EUGENE, Ore. -- When 19-year-old Allie Ostrander crossed the finish line in the 5,000-meter semifinal at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, she had one thought on her mind: find Molly Huddle. Before they went to the interview area, before every runner started warmups and headed back to their hotels, before she did anything else, Ostrander needed to find Huddle.
She wasn't just looking for the competitor with which she had just raced. She was looking for the American record-holder and one of her running idols.
And when Ostrander found Huddle, she had one simple request: Could she sign an autograph for a big fan?
"I think she thought I was joking," Ostrander said. "But I was 100 percent serious."
"I think of us closer to peers," Huddle said. "I mean, she's in the finals."
Ostrander, Huddle and 14 other runners will compete for the three spots on the Olympic roster in Saturday's 5,000 final. Huddle has already secured a trip to Rio following her 10,000-meter U.S. trials win, while Ostrander is excited to have the chance to race after spending two months this winter rehabbing a tibia injury.
Friday's semifinal performance was a big statement for the Boise State freshman -- it was her first 5,000-meter run on the track and yet another feather in her cap as a piece of the bright future of American distance running.
But she knew it was obvious to spectators -- as she was the only competitor in a collegiate singlet -- that she was the fish out of water in this pro's race.
"Looking both ways on the start line, you kind of have to collect yourself and be like, 'They're just people, they're not super-humans. You can run with them,'" Ostrander said. "So I had to take a few deep breaths and realize that I was here for a reason."
That reason? Running very well. Preliminary rounds in distance events aren't typically a great indicator of what's to come since it's more about placement than time, but she said she's ready to race competitively heading into the finals. And Huddle knows she will be an idol to Ostrander in that race, and competition.
"All these girls are running so well, so young," Huddle said. "I think it's just going to be even better than it is now in a few years, so that's really encouraging. It just goes back to Shalane [Flanagan] and Kara [Goucher]. I remember when they first came out and they were running 14:40s and I was like, 'Is that even possible to do?'
"I think when you see someone doing that and then you chase that, you can come out better. Hopefully that pattern keeps going."
Other teens to watch this weekend
Ariana Washington, 19, 200-meter semifinals (Saturday): Despite winning her first-round heat with a time of 22.95, Washington said she actually relaxed coming off the curve. The rain had started to really pour shortly before Washington's heat, but she said it didn't really bother her after spending the last year with the University of Oregon track team. "It's Oregon," she said. "You never know. If it rains, it rains. If it doesn't, even better."
Sydney McLaughlin, 16, 400-meter hurdle final (Sunday): McLaughlin was pretty surprised to have won her semifinal heat Friday, explaining that she felt less nervous in her second race at Hayward Field. "It calmed down," McLaughlin said. "I think getting the first [race] out is always the hardest." Her 55.23 time was the second-fastest of the day, giving her great lane placement for the final. Without world-leading Shamier Little in the final (she failed to qualify out of the semis), there's a path for McLaughlin to land in Rio.