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Niwot High School alum Elise Cranny wins 5,000-meter race, headed to Tokyo Olympics

CU alums Carrie Verdon and Maddie Alm finished in 10th and 12th, respectfully.

EUGENE, Ore. — Niwot High School alum Elise Cranny used a late kick to pull away for the win in the women's 5,000 meters Monday at U.S. trials and make her first Olympic team.

Joining her in Tokyo will be Karissa Schweizer and Rachel Schneider.

Cranny, who went to college at Stanford after winning state titles as a high schooler in Colorado, finished in a season-best 15 minutes, 27.81 seconds on a sweltering day at Hayward Field. The temperature was 93 degrees when she crossed the finish line.

CU alums Carrie Verdon and Maddie Alm finished 10th and 12th, respectfully. Verdon ran 15:54.04 while Alm ran 15:58.40. Both women held onto the leaders until the 3,600-meter mark or close to a mile remaining when the leaders began to separate.

Verdon will have another shot at Team USA in the women’s 10,000 where she will race against former Buffs Laura Thweatt and Makena Morley.

>> Video above: Tokyo Olympics: Where are we now?

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