FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 7, 2022) – The Northern Arizona track and field program will send David Dunlap, Jessa Hanson, George Kusche, Abdihamid Nur, and Nico Young to Eugene, Ore. to compete at the NCAA Championships on June 8-10; men will compete on Wednesday and Friday while the women will compete on Thursday and Saturday, however no NAU women are scheduled to participate on the final day of the event. Live results and live streaming on ESPNU will be available at the start of the meet.
The Lumberjacks have had an incredible track and field season encompassed by record-breaking achievements and the ultimate display of teamwork. In March, the NAU men finished on the indoor NCAA podium for the first time in program history, with a program record score of 29 points, after the efforts of just three athletes; the Lumberjacks have also swept both the indoor and outdoor Big Sky Conference Championship team titles this year, with the women posting 244 points, the most in Big Sky history, to secure the 2022 outdoor conference championship trophy. With the team trajectory at an all-time high, NAU sent a program record of 33 athletes to the NCAA West Regional Preliminary Round, and ultimately advanced five star athletes to this season's national championship meet.
In 2021, the men's team scored 14 points to tie the school record and tie for 20th place after Luis Grijalva (13:13.14) earned silver in the 5,000-meter run and Nur (27:42.73) grabbed bronze in the men's 10,000-meter race. Meanwhile, the women's team looks to score at the outdoor championships for the first time since 2018, when Brooke Andersen (72.87m) placed second in the hammer and Ashley Taylor finished third in the 800-meter (2:05.01) to earn a total of 14 points.
Based on the USTFCCCA's National Track & Field Rating Index this season, Georgia, Texas, Florida State, BYU and LSU respectively rank among the top-five men's teams in the nation; Northern Arizona was only found in the top-25 during week four of the season. On the women's side, Texas, Florida, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and LSU sequentially hold the top-five slots; the NAU women were not ranked this season.
Wednesday (Kusche)
Kusche will compete first for the Lumberjacks, as he prepares to run the men's 1500-meter semifinal race at 4:46 p.m. (MST) on Wednesday; the top five from each heat plus the two best times will advance to finals on Friday.
In 2019, Kusche traveled with Nebraska to the NCAA Outdoor Championship for the first time, finishing 15th in event prelims (3:46.87), and it is his desire and determination that keep him coming back for more.
Kusche has since integrated seamlessly into the Lumberjack lifestyle, posting a 1500-meter time of 3:37.31, the No. 6 time in the NCAA this season and the second-best time in Big Sky history. At west regional prelims, Kusche ran 3:45.72 to advance to quarterfinals, in which he finished fifth with a time of 3:38.75.
Based on statistics from the regular season, four of the top-10, including Kusche, have been assigned lanes in heat two; despite Nur (3:36.33), who ranked second amongst the NCAA during the season, declaring to only participate in the 10K, Reed Brown of Oregon (3:36.44) and Matthew Payamps of Georgetown (3:37.60), who held the third and tenth-best times this outdoor season, being eliminated during regionals, the track is still swarming with seven of the nations best 1500-meter athletes this season.
Eliud Kipsang of Alabama, this season's new collegiate record holder (3:33.74) will run alongside Kusche, in addition to Mario Garcia Romo of Ole Miss (3:36.91), and Luke Houser of Washington (3:37.51); Kipsang, Romo, and Houser ranked first, fifth, and ninth in the NCAA this season, and respectively posted 3:39, 3:36, and 3:38 in regional quarterfinals. With last year's top-three 1500-meter finals finishers out of the picture, Kipsang seems to have an edge based on finishing above the current competitors returning to the event this season and on his season's success so far.
Jacob Brueckman of Colorado State, coming in with a regional quarterfinal time of 3:39.04, Joe Waskom from Washington (3:42.75), Jesse Hunt of North Carolina (3:40.31), Nathan Henderson of Syracuse (3:41.85), Isaac Basten from Drake (3:42.90), Rhys Hammond of Cornell (3:41.69), Nehemia Too of Iowa State (3:39.15), and John Petruno from Michigan State (3:39.70) are also scheduled to run in the second heat of the men's 1500-meter.
Jonathan Davis of Illinois (3:36.85), who ranks fourth in the NCAA, Adam Spencer of Wisconsin (3:37.40), ranked seventh this season, and Ryan Schoppe from Oklahoma State (3:37.43) who held eighth in the nation this year will be competing in the field as well; Davis, Spencer, and Schoppe each ran 3:42, 3:38, and 3:39 at regionals.
Wednesday (Dunlap)
Dunlap is scheduled to make his outdoor NCAA Championship debut in the men's 200-meter semifinal at 6:44 p.m. (MST); the top-two from each heat plus the three next best times will advance to event finals on Friday.
Although Northern Arizona has been dubbed a 'distance school' for quite some time now, the sprints spotlight has surely been shining brightly since Dunlap stepped on the scene. The five-time Big Sky individual champion across the 60-meter, 100-meter, and 200-meter dashes swept the conference's male Most Valuable Athlete award at indoor and outdoor championships this year, and has contributed at least 15 points at each Big Sky Championship meet.
Dunlap ranked 40th in the NCAA this season (20.46@), and made a killer impression at west regional prelims, advancing into quarterfinals (20.68), and qualifying for nationals with a 200-meter lifetime best time of 20.40.
Nevertheless, the field is extremely competitive, as three of the NCAA's top-four athletes this season will be sprinting alongside Dunlap in heat three. Matthew Boling of Georgia (19.92) ranked third in the NCAA, Joseph Fahnbulleh from Florida (19.92) who held fourth in NCAA, and Demarius Smith of Oklahoma (20.11@) who ranked ninth in NCAA will all start beside Dunlap; Boling, Fahnbulleh, and Smith also respectively ran 20.24W, 19.85W, 20.58 in regional quarterfinals. Joseph Manu of Coppin State coming in with a regional quarterfinal time of 20.55, Edward Sumler IV from Houston (20.50), and Tarsis Orogot of Alabama (20.55) will complete the heat list.
Meanwhile, six athletes from the NCAA top-10 season leaderboard will also be in the mix; No. 1 Micaiah Harris of Texas (19.79 @), No. 2 Courtney Lindsey from Texas Tech (19.88@), No. 5 Dorian Camel of LSU (20.00), No. 7 Robert Gregory of TCU (20.07@), No. 8 Udodi Onwuzurike from Stanford (20.09), and No. 10 Eric Harrison of Ohio State (20.12); at regionals two weeks ago, Harris ran 20.32, Lindsey posted 20.15, Camel ran 20.53w, Gregory sprinted a time of 20.40, Onwuzurike posted 20.08, and Harrison ran 20.31 to advance to the NCAA Championship semifinal.
Wednesday (Nur)
Nur, the four-time track All-American, will finish the evening with the men's 10K at 7:08 p.m. (MST) as he seeks his third NCAA Championship gold medal of the year.
Earning his first and only outdoor All-American honor last year, Nur gave a bronze medal performance in the men's 10K, running a Big Sky and NAU record of 27:42.73 in the process to contribute six points to the team total.
Whether you're a Lumberjack fan or just a fan of distance running, your eyes have been on Nur for a while. This year especially, Nur has been making major waves; with an indoor 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter NCAA title sweep and the collegiate 5K record now on his resume, it's no surprise to anyone that The Bowerman Award is within reach.
This season, Nur held 17th (28:17.33) in the NCAA, and just championed the west region with a time of 28:45.90 to punch his ticket to the national championship. If you've followed Nur's career thus far you know he loves a challenge and performs well under pressure, which means a perfect storm is brewing, as eight of the nations top athletes have declared entry into the men's 10K.
Based on statistics from the regular season, No. 1 Adriaan Wildschutt of Florida State (27:38.54), No. 2 Charles Hicks from Stanford (27:40.16), No. 3 Cole Sprout of Stanford (27:42.42), No. 4 Matthew Pereira from Harvard (27:45.77), No. 6 Dylan Jacobs of Notre Dame (28:01.94), No. 7 Amon Kemboi of Arkansas (28:02.24), No. 8 Kieran Lumb from Washington (28:11.49), and No. 10 Aaron Bienenfeld of Oregon (28:14.67) will race on Wednesday night; Wildshuut, Sprout, Pereira, Jacobs, Kemboi, and Bienenfeld also declared for the men's 5K on Friday.
Regardless of rankings, anything can happen in these races. For instance, the remaining competitors in this event ranged from 12th to 95th in NCAA regular season standings, and now make up the top-24 with a wide range of opportunities. Barry Keane of Butler who ran 28:41.52 in regional semifinals will compete alongside Victor Kiprop of Alabama (28:38.36)
Athanas Kioko of Campbell (28:25.69), Casey Clinger from BYU (28:47.45), Alex Maier of Oklahoma State (28:47.08), Brandon Garnica from BYU (28:47.75), Patrick Kiprop of Arkansas (28:46.99), Andrew Alexander of Notre Dame (28:44.55), Acer Iverson Harvard (28:38.90), Fearghal Curtin from Charleston South (28:45.92), James Mwaura of Gonzaga (28:52.55), Haftu Strintzos from Villanova (28:42.13), Joshua Methner of Notre Dame (28:41.89), Matthew Carmody of Notre Dame (28:42.50), and Bob Liking from Wisconsin (28:47.40); Kioko, Clinger, and Iverson will also run the 5K.
But with last year's champion Patrick Dever (Tulsa) and runner-up Conner Mantz (BYU) nowhere in sight, Nur should be all gas and no brakes.
Thursday (Hanson)
Hanson returns to the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive year to run the women's 10K at 8:08 P.M (MST).
Last year, Hanson finished 11th with a personal best time of 32:55.24, and is bounding back this season with more energy and grit than before. Mercy Chelangat of Alabama, who earned silver last year, is in the mix once again, while Haley Herberg of Washington and Grace Forbes from Rice, who respectively placed fifth and seventh, are the only other two competitors who placed above Hanson in 2021.
This season, Hanson ranked 18th (33:13.14) in the NCAA, and just posted an eighth place (33:47.21) finish in the west region to qualify for the national meet.
But the road will not be easy, as five of the top-nine athletes in the NCAA are scheduled to compete on Thursday evening. No. 3 Emily Covert of Colorado (32:30.82), No. 4 Lauren Gregory of Arkansas (32:34.21), No. 5 Herberg (32:34.67), No. 6 Amelia Mazza-Downie from New Mexico (32:55.26), and No. 9 Forbes (32:59.15); Covert just ran 33:45.65 at regional semifinals while Gregory ran 33:37.79, Herberg posted 33:40.11, Mazza-Downie clocked 33:51.26, and Forbes recorded 33:35.30.
The remaining competitors range between 11th and 69th in the NCAA this season, but are listed with their most recent regional semifinal time: India Johnson of Colorado (33:52.44), Emma Heckel of New Mexico (33:37.70), Maggie Donahue from Georgetown (33:37.70), Everlyn Kemboi from Utah Valley (33:42.57), Alexandra Hays of North Carolina State (34:26.36), Mercy Chelangat of Alabama (34:17.49), Hannah Branch of Utah Valley (34:00.23), Aubrey Frentheway from BYU (33:55.84), Michaela Reinhart of Duke (34:21.45),
Gionna Quarzo from North Carolina State (34:26.27), Makayla Perez of Michigan State (34:27.73), Jenna Magness from Michigan State (34:18.92), Gabby Hentemann of Oklahoma State (33:46.67), Faith Linga from Toledo (34:27.92), Louise Lounes of Charlotte (34:36.11),
Charlotte Dannatt of Georgetown (34:27.22), Katie Rose Blachowicz from Notre Dame (34:34.52), and Daisy Liljegren of Boston University (34:31.44).
Friday (Kusche, Dunlap, Young)
On Friday, the 1500-meter and 200-meter event finals are respectively scheduled for 6:12 p.m. (MST) and 7:37 p.m. (MST), while Young prepares to make his outdoor nationals debut in the men's 5,000-meter final at 7:55 p.m. (MST).
Earlier this year, Young made his indoor NCAA Championship debut with a bronze medal performance in men's 5K (13:21.23) and a seventh place finish in the men's 3K (8:00.83), contributing eight points to the ultimate fourth place, podium finish of the team.
Young has done nothing but continue momentum and improve since joining the Northern Arizona Roster, making a name for himself early on and continuing to carry his high school legacy.
Last year, Young narrowly missed the qualifying mark with a 17th place finish (14:03.91) to cap his freshman season, and has bounced back this season with a vengeance.
At the Mt. Sac Relays in April, Young ran the men's 5K in 13:42.32, now ranking him 72nd in the NCAA this season, however, several weeks later, the Lumberjacks raced at the Sound Running Track Meet, where Young clocked a 5K time of 13:11.30 to become third all-time in collegiate history; the meet was not sanctioned by the NCAA, meaning that his time may not be used to compile season rankings, but would remain recognized for record keeping purposes.
Two weeks ago, Young ran 13:29.37 to place fifth in the west region and secure his ticket to nationals, but the competition is steep, as six of the top-eight athletes in the NCAA plan to compete in the 5K as well. No. 1 Bryan Fay of Washington (13:16.52), No. 2 Morgan Beadlescomb of Michigan State (13:17.16), No. 3 Olin Hacker from Wisconsin (13:19.34), No. 6 Casey Clinger of BYU (13:28.69), No. 7 Dylan Jacobs of Notre Dame (13:23.45), and No.8 Ky Robinson of Stanford(13:23.61) will race; during regional semifinals, Fay ran 13:28.41, Beadlescomb recorded 13:42.21, Hacker ran 13:38.44, Clinger clocked 13:28.69, Jacobs ran 13:38.05, and Robinson posted 13:39.02.
The remaining members of the field rank between 11th and 75th in the NCAA this season, but are listed with their most recent regional semifinal time: Ahmed Muhumed of Florida State (13:44.42), Athanas Kioko of Campbell (13:38.55), Cole Sprout from Stanford (13:29.99), Adriaan Wildschutt of Florida State (13:39.33), Aaron Bienenfeld of Oregon (13:32.13), Acer Iverson from Harvard (13:42.30), Michael Power from Tulsa (13:31.41), Amon Kemboi of Arkansas (13:38.92), Sam Gilman from Airforce (13:38.09), Alex Ostberg of North Carolina (13:44.42), Dan Schaffer of Binghamton (13:39.37), Eric Van Der Els from Connecticut (13:39.29), Zach Facioni from Wake Forest (13:44.04), Cole Bullock of Ole Miss (13:42.86), Vincent Mauri of Arizona State (13:39.13), and Ryan Ford of Iowa State (13:34.79); Clinger, Jacobs, Kioko, Sprout, Wildshuut, Bienenfeld, Iverson, and Kemboi have also declared for the men's 10K final on Wednesday evening.
