Completed Event: Track and Field at Battle on the Bayou on April 3, 2026 ,
Final
Track and Field
at Battle on the Bayou
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Eldridge Wins Junior National Title in the 1500
June 27, 2004 | Track and Field
NORMAN, Okla. -- The amazing rookie year put together by Jessica Eldridge added another chapter Sunday when the Broken Arrow sophomore-to-be won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Junior National Championship in the 1500-meter run. The meet, which brought together the top junior track and field athletes in the country, was held on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station.
Eldridge ran a 4:21.13, winning the title by nearly two seconds. With the win today and the time she posted, Eldridge earned a spot on the USA team that will travel to Grosetto, Italy, for the 2004 IAAF Junior World Championships July 13-18.
The top two finishers in each final at the USA Junior National meet are eligible to compete as part of the U.S. team provided they have met the qualifying standard and that they are under the age of 20 as of Dec. 31, 2004. Eldridge had already met the qualifying mark of 4:25.00 and she turned 19 in May. She posted her career best in the 1500 on May 14 at the Georgia Tech Invitational with a 4:18.30. Her time today also beat the qualifying standard.
Eldridge becomes the fourth Sooner to compete in the World Junior Championships and the second to represent the USA in the meet. She is the first Sooner to represent the U.S. as the national junior champion. L'eron George ran for the U.S. on the 400-meter relay team in 2000.
Today's title is the third win in her last four major outdoor meets. She won the Big 12 title in the 800, then became OU's first woman to win an NCAA Regional title, taking the 1500 on the same track she ran on today. It also marks the fourth national championship she has competed in this year. She qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November, the first true freshman to qualify from OU since 1994. She ran in the mile run at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships and ran in the 1500-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin two weeks ago.
Saturday, June 13
Friday, June 12
Thursday, June 11
Wednesday, June 10
