Megan Goethals

Class: Sophomore Hometown: Rochester, Mich. High School: Rochester

Experience: SQ

Goethals Features:
» Far From Home, Close To Success (UW Daily; Oct. 6, 2011)

2010-11: Competed just twice on the season, running very well at the Sundodger Invitational where she placed fourth overall and second on the team in a time of 20:54 ... also competed at the Notre Dame Invitational ... (Track): Came on strong throughout the track season, winding up as one of the top freshmen in the country, and capped her season with an outstanding sixth-place finish in the 5,000-meter finals at the NCAA Outdoor Championships ... earned All-America First Team honors with her 5k run, and was the lone point scorer for the Husky women at NCAAs ... her NCAA finals time of 15:47.79 broke the UW freshman record and was the third-best time in school history ... the sixth-place 5k finish was also the best placing ever by a Husky woman in that event ... she picked up a victory at the NCAA West Prelims in Eugene, running a then-PR of 16:02.64 to advance to the finals in Iowa ... was the runner-up at the Pac-10 Championships in the 5k, with a gritty effort where she led most of the race, dropped to fourth, then battled back to second in 16:25.13 ... won the 3,000-meters in the UW-WSU dual in a time of 9:34.81, and was third in the 1,500m in a PR of 4:29.29 ... impressive first 5k at the Stanford Invite, running 16:06.64 to place fourth in the first section ... made the NCAA Indoor Championships at 3,000-meters, finishing 13th in 9:23.48 to earn All-America Second Team honors ... was the second-highest finishing freshman at nationals in the 3k, behind only teammate Katie Flood ... won the 3,000-meter title at the MPSF Championships in her first official college race, running 9:18.28 ... picked up the 3k NCAA Auto mark at the UW Final Qualifier, running a season-best 9:11.56, the third-fastest indoor time in school history.

High School and Personal: Born in Westland, Michigan ... parents are Diane and Kevin Goethals ... has one younger brother, Matthew, and two younger sisters, Jennifer and Jessica ... the 2009 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year as she did not lose a race in cross country or on the track, winning three different national titles and earning multiple All-America honors ... captured the 2009 National Foot Locker Cross Country Championships on Dec. 12 in San Diego, clocking 17:06.9 over the 5k course ... her national title came with a stunning finishing kick to catch Chelsey Sveinsson at the tape and win by two-tenths of a second in what was called the most exciting finish in the event's 31-year history ... the win capped off an undefeated senior cross country season that included a second Michigan state championship and a victory at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional Championships ... moved onto indoor track where she won the 2-mile title at Nike Indoor Nationals in 10:10 with another big final kick ... ran the second-fastest 2-mile time in U.S. high school history, winning the New Balance Nationals title in 10:01.16 to conclude her prep career ... also took third at the National Foot Locker XC Championships as a junior in 2008 ... was named Gatorade Michigan Girls Cross Country Runner of the year as a junior and senior and Gatorade Michigan Girls Track Athlete of the year as a junior and senior ... owns six course records in Michigan state ... won five Michigan state track titles in 2009 and 2010, sweeping the 1,600m and 3,200m in back-to-back year plus a 4x800m relay title in 2010 ... her senior year track efforts led Rochester to the state title ... racked up 13 league and district titles on the track, and was All-State every year from 2008-2010 ... set Michigan state records in the 1,600m, 3,200m, 4x800m relay, and 5,000-meters in cross country.

Major Meets
2011 MPSF TF - 1st, 3000m
2011 NCAA Indoor TF - 13th, 3000m*
2011 Pac-10 TF - 2nd, 5000m
2011 NCAA Prelims TF - 1st, 5000m
2011 NCAA Outdoor TF - 6th, 5000m*

* All-America Honor

Collegiate Best Marks
1500m.......4:29.29
3000m.......9:11.56i / 9:34.81
5000m.......15:47.79@

@ Freshman School Record