Sanford native Rachel Schneider came up 0.45 seconds short of qualifying for the world track and field championships Sunday night with her fourth-place finish in the women’s 5,000-meter run at the U.S. championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
Schneider, who now lives in Arizona, was timed at 15 minutes, 17.91 seconds, just behind third-place Elinor Purrier (15:17.46) for the last of three spots on Team USA for the IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field Championships that begin Sept. 28 in Doha, Qatar.
Schneider held the lead fairly late in the race before being overtaken by the top three finishers, a trio led by winner Shelby Houlihan (15:15.50) and runner-up Karissa Schweizer (15:17.03).
Another Maine native, Steven Smith of South Portland, finished fifth at nationals in the men’s 10,000-meter race walk with a time of 47:11.86.
