March 10, 2001

Fayetteville, Ark. - Notre Dame junior sprinter Liz Grow (New Braunfels, Tex.) earned All-America honors after finishing eighth in the 400 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday night at the Randal Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas.

The Irish sprinter ran the race in a time of 53.73 to finish 1.36 off the pace set by Demetria Washington of South Carolina who won the race in a time of 52.37.

Grow is the first female sprinter in school history to earn All-America honors and the fourth to claim indoor All-America honors. Former Irish high jumper Jennifer Engelhardt earned her second All-America distinction in 1999, while distance runner JoAnna Deeter was an All-American in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters that same year. In 1997, Engelhardt won her first award in the high jump, while hurdler Dominque Calloway was an All-American in the 55-meter hurdles.

Grow qualified for the race on Friday night by finishing second in her heat, sixth overall, in a time of 53.42. Her personal best at 400 meters is 53.30 which is also the Notre Dame school record.

NCAA Women's Indoor 400 Meter Finals

Section 1 Final

1. Demetria Washington So. South Carolina 52.37

2. Lesley Owusu Sr. Nebraska 52.49

3. Mikele Barber Jr. South Carolina 52.87

4. Ronetta Smith Jr. LSU 53.04

5. Petagay Gayle Jr. Alabama 53.25

6. Tacita Bass Jr. South Carolina 53.37

7. Nadja Peterson Fr. Tulane 53.65

8. Liz Grow Jr. Notre Dame 53.73