Ali Upshaw Big Sky Championship 23

Track & Field Monica Jaenicke, NAU Athletic Communications

Upshaw Breaks Big Sky, NAU Record in the 5,000-Meters to Start the Indoor Season in Boston

BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 7, 2024) – A quartet of distance runners represented Northern Arizona well on the opening weekend of the indoor track and field season. Ali Upshaw, Drew Bosley, David Mullarkey and Santiago Prosser all traveled to Boston, Mass., for the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, hosted by Boston University on Saturday, Dec. 7 where they competed in the 5,000-meters.
 
Two weeks after earning All-American honors at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships, Upshaw started the day off on a high note by breaking both the Big Sky Conference's and Northern Arizona's school record in the 5k. Upshaw clocked a time of 15:27.86 for a new personal best by nearly 10 seconds to win her heat and finish 13th overall and 10th among collegians.
 
Upshaw moved into first place on the 21st lap as the race reached the 4,2000-meter mark and never looked back. She breaks current teammate Elise Stearns' record of 15:33.74, set in 2022-23. Upshaw's previous personal best of 15:36.48 was fourth all-time in program history.
 
On the men's side, Mullarkey raced in his first-ever indoor competition for the Lumberjacks, finishing 10th in his heat and 37th overall with a time of 13:38.27. He was just two seconds shy of cracking NAU's all-time top-ten list.
 
In his first race since the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, Bosley finished 18th overall in his heat and 55th overall with a time of 13:43.62.
 
Prosser ran a personal best in just his second-ever collegiate indoor 5k, placing 17th in his heat and 81st overall with a time of 13:51.10.
 
The bulk of the NAU track and field team will kick off its season on Jan. 10, 2025, in Flagstaff for the Friday Night Axe 'Em Open, one of five home meets the Lumberjacks will host this season, including the 2025 Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships.
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Drew Bosley

Drew Bosley

Distance
Redshirt Sophomore
Elise Stearns

Elise Stearns

Distance
Redshirt Sophomore
Ali Upshaw

Ali Upshaw

Distance
Senior
David Mullarkey

David Mullarkey

Distance
Senior

Players Mentioned

Drew Bosley

Drew Bosley

Redshirt Sophomore
Distance
Elise Stearns

Elise Stearns

Redshirt Sophomore
Distance
Ali Upshaw

Ali Upshaw

Senior
Distance
David Mullarkey

David Mullarkey

Senior
Distance