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Ncaa West Regional Track and Field 2019 Qualifying Standards

For the first time since 2019, the top collegiate athletes came together for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held in the newly renovated Hayward Field from June 9 through June 12.

On the first day of the championships, Patrick Dever of Tulsa surprised the field and won the 10,000 meters in 27:41.87 in Eugene, Oregon.

The second night saw Oregon's Carmela Cardama Baez win the 10,000-meter title in front of a home crowd, upsetting the reigning NCAA cross-country champion, Alabama's Mercy Chelangat. A few hours before that, Courtney Wayment of BYU run the fastest steeplechase semifinal in meet history, setting up a must-watch final on Saturday.

The third night of the championships saw the LSU Tigers win the men's team title in dominant fashion. With their first team title since 2002, the LSU men grabbed 84 team points, with the University of Oregon finishing second with 53 points and North Carolina A&T third with 35 points.

And on the final night, the USC Trojans won the women's team title, behind Anna Cockrell, who won both the 100-meter and the 400-meter hurdles, and the women's 4x100-meter relay, who edged out LSU to win the first race of the night. The Trojans scored 74 points, while Texas A&M finished second with 63 points, and the Georgia Bulldogs placed third with 37.5 points.

Here are the highlights from the championships:

Complete results here


Saturday, June 12

Athing Mu runs 48-second anchor leg as Texas A&M sets 4x400-meter collegiate record

2021 ncaa division i men's and women's outdoor track and field championship

Jamie Schwaberow Getty Images

After getting the baton in second place, Athing Mu closed a 20-meter gap on USC to bring home the 4x400-meter NCAA title in 3:22.34—a new collegiate record for Texas A&M. Just 80 minutes after breaking her own collegiate record in the 400 meters, the freshman split a 48.85 anchor leg, which is the fastest ever in a collegiate relay.

"It's been a great year for all of us, and I know who I have as my anchor, and know that if I give her every inch, she'll take care of it," Jaevin Reed, who ran the third leg for the Aggies, told ESPN.

USC held off UCLA to finish second in 3:24.54. The Bruins finished third in 3:25.01.

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Elly Henes throws down huge kick to win her first NCAA title in 5,000 meters

Three months after finishing third in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Elly Henes claimed her first ever NCAA title in her last collegiate race. The senior from North Carolina State held off Katie Wasserman of Notre Dame to reach the finish line first in 15:28.05.

The race started with the pack chasing Whittni Orton of BYU; two days after failing to qualify for the 1500-meter final, Orton got off the line far ahead of her competitors, creating a 20-meter gap between herself and the chase pack in the first 600 meters of the race.

By the first 1600 meters, Orton was clocking between 74 and 76 seconds per lap while the chase pack of Henes, Wasserman, Mercy Chelangat of Alabama, and Joyce Kimeli of Auburn started to close the gap.

Henes, Wasserman, and Chelangat caught Orton around nine minutes into the race, and all four athletes covered the first 3,000 meters in 9:22. With five laps remaining, Chelangat, Henes, and Wasserman passed Orton by dropping a 73-second lap. The pace slowed slightly before picking up again with two laps left, where Henes and Wasserman led the group while running shoulder-to-shoulder.

At the bell, Wasserman, Henes, and Julia Heymach of Stanford battled for position on the backstretch, going back and forth until the final 100 meters where Henes shifted gears to pass Wasserman and reach the finish line first in 15:28.05. Wasserman closed for second in 15:28.68, and Bethany Hasz of Minnesota passed three runners on the homestretch to finish third in 15:30.57.

2021 ncaa division i men's and women's outdoor track and field championship
Elly Henes (left) and Mercy Chelangat (right) in the 5,000 meters.

Jamie Schwaberow Getty Images

According to the USTFCCCA, Henes is the first North Carolina State athlete to win the women's 5,000 meters since her mother and coach Laurie Henes accomplished the feat in 1991. "Having [my mom] as my coach and having her throughout my entire running career, it's the perfect fairytale ending. I couldn't ask for anything more," Henes told ESPN.

Cambrea Sturgis scores the 100-200 sprint double

North Carolina A&T took home two more NCAA individual titles on Saturday when Cambrea Sturgis won both the 100 and the 200 meters. In the 100 meters, the sophomore sprinted to her first NCAA title in 10.74 (+2.2 m/s), a season best and the fastest all-conditions mark in meet history.

When asked by ESPN what it means to run the fastest 100-meter time at the NCAA championships under any conditions, Sturgis said, "It means good, especially since I've been working hard getting to this point and executing my race."

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2019 60-meter NCAA champion Twanisha Terry of USC finished second in 10.79, Tamara Clark of Alabama placed third in 10.88, and 2021 NCAA 60-meter champion Kemba Nelson of Oregon finished fourth in 10.90.

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Just 40 minutes later, Sturgis returned to the track and came from behind on the homestretch to win the women's 200-meter final in 22.12, making her the fourth-fastest runner in collegiate history. It was a new personal best and an NCAA lead this year.

Tamara Clark of Alabama finished right behind Sturgis in 22.17, and Anavia Battle of Ohio State placed third in 22.42.

Anna Cockrell claims both hurdle titles

2021 ncaa division i men's and women's outdoor track and field championship

Jamie Schwaberow Getty Images

Two years after finishing fifth at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Anna Cockrell of USC obliterated the field to win the women's 100-meter hurdles in 12.58, well ahead of runner-up Rayniah Jones of University of Central Florida who finished second in 12.82.

And then just 45 minutes later, she defended her 400-meter hurdles crown by winning the title in 54.68, a new personal best. The USC senior is the first athlete to win the double since Queen Harrison accomplished the feat in 2010. She is also only the second woman in meet history to win both in the same meet.

"For me, the double is just hard," Cockrell told ESPN. "It's hard to get ramped up, get excited, race fast and then get back to my center and focus for another race. I find getting ready for the race, being mentally there and present, that's difficult. But once I get in that zone, just get ready to go."

Shannon Meisberger of Arizona finished second in 55.70, a personal best, and Andrenette Knight of Virginia placed third in 55.81.

Tyra Gittens guts out another NCAA win in the heptathlon

Three months after winning the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Tyra Gittens of Texas A&M returned to claim the heptathlon crown with 6,285 points. In two days of competition, the junior earned three individual victories—the high jump, 200 meters, and long jump—to beat runner-up Michelle Atherley of the University of Miami, who scored 6,067 points. Kristine Blazevica of Texas placed third with 5,984 points, a new personal best.

Gittens also finished third in the high jump and second in the long jump at the championship.

Michaela Meyer wins the 800-meter title

2021 ncaa division i men's and women's outdoor track and field championship

Jamie Schwaberow Getty Images

With a perfectly timed kick on the homestretch, Michaela Meyer of Virginia sprinted to victory in the women's 800 meters, winning her first 800-meter title in 2:00.28—a personal best and the seventh-fastest collegiate time ever.

Shafiqua Maloney of Arkansas led the field through the first 400 meters in a blazing pace of 57.61 seconds. With about 200 meters remaining, Georgia's Amber Tanner attempted to drop the field, but her move was matched by Meyer, Clemson's Laurie Barton, and Florida's Gabrielle Wilkinson. On the top of the homestretch, Meyer ultimately pulled ahead of Barton with 30 meters to the finish line.

When asked what she was thinking on the homestretch, Meyer told ESPN, "Just kick as hard as I can, don't look back, I guess! [The finish] felt like it was coming to me. I wanted to soak in the moment. I was like, ahh, it's already over!"

Barton finished second in 2:00.65, Wilkinson placed third in 2:01.20, and Claire Seymour of BYU finished fourth in 2:01.91. Every runner in the top four improved on their previous personal best.

Athing Mu breaks her own collegiate record to win the 400-meter title

Athing Mu claimed an easy victory in the women's 400-meter final, sprinting down the homestretch with no one else in contention. The Texas A&M freshman crossed the line in 49.57, improving on her own collegiate record, and finishing well ahead of runner-up Talitha Diggs of Florida who finished in 50.74, a personal best. Kyra Constantine of USC placed third in 50.87, also a personal best.

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Mu is now the ninth-fastest American 400-meter runner ever. Saturday's performance is the latest record for Mu who broke the NCAA 400-meter record by running 49.68 in May. She also broke the collegiate record in the 800 meters by running 1:57.73 in April. She will be competing in the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

"I'm just glad to be going back to 'my race' I guess you could say," Mu said on the ESPN broadcast. "I just want to go out there and try my best. It's my sweet spot. Hopefully I can make the Olympic team."

"I'm going to be a smart competitor for one, and I'm just going to get through the rounds. I think that's most important, make it to finals and just do what I usually do. It's one of the last chances so I'm just going to go out there and do my thing, be the athlete I have been the past couple of months, won't really change anything."

Mahala Norris scores a huge upset to win the women's steeplechase crown

2021 ncaa division i men's and women's outdoor track and field championship
Mahala Norris, left, wins the steeplechase final.

Jamie Schwaberow Getty Images

Two days after running the fastest NCAA semifinal in meet history, the steeplechasers provided one of the most exciting finishes of the meet, with Mahala Norris of Air Force winning her first NCAA title in a 9:31.79 personal best.

The race started with NCAA champions Joyce Kimeli of Auburn and Courtney Wayment of BYU taking the early lead, running shoulder-to-shoulder. During the first seven laps, the competitors ran between 76 and 78 seconds per lap with several medal contenders right behind them.

The separation finally occurred during the bell lap, where five women battled on the backstretch and around the final turn. On the top of the homestretch, the race for first came down to Norris, Katie Rainsberger of Washington, and Kimeli who fought shoulder-to-shoulder until the last 50 meters, where Norris pulled ahead of Kimeli to win the title in a six-second personal best. Norris is now the sixth-fastest performer in collegiate history.

Kimeli finished second in 9:31.84, and Rainsberger finished third in 9:32.12. (Both ran personal bests.) The previous NCAA leader, Wayment placed fourth in 9:32.93.

Anna Camp-Bennett upsets the NCAA champ, wins women's 1500 meters in a personal best

2021 ncaa division i men's and women's outdoor track and field championship
Anna Camp-Bennett celebrates her 1500-meter win.

Jamie Schwaberow Getty Images

In the 1500 meters, BYU's Anna Camp-Bennett passed four competitors—including NCAA mile champion Sage Hurta—on the homestretch to win her first NCAA title in a 4:08.53 personal best.

The race started at a tactical pace with Amaris Tynissma of Alabama bringing the pack through the first 800 meters in 2:17. Just after the halfway split, Tynissma picked up the pace, but Hurta took the lead heading into the bell lap. In the final 400 meters, Camp-Bennett, Ella Donaghu of Stanford, and Danae Rivers of Penn State covered Hurta's move on the backstretch. On the top of the homestretch, Camp-Bennett shifted gears to pass Hurta and win by nearly a second. It was the eighth-fastest performance in meet history.

Hurta finished second in 4:09.42, and Donaghu finished third in 4:09.66.

USC catches LSU at the line to win the 4x100-meter relay

A come-from-behind effort from anchor leg Twanisha Terry helped the USC Trojans beat the LSU Tigers in the 4x100-meter relay. The Trojans finished in 42.82, edging the Tigers (42.84) by just 0.02 seconds. North Carolina A&T finished third in 43.03.

USC also won the 4x100-meter relay at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Oregon was expected to be in contention for a top finish, but the sprinters fumbled the exchange between the second and third legs.


Friday, June 11

Cole Hocker takes down the defending NCAA champion and collegiate record-holder

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In one of the most highly anticipated races of the meet, freshman Cole Hocker of the University of Oregon beat 2019 NCAA champion Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame to win the men's 1500-meter final.

Nuguse, the collegiate record-holder, assumed the lead from the beginning of the race, bringing the field through the first 400 meters with Eliud Kipsang of Alabama on his shoulder and Hocker on his heels. The pack went through 800 meters in 2:00.

On the third lap, the pace quickened considerably, with Nuguse running 56.61. With 300 meters to go, Hocker stumbled briefly as the field jockeyed for position. Then the sprint was on.

In a battle down the homestretch, Hocker passed Nuguse to win his first NCAA outdoor title—and third NCAA title of the year after winning the mile and 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. Hocker finished in 3:35.35, a personal best and the No. 2 time in collegiate history. Nuguse finished right behind him in 3:35.60. Waleed Suliman of Ole Miss placed third in 3:37.30.

Hocker's final lap split was 52.23. Nuguse had handed him his only loss in the event earlier this season.

"You try not to think about it, but it is in your head," Hocker said in an ESPN interview after the race. "I just knew that that day was not my best day, and that if I had my best day I'd be able to run with anyone."

Kigen Chemadi runs a personal best to claim steeplechase title

Two years after finishing third at the NCAA championships, Kigen Chemadi of Middle Tennessee State returned to win the men's steeplechase crown.

The race started at a more tactical pace when Colton Johnson of Washington State led the pack through the first four laps in steady 68-69-second laps. With two and a half laps to go, Chemadi accelerated ahead of Johnson to the front and caused a major shift in the pack.

On the fifth lap, Chemadi quickened the pace with a 71-second lap, a move that left several runners behind. By the bell lap, the race was down to four runners up front. Despite a hard effort from his competitors, Chemadi was able to hold off Alec Basten of Minnesota and Ryan Smeeton of Oklahoma State on the homestretch by finishing first in 8:28.20, a personal best.

"It's a big win for me, it's a big win for the university," Chemadi said about Middle Tennessee State's first ever NCAA title. "I knew where the people tire a lot and decided to hit the gas [there] to get the win."

Basten finished second in 8:29.03. In an attempt to kick past Basten and catch Chemadi, Smeeton fell over the final barrier but still managed to finish third in 8:30.70. The top seven runners in the race all ran either season or personal bests.

Robert Dunning earns redemption in the hurdles

In 2019, Robert Dunning didn't even make the final of the men's 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Two years later, he became an NCAA champion. The senior from Alabama won the event in 13:25 out of lane 2.

Jaylan McConico of Iowa finished second in 13.38 and Phillip Lemonious of Arkansas finished third in 13.39.

Terrance Laird comes from behind to win the NCAA 100-meter title

LSU earned 10 additional points in the team competition with Terrance Laird's victory in the 100-meter final.

The junior found his top end speed in the last 20 meters and overtook Shaun Maswanganyi of Houston for the win in 10.05, a personal best. Laird also achieved the Olympic qualifying standard. Maswanganyi finished second in 10.09, and NCAA 60-meter champion Micah Williams of Oregon placed third in 10.11.

Laird also anchored the Tigers to a win in the 4x100-meter relay in 38.48, just 0.06 seconds ahead of Georgia in second.

Randolph Ross blasts No. 3 time in collegiate history

ncaa track and field

Jamie Schwaberow Getty Images

North Carolina A&T sophomore Randolph Ross threw down a world lead to win the men's 400 meters at the NCAA championships. Ross crossed the finish line in 43.85, a new personal best that is well ahead of the previous 44.27 world lead set by pro runner Michael Norman. Prior to Friday, Ross's season's best was 44.60.

Behind Ross, Bryce Deadmon of Texas A&M finished second in 44.44 and Noah Williams of LSU finished third in 44.93.

"I used to look up on TV, in the Olympics all the people who ran a 43," Ross said on ESPN following the race. "It's crazy seeing it for yourself. It's a blessing."

Isaiah Jewett runs personal best to win the men's 800 meters

In his last race as a college athlete, USC senior Isaiah Jewett won the NCAA 800-meter crown in a 1:44.68 lifetime best.

The race started with Texas A&M freshman Brandon Miller taking the pack through the first 400 meters in 50.93, with Jewett right on his heels in 50.97, and they opened a gap on the chase pack. Just after the bell, Jewett overtook Miller and held the position to the finish line, winning the race—two years after failing to make the final at the 2019 outdoor championships. The performance is No. 8 on the collegiate all-time list.

Miller finished second in 1:44.97, NCAA indoor 800-meter champion Charlie Hunter of Oregon came from sixth to finish third in 1:45.75, and Finley McLear of Miami (Ohio) placed fourth in 1:45.80. All four runners achieved personal bests. According to the USTFCCCA, the race was the first time in meet history that nine finishers ran faster than 1:47.

Sean Burrell secures team title for LSU with dominant 400-meter hurdles title

200 meters

Andy Nelson Getty Images

In his first ever NCAA championship, Sean Burrell of LSU obliterated the field to win the 400-meter hurdles crown and clinch the team title for the Tigers.

The freshman ran a 47.85 personal best, the fourth-fastest time in collegiate history. Burrell finished well ahead of runner-up Isaiah Levingston of Oklahoma who crossed the line in 48.49. Cameron Samuel of USC finished third in 48.68.

After 15 events, LSU had scored 61 points, clinching the team title. Burrell's 10 points put LSU's total out of reach of North Carolina A&T and Oregon, who were tied for second with 25 points and six events remaining.

Joseph Fahnbulleh upsets the 100-meter champ to win the 200 meters

About 40 minutes after finishing seventh in the 100-meter final, Joseph Fahnbulleh of Florida scored a big win and personal best in the men's 200 meters.

The freshman came from behind to run 19.91 and beat 100-meter champion Terrance Laird of LSU. Fahnbulleh's victory equaled the eighth-fastest performance in collegiate history. Laird finished second in 19.94, and Shaun Maswanganyi of Houston finished third in 20.10.

Oregon's Cooper Teare wins the 5,000 meters in a meet record

After a back-and-forth final lap, Oregon junior Cooper Teare took the lead at the top of the homestretch and won the 5,000-meter crown in 13:12.27, a meet record, a personal best, and an Olympic qualifying time. His teammate Cole Hocker finished fourth after winning the 1500-meter title earlier in the meet. Combined, they scored 25 of runner-up Oregon's 53 team points.

Iowa State sophomore Wesley Kiptoo set a fast pace from the beginning. He jumped to the front and stretched the pack by running between 62 and 65 seconds per lap for the first 2,000 meters. In the early stages, Robert Brandt of Georgetown and Teare followed Kiptoo in second and third.

With six laps to go, Brandt took over as the leader, but he didn't hold the position for long. After Brandt led the pack through 3,000 meters in 8:02, Athanas Kioko of Campbell jumped to the front and dropped a 62-second lap.

With 800 meters remaining, only four runners remained in contention: Brandt, Teare, Kioko, and Luis Grijalva of Northern Arizona. Teare held the lead at the bell lap and attempted to run away from the competition on the backstretch, but his move was matched by Kioko and Grijalva, who took a slight lead with 200 meters remaining. Heading into the homestretch, Teare shifted into another gear and sprinted to victory. His 54.92-second last lap vaulted him to the second-fastest time in collegiate history.

Grijalva finished second in 13:13.14, and Kioko placed third in 13:13.47. Hocker moved from eighth to fourth in the final lap, running 13:18.95, and Brandt was fifth in 13:19.11. Patrick Dever of Tulsa returned to finish sixth two days after winning the 10,000-meter crown. The top 12 finishers ran personal bests.

Following his win, Teare told ESPN what his win meant as a member of the Oregon Ducks:

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North Carolina A&T wins back-to-back NCAA 4x400-meter titles

Three months after winning the 4x400-meter relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships, North Carolina A&T obliterated the field once again with a 3:00.92 team effort.

The Aggies squad—which included NCAA 400-meter champion Randolph Ross—split 1:30.87 for the first two legs, 45.89 for the third leg, and 44.17 on the anchor run by NCAA indoor 400-meter champion Noah Williams. With the relay victory, North Carolina A&T earned a third-place team finish at the meet.

Stephen F. Austin came from behind to finish second in 3:01.52, and Texas A&M secured a third-place finish in 3:01.64.


Thursday, June 10

Oregon's Carmela Cardama Baez upsets the NCAA cross-country champion

With a blazing kick over the last 400 meters, Carmela Cardama Baez of the University of Oregon won the women's 10,000-meter title on her home track in 32:16.13.

Mercy Chelangat of Alabama, the reigning NCAA cross-country champion, was second in 32:22.11.

As the favorite heading into the race, Chelangat took the lead from the gun, bringing the field through the first 1600 meters in a brisk 5:08. For the first half of the race, the sophomore from the University of Alabama ran even 400-meter splits between 79 and 80 seconds. Most of the field stuck right behind her through the first 5,000 meters, which they ran in 16:30.5.

With 10 laps remaining, at the 6,000-meter mark, Chelangat squeezed the pace down to 75-second laps, a move that most of her competitors were unable to match. After running patiently in the top pack, Baez was the only runner to stick with Chelangat.

For the last 4,000 meters, Chelangat and Cardama Baez ran together and created a 30-meter gap on chase pack, clocking steady 75-second laps. Just before 800 meters remaining, Cardama Baez took over the lead. She had another gear at the bell and continued to separate herself from Chelangat. Cardama Baez ran a 71-second final lap and it wasn't close in the last 200 meters.

"I know [Mercy] is a really strong runner and I knew if I let it be too long, she might get me [with] a kick," Cardama Baez said in a press conference after the race. "I don't feel like I'm that strong of a kicker, and I really wanted to make it honest and give myself a better shot. And I felt like 1K, 800 [meters] was the best distance for me to make a move and be able to hold it and be able to hold that last 200 if she wanted to come back to get me."

The race was a personal best for Cardama Baez and an improvement on her runner-up finish in 2019. Chelanagat was 6 seconds back, and Maria Mettler of Air Force finished third in 32:34.05, also a personal best. The first 11 finishers broke 33 minutes, and eight of those set personal bests.

2021 ncaa division i men's and women's outdoor track and field championship
Courtney Wayment, second from right, won the second heat of the steeplechase in 9:32.52.

Justin Tafoya Getty Images

Courtney Wayment runs fastest steeplechase semifinal in NCAA championship history

The first round of the women's steeplechase featured an NCAA semifinal record and 14 personal bests.

In the second heat, NCAA 3,000-meter champion Courtney Wayment of BYU led for the majority of the race and pulled away on the homestretch to win in 9:32.52, breaking the record for the fastest semifinal performance in meet history. Aneta Konieczek of Oregon finished second (9:34.37), Charlotte Prouse of New Mexico placed third (9:37.05), Mahala Norris of Air Force finished fourth (9:37), and Gabbi Jennings of Furman claimed the last automatic qualifying spot by finishing fifth (9:38). Sixth-place finisher Ceili McCabe of West Virginia advanced based on time. With the exception of Wayment, who came very close to beating her 9:31.37 personal best, the top six runners set PRs.

Joyce Kimeli of Auburn, who was the 2021 NCAA indoor 5,000-meter champion, won the first semifinal heat in 9:35.57, a two-second improvement on her personal best. Runner-up Katie Rainsberger of Washington (9:36), third-place finisher Summer Allen of Weber State (9:37), Alissa Niggemann of Wisconsin (9:41), and Abby Kohut-Jackson of Minnesota also achieved personal bests and advanced automatically to the next round. Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame qualified for the final based on time.

Konieczek, Kimeli, Rainsberger, and Allen ran times that are now on the top 10 NCAA all-time list. The women's steeplechase field is setting up for a fast final on Saturday.

Fast times but the favorites miss out on the 800 and 1500-meter finals

The women's 1500 meters featured a blazing first heat won by NCAA mile champion Sage Hurta in 4:08.88. Behind the Colorado standout, three of the top five finishers achieved personal bests under 4:10.

The next heat was more tactical and included a couple of upsets. The slower pace early on led to more jostling in the pack in the race's later stages. Stanford's Julia Heymach, who held the fifth-fastest time coming into the meet, fell with 10 meters to go, and BYU All-American Whittni Orton faded to sixth. Both failed to advance to Saturday's final, but they will have another chance to compete, as both are entered in the 5,000 meters on Saturday.

The women's 800-meter semifinal left out another favorite in Aaliyah Miller. In March, the Baylor runner won the NCAA indoor 800-meter crown in a meet record time of 2:00.69, but she won't be able to defend that title on Saturday after finishing fourth in heat 3 in 2:04.26. Amber Tanner of Georgia ran the fastest time of the day, winning heat 1 in 2:01.82.


Wednesday, June 9

Patrick Dever scores an upset in the men's 10,000 meters

Patrick Dever of Tulsa was the surprise winner in the men's 10,000 meters, and he set a NCAA championship record, 27:41.87, in the event.

The pace went out hard from the beginning, thanks to Wesley Kiptoo. The Iowa State sophomore brought the field through the first 1600 meters in 4:24 and 3200 meters in 8:52, putting the top runners on pace to finish in 27:43.

Behind Kiptoo, who was the NCAA indoor 5,000-meter champion, a single-file line of competitors followed. The field included Conner Mantz of BYU, the reigning NCAA cross-country champion and one of four runners with a personal best under 28 minutes.

About 5,000 meters into the race, Alex Masai of Hofstra passed Kiptoo and moved to the front of the pack. Masai and Kiptoo took turns in the lead, alternating between 66 and 68 seconds per lap. With four laps to go Masai pushed the pace, and Kiptoo fell behind, at the end of a group of nine runners still in the mix.

At the bell lap, Mantz jumped to the front. Dever, Robert Brandt of Georgetown, and Abdihamid Nur of Northern Arizona followed close behind and all were still in contention in the final 100 meters. From his inside position, Dever outsprinted the others to take the title, and he set a personal best by 46 seconds in winning his first NCAA championship.

2021 ncaa division i men's and women's outdoor track and field championship
Patrick Dever of Tulsa celebrates his 10,000-meter win.

Andy Nelson Getty Images

"I was looking up at the big screen, and I couldn't believe how many people were there," Dever said on the ESPN broadcast. "It's a testament to how strong the NCAA is. A lot of moving around, and it was a case of keeping calm, and I wanted to keep something for the home straight. If it came down to that, I wanted to be ready."

Three months after winning the NCAA cross-country title, Mantz finished second in 27:42.46. Nur was third in 27:42.73, and Brandt finished fourth in 27:43.17. In total, 10 runners improved on the previous NCAA meet record of 28:01.30 set by Suleiman Nyambui in 1979. Of the 24 competitors in the race, 15 runners set personal bests.

Taylor Dutch is a sports and fitness writer living in Chicago; a former NCAA track athlete, Taylor specializes in health, wellness, and endurance sports coverage.

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Ncaa West Regional Track and Field 2019 Qualifying Standards

Source: https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a36677072/ncaa-outdoor-track-and-field-championships-2021-results/