Aug. 21, 2000
Bowling Green, Ky. - Former Western Kentucky track and cross country standout Breeda Dennehy (Willis) has qualified for two events in 2000 Olympics in Sydney, representing Ireland in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs.
Last spring Dennehy, a 1990 and 1991 Sun Belt Conference cross country champion, qualified in the 10,000-meter event with a time of 32 minutes, 11.3 seconds at the European 10,000-meter challenge in Lisbon, Portugal. In the recent qualifications for the 5,000-meter, she finished with a time of 15 minutes, 29 seconds, placing her within the universal "A" standard of 15:45. The representatives for the team were determined in a run-off which Dennehy won, posting a time of 15 minutes, 12 seconds.
Along with back-to-back conference championships, Dennehy finished 16th at the 1991 NCAA cross country championships while becoming Western's first female cross country All-American that same year. She still holds WKU track records in the 1,500 meters (4:23.76), 3,000 meters (9:19.45) and 5,000 meters (16:28.86).
