Bridget Franek (born November 8, 1987, in
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
) is an American middle distance runner who was in the U.S. Olympic team for the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in the 3000 meter
steeplechase
SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...
.
Early life
Franek is the child of parents Tom and Rosalie, who were runners in high school and college.
Franek grew up in
Hiram Township and graduated from
Crestwood High School in
Mantua, Ohio, in 2006.
[USA Track & Field Profile](_blank)
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College career
Franek graduated in 2010 from Penn State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
and graduated in 2014 from University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
Sports Marketing MBA. She was the Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
Freshman of the Year in 2007. She was the bronze medalist in the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
outdoor steeplechase championship in 2008 with a time of 9:58.74. She was the NCAA outdoor steeplechase champion in 2010 with a time of 9:38.86.
Post-college career
Franek was the runner-up for the U.S. outdoor steeplechase title in 2011 and 2012.
She qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics by placing second at the U.S. Olympic trials in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:35.62. In her Olympic heat, she placed fifth with a time of 9:29.86. She advanced to the final based on time qualification. In the Olympic final she finished 14th. Franek was the first place woman at the 2015 Warrior Dash World Championship obstacle race in October 2015 and she received a $30,000 prize.
USA National Championships
Track and field
See also
*List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians
The list of Pennsylvania State University Olympians is a list of former or current Pennsylvania State University, Penn State University students (129) and coaches and faculty members (12) who have appeared as athletes at the Olympic Games, plus on ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Franek, Bridget
Living people
1987 births
Track and field athletes from Ohio
Penn State Nittany Lions women's track and field athletes
People from Portage County, Ohio
American female steeplechase runners
Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
21st-century American sportswomen