EUGENE, Ore. (June 10, 2021) - Northern Arizona junior Jessa Hanson finishes 11th overall in the national women's 10000-meter race, running a personal best time of 32:55.24, earning Second-Team All-American honors.
Hanson has displayed consistent improvement this season, running her first collegiate 10K in April at the Virginia Challenge (34:09.38), and competing in the women's 10K at the west regional meet just two weeks ago, clinching the final national qualifying slot with a time of 33:56.97.
Approaching the meet, Hanson's regional time ranked her 20th on the entry list, and as the women waited at the starting line, Hanson was determined to defy those odds.
Alabama sophomore Mercy Chelangat took control of the track early on, leading almost the entirety of the race, with the exception of five laps, handled by a mix of Weber State senior Lexie Thompson, Rice freshman Grace Forbes, and Oregon senior Carmela Cardama Baez.
Out of the gate, Hanson positioned herself comfortably amongst the pack before settling in for the long haul; splitting between 1:17.00 and 1:20.00 each lap, Hanson found her groove and stuck with it, allowing it to carry her through the remaining laps.
As the event whittled down, Chelangat and Cardama Baez pulled away into untouchable territory, lapping several women on the back end of the race; Cardama Baez eventually overtook Chelangat with a little more than two laps to go, only glancing back once to ensure her fate.
Cardama Baez (32:16.13) turned on the jets in her final lap around the track, becoming the women's 10K national champion, with Chelangat (32:22.11) seconds behind to secure second place.
With a solid pace to lean on, Hanson was able to navigate the pack and maintain her focus into the completion of the race, crossing the finish line with a lifetime best of 32:55.24.
"Jessa had a huge performance tonight racing against the top distance athletes in the nation. Her race was so well executed, patient and then big forward momentum in the toughest moments late in the race," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Michael Smith, "We were so proud of how she fought out there tonight. Jessa's 10k was a big moment for our program and what's to come!"
Lumberjack competition will continue tomorrow with the men's 5000-meter race at 6:55 p.m. MST.
