Governors State distance runner Sophia Flowers made her mark on the national stage March 13, finishing 10th in the Women’s 5000 Meter Run at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Gainesville, Florida, while setting a new school record in the process with a time of 17:34.85.

Competing on Day 1 of the three-day meet at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center, Flowers held her own in a loaded field of distance runners from across the country, crossing the finish line as one of ten finalists to medal at the national level. The school record made the performance all the more significant, as Flowers etched her name into the Governors State record books on college track and field’s biggest indoor stage.