Kurgat Sets 5K Record at Payton Jordan Invite
STANFORD, Calif. — The University of New Mexico track & field team earned a number of strong performances, including a new school record, from a handful of its distance standouts Thursday night at the Payton Jordan Invitational.
Competing at one of the top distance-event meets of the outdoor track & field season, the Lobos shined at Stanford’s Cobb Track and Angell Field, with Ednah Kurgat setting the UNM record and racing to the NCAA lead in the 5,000-meter run.
As New Mexico gets progressively closer to the postseason — which kicks off next week with the Mountain West Outdoor Championships — the Lobos emphatically made their case for the NCAAs, competing with the top athletes in the nation and the world en route to stellar marks.
A number of athletes rose significantly in the national rankings via their performances on Thursday to put them in contention to advance to the NCAAs.
Right after the MW Championships, the top 48 athletes in each event in the NCAA’s West Region advance to the NCAA West Preliminary Championship. From there, athletes can qualify to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
Kurgat shot up the NCAA’s rankings as she zoomed to a spectacular time of 15 minutes, 20.06 seconds to set the New Mexico and Mountain West records in the event.
Her time, which was good for first place collegiately and seventh place overall in the star-studded field, broke Calli Thackery’s UNM standard of 15:37.44 set at this meet in 2016 and Boise State runner Emma Bates’ MW record of 15:33.42 set in 2014.
Kurgat also moved into the NCAA lead in the event, taking over from Missouri’s Karissa Schweizer and her time of 15:23.21.
Additionally, Kurgat ranks less than 1.5 seconds out of the NCAA’s historical top 10, with the No. 10 performer all-time, Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton of Wichita State, owning a time of 15:18.86.
Right behind Kurgat was fellow distance phenom Weini Kelati, who finished third collegiately and 10th overall in 15:22.71.
Kelati’s time was also superior to the UNM and MW records, and rank her second all-time in both categories. She sits third in the NCAA rankings this season.
However, that trio wasn’t the only scorching the track, as Charlotte Prouse continued to dazzle in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
Prouse clocked a time of 9:50.47 in the event to place second overall and strengthen her hold on second place all-time at New Mexico. Ranking only behind Courtney Frerichs, the collegiate record holder in the event, Prouse owns two of the top six times in program history.
She moved to third in the NCAA steeplechase rankings this season.
In the same race, Alondra Negron Texidor finished eighth overall in 10:26.46.
Elsewhere, Kieran Casey placed eighth in her section of the 1500 with a time of 4:23.14, while Emily Martin ran a season-best time of 4:31.21 to place 10th in the same race.
Alice Wright, the school-record holder in the 10,000-meter run, also finished 20th in the 5K with a time of 15:56.57.
On the men’s side, Ian Crowe-Wright won his section of the 1500 in 3:43.28 and Michael Wilson finished third overall and first collegiately in the 800 with a time of 1:49.26.
The Lobos are back in action on Saturday as the rest of the team competes at the Masked Rider Open in Lubbock, Texas.
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