EUGENE, Ore. (June 9, 2021) - Northern Arizona All-American freshman Abdihamid Nur finishes third in the national men's 10000-meter race on Wednesday night at Hayward Field.
Running a personal best time of 27:42.73 in only his third-ever outdoor 10K, and first-ever NCAA track championship, Nur not only earned First-Team All-American status, but also broke the Big Sky Conference record, as well as the NAU Men's Outdoor School record once again, after taking ownership of them earlier this season.
"We couldn't be happier for Abdihamid and the race he executed tonight. He competed with so much poise you wouldn't know this was only his first NCAA track championship. He has set the tone for our program this weekend," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Michael Smith.
Entering the meet, Nur owned the second-best time in the nation this season (27:47.27), and was listed 23rd on the starting lineup after his most recently recorded time (29:14.43) at the regional meet two weeks prior.
Traveling to Eugene on Monday allowed Nur several days to acclimate to his environment and compose himself before heading to the line on opening night; at the sound of the gun, the runners immediately assembled into a pack with Nur in excellent position to grind out the remainder of the race.
Nur kept a steady pace, splitting between 1:05.00 and 1:08.00 for the majority of his race around the track, turning up the heat as the final laps ensued.
With 800-meters remaining, the runners sped down the straights and cascaded around the curves in hot pursuit of the finish line with Georgetown senior Robert Brandt, junior Conner Mantz of BYU, Tulsa senior Patrick Dever, and Nur, all within several strides of one another.
Mantz briefly fought his way to the front, before Dever took ultimate control during the bell lap, breaking the previous meet record to claim the gold.
Meanwhile, in the final stretch, Nur kicked it into high gear with his fastest split of the evening, 58.12, allowing him to pass Brandt and cross the finish line third.
"This was a special moment for NAU Track and Field," Smith said, "Abdihamid was an instate recruit from Phoenix who has developed into one of the best in the nation. He represents much of what our program aspires to be."
Nur will compete in the men's 10K again at the U.S Olympic Trials next week.
