Melanie Townsend Career Stats
Academic Notes: Majoring in microbiology
Personal Bests: 1500m (4:28.46) | Mile (5:12.98) | 3000m (10:03.14) | 5000m (16:10.30) | 10,000m (34:00.24)
2017: Competed at Big Sky Indoor Conference Championships in the 3000m and 5000m events … Did not compete during the outdoor season
2016: Competed in just two indoor meets … Won the 5K event at NAU’s Mountain T’s … Scored in both the 3K and 5K at Big Sky Indoor Conference Championships, logging fifth-place in both runs … Added six meets to her competition schedule in her final outdoor track & field season … Posted a PR in the 10,000m run at Mt. SAC Relays with a 34:00.24, which ranked 37th in the nation and bested her previous PR by over a minute and a half … Won the 1500m event at both the UC Irvine Spring Break Invite and the Cal State Fullerton Five-Way … Competed at Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championships, garnering All-Big Sky performances in the 5K event (1st-place – her second-career outdoor title in that run) and 10K event (2nd-place) … For the third-straight season, advanced to NCAA West Preliminaries, running in the 5K and 10K
2015: Posted a career-best 3000m time of 10:03.14 at the NAU Tune-Up where she finished first overall ... Scored and finished fourth in the 5K event with a time of 18:08.61 at Big Sky Indoor Conference Championships … Also competed in the 3000m event at indoor conference … Competed in four more outdoor meets during the season … Scored in the 5K with a four-place finish and registered her second-career individual conference title, this one coming in the 10K event, at Big Sky Outdoor Championships … Qualified for NCAA West Preliminaries for the second-consecutive season
2014: Redshirted the indoor season ... NAU women's top distance athlete during the outdoor season ... Ran a career-best 16:10.30 in the 5000m run at the Stanford Invitational, good for third-best in school history ... Also ran a personal-best in the 1500m event, clocking in at 4:28.46 at the Bryan Clay Invitational ... Scored in two events at Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championships, taking the gold in the women's 5000m run and finishing sixth in the 1500m run ... Competed at the NCAA West Preliminaries in the 5K
2013: Had a strong freshman season as she competed in four meets during the indoor season ... Garnered a first-place finish in the 5000m run at NAU’s Mountain T's ... Finished eighth in the 5000m run at Big Sky Indoor Conference Championships with a time of 17:30.97, good for 11th-best in the Big Sky all season ... Shifting to the outdoor season, ran a season-best in the 5000m event at the Mt. SAC Relays with a time of 16:56.02 … Finished 11th at Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championships in the 5000m run
High School: Competed in cross country and track & field at Haileybury College, from which she graduated in 2011 ... Helped her team to a silver medal at the World School Cross Country Championship in 2010 ... She took fifth in the Zatopek Classic's Under-20 Women's 3K race in 2010 ... Gold medalist in the U18 1500m run at the 2010 All-Victoria Schools Championships in Australia
Personal: Born February 22, 1993 in Mornington, Victoria, Australia to Nick and Kim Townsend ... Has one older sister, Jessica ... Enjoys going to the gym, doing pilates, and going to the beach in her spare time ... Chose NAU for the great training location, the altitude, and the great coaching ... She misses her dog while she is away from home ... Favorite animal is a frog
