Dowdell earns NCAA Div. II All-American honors

INDIANAPOLIS — St. Paul graduate Lily Dowdell achieved NCAA Division II All-American honors on Day 2 of the Indoor Track & Field championships. The Ashland University graduate senior paired with teammates Hope Sievert, Montana Walker and Jade Avance to place eighth in the women's distance medley Friday. The team finished with a time of 11:35.84, with Dowdell running a 4:52.13 in her anchor mile. She took the baton in eighth place and helped keep the Eagles there ot grab the last spot on the podium to earn All-America recognition. On Thursday (March 13), Dowdell competed in the 5,000-meter final and placed 14th in 16:52.86. On March 12, Dowdell was one of 22 AU athletes who were named 2025 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) indoor track & field All-Region. According to the USTFCCCA, the top five individuals in each event from each of the eight regions earned All-Region distinction, in addition to each member of the region's top-3 relay teams. Dowdell was selected for her performances in both the one-mile and 5,000-meter runs. The same distance relay set a program record of 11:28.08 on Feb. 28. Earlier this season on March 1, Dowdell ran the one-mile in 4:49.82, which broke her own school record set earlier in the winter in the event. Earlier this indoor campaign, the graduate senior broke the AU indoor records in both the 3,000 run and the mile run, along with the school-record-breaking distance medley relay. The former All-Ohioan for the Flyers is the only AU women's indoor runner to go sub-five minutes in the mile — which she did three times. Dowdell was a three-time All-Mountain East selection at the University of Charleston in cross country. She began competing at Ashland in January 2024 during the indoor track and field season. This past fall, Dowdell turned in four top-10 individual placements in cross country, including a win at the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational and a runner-up finish at the Tiffelberg Open. She ran a 21:59.8 at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championships, where she placed sixth on Oct. 26. Dowdell competed at the Div. II Midwest regional meet and placed 43rd overall in 22:32.68 out of 195 runners in the race. At St. Paul, Dowdell was a four-time individual Firelands Conference champion, as she joined Erin McFadden (St. Paul, 1996-99) and Emily Trent (Crestview, 2009-12) as the only four-time champs in FC girls history. At the state cross country meet, Dowdell placed 57th, 10th and 29th in three appearances, respectively.