PUEBLO, Colo. - Tiffany Dinh of the Cal Poly Pomona women's track and field team finished 14th nationally in the 10,000-meter event Thursday, racing to a time of 38:22.35 during day one of the NCAA Division II National Championships.

With the runners battling the high altitude and strong winds, the finishing times proved to be a bit slower than results recorded earlier in the 2012 season. That fact doesn't illustrate how hard-fought the race turned out to be, as Grand Valley State's Rachel Patterson passed Western State's Lauren Kleppin in the final lap to capture the national title.

Six months after earning All-American status in cross country, Dinh qualified for track and field nationals with a clutch performance at the Cal State L.A. Last Chance Meet. The junior from Norwalk raced to a time of 35:45.87, the second-best time in program history for that event.

"Tiffany had a great year and tonight she outperformed the entry times that seeded her in 15th," Broncos' interim head coach Tony Reyes said. "We know she'll continue to excel as she moves into her senior season."

Having competed in four different events this spring, the 1,500-, 3,000-, 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs, Dinh's 14th-place finish Thursday concludes her stellar junior campaign. On May 7, she was named CPP's Female Co-Athlete of the Year for the 2011-12 school year.

Earlier on Thursday evening in Pueblo, Colo., Jacob Deavers of the Broncos' men's track and field squad turned in a stellar prelims performance in the 400-meter hurdles to advance to Saturday's final that'll start at 6:30 p.m. PDT. At the 2011 D-II National Championships in Turlock, Deavers placed seventh. The top eight competitors earn All-American status.