Photo courtesy of Alex Ryan

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – After turning in a recording-breaking performance in the 5,000m championship Friday night, Northern Arizona sophomore runner Diego Estrada was unable to keep up with the brisk pace in the closing moments of the men's 3,000-meter run, finishing 14th overall (8:10.23). Estrada caps off the NCAA Indoor Championships for NAU scoring five points and a tie for 39th place in the men's standings.

The 14-place finish earns Estrada a USTFCCCA Second Team All-America Award, giving the Salinas, Calif., native two All-America honors on the weekend.

"I could've probably run a 5K and finished better, but as far as a 3K, I just didn't have that pop in my legs," Estrada said after the race. "When there are a lot of sub-four milers and kickers in there, I tried to give it a go at the end, but it just wasn't happening."

The new record holder for the conference and NAU indoor 5K took to the front of the pack immediately on the first lap and led the field of 20 runners for the first eight trips around the 200-meter banked track.

With the field bunched throughout the entirety of the race, Estrada was forced to the back of the pack after relinquishing the lead and was unable to reassert himself near the front. Stanford's Elliot Heath was the race winner, finishing the event in 8:03.71.

"Once I got pushed back, it was over," Estrada said. "With 100 meters to go I tried to go wide, but it was five wide as I went. After that, it was a matter of not spiking them and not getting spiked."

Estrada will now look forward to an outdoor season in which he will focus on the 5K and look to capitalize on his breakthrough time of 13:29.01.

"The first goal for the outdoor season will be to pick up a qualifier for the preliminary round," Estrada said. "The second goal will be to make it to the finals, and the third will figuring out a way to put up a better effort."

This is the fourth-consecutive track and field championships that the Lumberjacks have scored in under Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Eric Heins, and he is excited for the future of Estrada as he is in just his third year.

"The first national championships you get to are hopefully in your freshman and sophomore year so that you can walk away saying you learned a lot from the races, and I think Diego was able to do just that," Heins said. "He'll take that 5K as motivation knowing that he can show up and run a personal best and school-record time."

"Being able to double up like he did will make it easier for him when he is back in a championship race because he went through that this year," Heins said.

With the indoor season drawing to a close Saturday, the Lumberjacks begin the outdoor campaign next weekend in Tucson, Ariz., as they compete in the Willie Williams Invitational.