(photo by Tim O'Dowd)

Running all alone in the late evening Iowa heat, William and Mary standout Emily Stites (Wyoming, Ohio) put on a clinic and won her second national championship in dominating fashion.  The rising sophomore won the USAT&F Junior 5,000m by more than 47 seconds, crossing the line in 16:13.77 for the win.  She also qualified for the Pan-Am Junior Games team, which would mark her third appearance this year in the red, white, and blue.  Stites' winning time was the second-fastest ever at the U.S. Championships, and less than four seconds from breaking the meet record.

Entered in the national championships more than 45 seconds in front of the next competitor, Stites did not disappoint and took the lead right from the gun.  She quickly and consistently stretched her lead, and lapped more than half the field by the time she entered the bell lap.  Her final time of 16:13.77 is the ninth-fastest ever for W&M outdoors, and gives Stites four of those top nine times in as many races.  If she wants it, Stites is now guaranteed a spot at the Pan-Am Junior Games in Medellin, Colombia, Aug. 23-25, where she would have one more chance at breaking the American Junior Record of 15:40.

Stites' win on Thursday night also vaulted her into elite company, as just the second Tribe athlete to win multiple national titles.  This was her second U.S. junior championship of the year, after she won the national cross country meet in early February.  The only other athlete in school history to win two championships was men's-great Hal Michael '71, who won the NCAA indoor mile and AAU (precursor to the USAT&F) outdoor mile in 1970.  Stites is also a two-time All-American after her first year of collegiate competition, finishing 26th at the NCAA cross country championships last fall and 10th in the 5,000m just a few weeks ago at the NCAA outdoor track meet.

Emily Stites 2012-13 Accomplishments
2013 USAT&F Junior 5,000m NATIONAL CHAMPION
2013 USAT&F Junior Cross Country NATIONAL CHAMPION
2013 NCAA Outdoor 5,000m Second-Team All-America
2012 NCAA Cross Country All-America
2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships - Captain, Team USA Junior Women (23rd overall)
2013 BUPA Great Edinburgh XC Challenge - Seventh, Top Team USA Finisher
2013 CAA 10,000m Champion
2013 Top American Junior Outdoor 5,000m Time (15:45.31, fifth all-time)
2013 Top American Junior 10,000m Time (34:15.49)
2013 Top World Junior Indoor 5,000m Time (16:05.71)
2013 USTFCCCA All-Academic Track Team
2012 USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team
2012 CAA Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year
2012 Southeast Regional Cross Country All-Region Team
2012 CAA Cross Country Championships Bronze Medalist

USAT&F Junior 5,000m Final Results
1. Emily Stites (W&M) 16:13.77
2. Megan Lacy (Stanford) 17:01.38
3. Hannah Oneda (Johns Hopkins) 17:03.08
4. Margaret Drazba (Unattached) 17:11.49
5. Amy Regan (Stevens Tech) 17:25.63
6. Camille Blackman (Northwestern) 17:25.66
7. Jenna Flickinger (James Madison) 18:08.17
8. Felice Johnson (Southern Miss) 18:13.22
9. Samantha Mohler (Arkansas) 18:27.87
10. Lily Corsaro (NYU) 18:30.29
11. Taylor McDowell (Iowa State) 18:32.00
12. Lucy Schmitz (Belmont Abbey) 18:37.03
13. Rachel Cundy (Unattached) 19:10.86
14. Katelyn Kaster (Iowa State) 19:11.01
-- Ashley Eckhoff (TCU) DNF