PUEBLO, Colo. -- Midwestern State senior Brissia Montalvo's determination wasn't quite enough to compete against the best in the nation not all full strength in the finals of the 3,000-meter Steeplechase Friday night in the NCAA Division II Championships at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl.
 
Montalvo matched her preliminary time of 11:20.69 to cap a sensational season by finishing 11th.
 
"She put herself in position early, but her foot finally got to her," MSU coach Koby Styles said. "Grit can only get you so far and she was hurting."
 
The El Paso native who has fought an upper foot injury throughout outdoor track season hovered between 4th and 12th through the early laps of the race, but lost ground on the troublesome water barrier which kept her from sustaining momentum against a strong field.
 
"She gave it all that she had," Styles said. "I'm proud of the way she ran. It was a great way to put a stamp on one heck of a career. It will be hard for anyone to match the year that she put together."
 
Montalvo fell three positions shy of claiming her second All-America honor in the steeplechase after earning top honors during the fall as she led the cross country team to its first regional championship and an 11th place showing at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Bellingham, Wash.
 
She claimed an LSC individual cross country championship last fall and boasted provisional qualifying times in the 1,500-meter run as well as the steeplechase as she became the program's first LSC medalist.
 
Grand Valley State's Betsy Graney claimed the individual title in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase with a time of 10:23.92 and was joined on the awards stand by Alaska-Anchorage's Susan Tanui (10:28.26), Adams State's Alicia Nelson (10:34.31), Augustana's Kyle Blakeslee (10:39.07), Northwest Missouri's Brittany Poole (10:47.19), Western State's Sarah Lyle (10:54.64), U-Mary's Jennifer Agnew (11:01.36) and Chico State's Amy Schnittger (11:01.36).
 
The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association recognized the top eight finishers as All Americans.