Even when it seems like things aren't going great, a well-timed kick can sometimes save the race.

At the 2024 Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, records were on the line in every distance race, but one of the hardest marks to approach would be Parker Valby's 14:52.79 indoor collegiate record. Performed at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, Valby's solo run for the title was so impressive that most thought a new generation of talent would be needed to tackle it.

As it turned out, the record was in reach of Valby's contemporaries all along -- they just needed the perfect race.

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The 5K was the most stacked race of the evening, including most of the top 10 finishers from the NCAA Cross Country Championships just weeks ago. Led by pacer Riley Chamberlain, the early splits were stead 36-second laps en route to a 4:50.80 1600m. While the field was strung out, that pace only projected to a 15:08 5K, so at some point someone was going to have to ratchet it down.

Quickly, the cream rose to the top: NCAA XC champ Doris Lemngole, Pamela Kosgei, Hilda Olemomoi, and Nike pro Emily Venters separated themselves from the field, with Venters taking over for some of the leading after Chamberlain dropped before 3K. The 3K split of 9:05.20 was a full seven seconds off the prescribed 8:58 pacing split, which would have put the runners on track for 14:56. Someone needed to right this ship for a sub-15.

It was Olemomoi and Lemngole who made the winning break, splitting 34-second laps from 4200m-4600m. Sub-15 was real now and perhaps Valby's record could be in reach, but it would take a herculean effort. With a scorching final 200m of 30.66 seconds, Olemomoi and Lemngole battled to the very end but it was an NCAA repeat for Lemngole, winning in 14:52.57. Olemomoi finished in 14:52.84, and Kosgei and Bunnage both barely missed the 15-minute barrier in 3rd and 4th respectively. The performance was particularly meaningful for Lemngole, who ran 14:40 in a road 5K before joining Alabama but hadn't been able to approach that mark since.

The time is an NCAA indoor record, beating Valby's mark by 0.22 seconds, but Valby can still take solace in knowing that her 14:52.18 from the NCAA Outdoor Championships is still the fastest all-conditions in-season mark.

Results

1. Doris Lemngole (Alabama), 14:52.57
2. Hilda Olemomoi (Florida), 14:52.84
3. Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico), 15:00.36
4. Amy Bunnage (Stanford), 15:00.75
5. Emily Venters (NIKE), 15:03.54
6. Chloe Thomas (Connecticut), 15:17.47
7. Paityn Noe (Arkansas), 15:23.41
8. Adva Cohen (Under Armour Dark Sky Distance), 15:23.93
9. Chloe Scrimgeour (Georgetown), 15:24.78
10. Alicja Konieczek (On), 15:25.56
11. Sophia Kennedy (Stanford), 15:26.14
12. Lucy Jenks (Georgetown), 15:27.82
13. Grace Hartman (NC State), 15:32.04
14. Angelina Ellis (Under Armour Dark Sky Distance), 15:33.83
15. Brenda Tuwei (Alabama), 15:34.10
16. Florence Caron (Penn State), 15:36.11
17. Amy Cashin (HOKA), 15:37.22
18. Hannah Steelman (On), 15:42.55
19. Hannah Gapes (NC State), 15:47.35
20. Sadie Sigfstead (Villanova), 15:52.27
21. Erin Teschuk (New Balance), 15:54.17
DNF. Riley Chamberlain (BYU)
DNF. Carmen Alder (Unattached)
DNS. Flomena Asekol (Unattached)

When Is The BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener?

The 2024 BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener begins at 10:25 a.m. ET on Saturday, December 7.

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