to whether she can hit the board in the long jump. If she can – game on.''
Anders in a meet earlier this season fouled on all three of her long-jump attempts in a heptathlon. Thursday, she needed her third and final attempt to clear both 5-4.50 and 5-5.75, and took 13 high jumps in all.
UAA senior Amy Johnson finished 11th in a field of 21 women in the 10,000 meters in 35:12.41, and Seawolves freshman Caroline Kurgat took 13th in 35:42.53.
Also, UAA junior Beatrice Decker finished seventh in her 1,500-meter heat, and 14th out of 20 total runners, in 4:35.07.
Reach reporter Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr