The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall signs professional contract with Nike Athletics
07.16.2014 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Former distance runner just completed one of the best seasons in school history
Former distance runner Marielle Hall, coming one of the best track and field seasons in school history, has signed a professional contract with Nike Athletics.
Hall won from start to finish as a senior in 2013-14, capturing four Big 12 Conference titles and the securing the 5,000 meters at last month's NCAA Outdoor Championships. She helped the women's team claim both the indoor and outdoor conference titles, and finish second at the NCAA Outdoor meet.
In the fall, she claimed both the Big 12 and NCAA South Central Regional cross country titles before securing All-America honors at the national meet. That was the first Big 12 cross country title in school history.
In March, she swept the mile and 3,000-meter titles at the Big 12 Indoor Championships to earn the female performer of the meet.
Hall's outdoor season was even better. The native of Haddonfield, N.J., set the then school record and posted one of the best 5,000-meter times in collegiate history at the Stanford Invitational (April 5). Her time of 15 minutes, 19.26 seconds to easily outdistanced the field at the elite distance meet. She not only eclipsed the UT record of 15:46.00 set by Annie Schweitzer in 1987 by nearly 30 seconds, but also reached No. 10 on the all-time collegiate outdoor performers list.
Hall also had the top 1,500-meter time in the nation earlier in the outdoor season after clocking a personal-best 4:17.10 at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays (March 29). She went on to post a career-best time of 4:35.27 in the mile at the Penn Relays. That time converts to 4:14.88 in the 1,500, which ranked her No. 6 on the final 2014 NCAA performer's list.
Hall earned her fourth Big 12 title of the year when she cruised to the victory in the 1,500 at the outdoor meet. She was the favorite in the 5,000m, though did not compete in the race since the team title was already in hand.
But Hall saved her best for last, winning the 5,000 meters (15:35.11) at last month's NCAA Outdoor meet in Eugene, Oregon, to claim the Longhorns' second national title in the event. Schweitzer won at the 1987 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Hall knocked off two-time defending champ Abbey D'Agostino of Dartmouth and Aisling Cuffe of Stanford, who had the No. 1 regular-season time in the nation (15:11.13). Cuffe was second in 15:37.74 and D'Agostino third (15:43.54). D'Agostino had won the previous four NCAA 5,000m titles (indoor and outdoor).
