BY THE NUMBERS
- 24: Number of top-five NCAA marks posted in the two-day meet.
- 6: Number of NCAA-leading marks posted.
- 7: How many of the NCAA’s top eight times were run in the men’s 5,000 meters.
KIPTOO’S HOT STREAK CONTINUES
Perhaps one of the most impressive performances came from Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo, who won the men’s 10,000 meters in 27 minutes, 58. It’s the fastest 10,000 run by an NCAA athlete since 2016, and it’s an incredibly fast time to run this early in the season.
Even more impressive: Kiptoo’s teammate, Edwin Kurgat, finished less than a second behind him.
Less than a month ago, Kiptoo won the 5,000 at the NCAA indoor championships and three days later placed third at the NCAA cross country championships. Kurgat won the 2019 NCAA cross country title. If both runners continue performing at this level, they could go 1-2 at Hayward again at the NCAA outdo national championship meet in June.
BYU WOMEN CONTINUE DOMINANCE
The BYU women’s distance squad dominated March, winning the DMR at NCAA indoors and the team title two days later at the NCAA cross country championships. They followed up at the Hayward Premiere by sweeping the top four places in the invitational 1,500, with each runner securing an NCAA regional qualifying mark.
Even more impressive: The Cougars won those NCAA titles with entirely different squads, and they had three other All-Americans in distance events.
Courtney Wayment, who anchored that DMR team and also won the 3,000 at NCAA indoors, won the 1,500 in 4:16.10. Anna Camp, who finished .02 behind her teammate, was a part of the cross-country championships team.
ANOTHER DOUBLE FOR HOCKER
Oregon’s Cole Hocker won both the 800 and the 1,500, both in NCAA-leading times. He ran 3:38.99 in the 1,500 on Friday, then came back with 1:46.60 in the 800 on Saturday.
Combined with his mile-3,000 meter double at NCAA indoors, Hocker’s performance have slingshotted him to the forefront of the national — not simply NCAA — distance scene. He’s 19 years old.
