SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (May 6, 2022) – Competing with some of the world's fastest 5000-meter runners, the stage was set for
Abdihamid Nur and
Nico Young to make history at Friday night's Sound Running Track Meet in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
In a field consisting of Olympians Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Joe Klecker, as well as 17-time NCAA Champion Edward Cheserek, Nur and Young quickly found their place at the front and made collegiate history.
Breaking off the starting line filled with nearly 25 runners, Nur and Young settled into the top five where they would remain for the extent of the race. Led by a pair of pacers, including former Lumberjack Geordie Beamish, Nur and Young set out on a blazing pace with splits of roughly 63 seconds or faster for just about each lap.
Hitting 1000 meters at 2:38.00, Nur led Ingebrigtsen, Klecker and the rest of the elite field with Young just behind at 2:38.46. The duo linked together temporarily with roughly 2,000 meters remaining and held strong as the field picked up the pace with a 1:02.69 and 1:01.24 lead split at the 4200 and 4600-meter marks. Nur closed the final 800 meters with a 1:01.31 and a 58:65, with Young just behind at 1:01.95 and 1:02.54, as the two moved into the top three of the all-time collegiate 5000-meter times.
Running a 13:06.32, Nur broke Henry Rono's collegiate record of 13:08.4 set in 1978. The mark was the longest standing collegiate track and field record and set the world record at the time. Young came through the line at 13:11.30, the third-fastest collegiate time behind Nur's run in the same race and Rono's formerly 44-year-old record. With former Lumberjacks
Luis Grijalva (13:13.14, 2021) and Diego Estrada (13:15.33, 2013) entering the night ranked No. 3 and No. 5 on the all-time collegiate 5000-meter list, Northern Arizona now holds four of the top seven fastest times in the event.
Also running in the 5,000 meters Friday night,
Drew Bosley set a new personal best with a 13:25.90 in the race, beating his previous 5,000 record of 13:26.19 set indoors and smashing his outdoor personal best of 13:42.32 set in his lone run in the event last month.
George Kusche also competed in the event, running a 13:48.91.
While the marks do not count toward the NCAA rankings this season due to the Sound Running Track Meet not being a sanctioned NCAA event, Bosley would rank among the top 12 in the nation with Nur and Young obviously topping the season's list. Nur and Young's marks surpassed both the United States qualification standard of 13:20.00 as well as the world standard of 13:13.50.
A few hours before Northern Arizona's quartet took the line in the 5000-meter,
Theo Quax competed in the second heat of the men's 1500-meter and just missed matching his personal best of 3:39.84 set at 2019 Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. Quax finished the race at 3:39.85, beating his season best of 3:41.32 that was set nearly a month ago at this year's edition of the Bryan Clay Invitational.
While the time cannot officially be counted in the NCAA rankings this season, the mark would have placed Quax 35th in the nation and 23rd in the NCAA West Region. Additionally, Quax moved up to second among New Zealand runners in 2022 after entering the meet in third with his previous season best.
Northern Arizona's track and field team now turns its attention to the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, set for Wednesday, May 11 to Saturday, May 14 at Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho.
