Recently graduated senior Bethany Praska broke the Iowa record in the women’s outdoor 800-meter run on Wednesday, according to a release.

Praska, who already held the official Iowa record of 2:05.46, ran the two-lap race in 2:03.78 at a meet in Indianapolis.

The Longmont, Col., native was an outdoor Big Ten champion in two events in 2011. She won gold in the 800-meter and as the opening leg of the 4×1,600-meter relay team that advanced to the NCAA Championships. The 22-year-old earned an honorable mention All-American nod after the meet.

Wednesday’s result gives Praska an automatic spot in the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., next week. The meet will be held from June 23-26, and three days will be televised.

ESPN2 will broadcast on June 24 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., CT. The broadcasted events on June 25 and June 26 will be split into two segments: Universal will air the meet from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and NBC will broadcast from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

— by Seth Roberts