Ceili McCabe has been around WVU’s track and cross country programs for a long time, but this year, her name was relatively silenced.
Entering her fifth year with WVU, McCabe took a step back from the cross country and track programs. She redshirted both her cross country and outdoor track and field seasons, competing only briefly during the indoor track season as she had already redshirted as a freshman.
During her indoor season, McCabe helped win the Big 12 Championships in the distance medley while posting her personal best mile time at the NCAA Championships. She was named to All-Big 12 Indoor First Team.
Other than these accomplishments, though, McCabe’s contributions to the Mountaineers were less visible this season, as fellow 3,000-meter steeplechase runners Sarah Tait and NCAA Championship qualifier Mikenna Vanerheyden, took the spotlight.
Behind the scenes, though, Ceili McCabe was preparing for the highest level of competition, and when the spring arrived, she proved that her work was paying off.
In McCabe’s first steeplechase run of the season at the LA Grand Prix on April 17, McCabe shocked the world by winning it all and posting the Canadian record time of 9:20.58. McCabe’s run broke the previous record set at the Tokyo Olympics by nearly two seconds.
Shortly thereafter, at the Bell Track and Field Trials on June 27, McCabe shocked the world again. With a trip to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris on the line, McCabe exploded for a 10-second victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Her time of 9:32.97 did not touch her Canadian record, but it gave her a bid for the next level of competition, where she will be looking to make Canadian history again with new top times.
Ceili McCabe will run on behalf of WVU and Canada starting Sunday, August 4 at 4:05 a.m. The event can be viewed on Peacock or on the NBC Olympics app by signing in with a cable provider.
Photo from WVU Track & Field
