 |
NICOLE BONK |
| SPORT: |
Women's Track & Field |
EVENT (If Applicable): |
Racewalk |
| YEAR (S): |
2012, 13 |
|
|
One of the more improbable stories in Embry-Riddle history, junior Nicole Bonk won both the indoor and outdoor NAIA Track & Field National Racewalk titles in 2012 in just her second season of competition in the sport. Bonk, who came to Embry-Riddle as a women's soccer recruit, started running the event in the middle of the 2011 track season, excelling so much that she earned a spot in the NAIA Indoor National Meet as a junior. Hailing from Chalfont, Penn., Bonk broke away from the pack and won the 3000m race walk by over 36 seconds on March 2, finishing in a time of 14:41.95, which was an ERAU school record.
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Bonk did the same in the outdoor 5000m race walk, finishing more than 24 seconds in front of the second-place finisher, Janelle Brown of Cornerstone. Bonk's time of 26:43.05 allowed her to claim her second national title in two months.
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As a senior, Bonk broke not only the NAIA record at the Indoor National Championships, but the collegiate record, posting a time of 13:53.63, three seconds better than the previous record that stood for 11 years. Bonk became the third Eagle and second women's track & field athlete to claim three NAIA national titles.                              Â
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Bonk's Career Highlights
- NAIA Indoor Track & Field Champion: 3000m race walk (2012, 2013)
- NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Champion: 5000m race walk (2012)
- Five-time NAIA Track & Field All-American (3000m race walk, 5000m race walk, 4x800m relay)
