Bridget Franek (born November 8, 1987 in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

) is an American middle distance runner who was in the U.S. Olympic team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 3000 meter steeplechase.

High school career

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 Mantua ( ) is a village in northern Portage County, Ohio, United States, along the Cuyahoga River. The population was 1,001 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. It was formed from portions of Mantua Towns ...

in 2006.USA Track & Field Profile
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College career

Franek graduated in 2010 from Penn State University and graduated in 2014 from

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Sports Marketing MBA. She was the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

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 student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

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

References

External links

* * {{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