Cal Poly Pomona Athletics

Tiffany Dinh of the Cal Poly Pomona women's track and field team finished 14th nationally in the 10,000-meter event Thursday, racing to a time of 38:22.35 during day one of the NCAA Division II National Championships.

With the runners battling the high altitude and strong winds, the finishing times proved to be a bit slower than results recorded earlier in the 2012 season. That fact doesn't illustrate how hard-fought the race turned out to be, as Grand Valley State's Rachel Patterson passed Western State's Lauren Kleppin in the final lap to capture the national title.

Six months after earning All-American status in cross country, Dinh qualified for track and field nationals with a clutch performance at the Cal State L.A. Last Chance Meet. The junior from Norwalk raced to a time of 35:45.87, the second-best time in program history for that event.