On a Saturday in early December every year, cross country fans and track fans can have one day to put aside their differences and enjoy the top NCAA XC finishers extend their peaks and go all-out in scintillating 3Ks and 5Ks at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener to kick off the indoor season.

That day is finally here in 2024, and the fields are as hot as ever with both the men's and women's champions returning and top-10 finishers littering the distance start lists. Follow each of the premier four races live below by refreshing the page for updates.

Following the recent death of two-time hurdles Olympian Sharon Colyear-Danville, the 2024 edition of the meet holds extra significance in her honor. FloTrack will be streaming the meet and we'll be recapping the 3Ks and 5Ks below. 

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2:05pm ET: Women's 3000m

The women's 3000m boasts perhaps the toughest collegiate record to beat of the night in Katelyn Tuohy's 8:35 mark, but if anyone can approach it look towards Canadian Olympian Ceili McCabe, who finished 6th at NCAA XC and helped her West Virginia team to a surprising runner-up finish. She'll be challenged by a field of both pros and collegians alike, including Bailey Hertenstein (Nike, 15:10 5000m PB), Klaudia Kazimierska (Oregon, steeplechase Olympian for Poland), Silan Ayyildiz (Oregon, 13th at NCAA XC) and Shannon Flockhart (Providence, 24th at NCAA XC). The fast heat will be paced to 4:40 at 1600 all the way to 2K, on target for a sub-8:45 winning time.

The Race

The race is finally out, with Hertenstein the first non-rabbit leading in 69.7 through 400 meters. McCabe is 4th, and the pack is strung out already. At the 1600, it's 4:40 on the dot for the pacer Kate Mitchell. Hernstein still leads, and Shannon Flockhart has also had a smooth race so far staying in the same spot all race. McCabe has moved up to 3rd now, and it's McCabe versus Flockhart battling for the leading position now going into the final kick.

McCabe takes over with 2 laps to go, but Hernstein isn't letting her go. They're at 8:13 with 1 lap to go, and Hertenstein makes the decisive move over McCabe to take the lead and is running away with it. Flockhart passes McCabe at the end. Hertenstein 8:45.05 unofficially, Flockhart 8:46.67, McCabe 8:45.97.

Rachel Forsyth of Michigan state takes the second heat in a thrilling battle with Kate Current at the line, 8:59.41 to 8:59.47 unofficially. Kaylie Armitage takes heat 3 in 9:14.06.

3:10pm ET: Men's 3000m

Parker Wolfe, who dethroned Nico Young at the NCAA outdoor championships this summer, returns off a 7th-place NCAA XC finish to duel against North Carolina teammate Ethan Strand, who finished just one place behind at XC nationals. This race is interesting because it features both runners coming up from their signature distances in Nathan Green (3:34 1500, 54th at NCAA XC), and those coming down all the way from the Olympic marathon in Yaseen Abdalla (4th at NCAA XC). Could they break Drew Bosley's 7:36.42 collegiate record? Assigned pace would indicate it's possible, with rabbits going through 1600m in 4:03 to 2K (on pace for a 7:36 final time).

The Race

And they're off, with Jaxson and Josh Hoey on pacing duties. The first 400 goes by in 28.23 / 58.72, with Athanas Kioko of On leading the peloton. The pace has started to even out at 1:59.88 for 800m, but this is still world-class pace at 2:30 for the K. Kioko's already fallen back -- now it's the marathon Olympian Yaseen Abdalla in the lead with Wolfe right behind. Justine Kipkoech, out for redemption from his XC nationals DNF, sits in third, but he's now replaced by Wolfe's teammate Ethan Strand.

Hoey makes it all the way to 5 minutes in, and now it's up to Abdalla, Wolfe, Strand, and UVA's own Gary Martin who have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the field. They're still clicking off 30-second after 30-second lap, and it's paying a toll on Abdalla. All three of the other chase pack members overtake him, but Abdalla fights back for 3rd position!

Wolf and strand are going for it with 400m to go, and they're battling at the line! 7:30.15! Wolfe and Strand both crush the old collegiate record, running 7:30 each and Strand taking it on the dip. Behind them, Abdalla and Martin are now #3 and #4 all-time. It's a big surprise, as Wolfe is the one with the more impressive collegiate resume.

Sam Ellis of On wins the second heat, ahead of Oregon frosh Simeon Birnbaum who split 7:52.04 to take 6th.

4:10pm ET: Women's 5000m

This is what people came here to see, and it won't disappoint. The top ten seeds alone include all of the top 5 at NCAA XC, including (in order) Doris Lemngole, Pamela Kosgei, Hilda Olemomoi, Amy Bunnage, and Grace Hartman. Lemngole of course has the fastest PB by far as she ran a 14:40 on the roads before ever coming to Alabama -- that's 12 seconds faster than Parker Valby's 14:52 collegiate record -- but she hasn't been able to approach that time yet since joining the NCAA. 

On the pro side, Emily Venters (Nike) leads the non-collegians with a 31:48 10K best, and steeplechaser Hannah Steelman of On will also contend. How the race plays out may depend a lot on whether the pros will take the lead once the pacers drop.

The rabbits are set for 8:58 at 3K, which would set the field up for 14:56 pace and give a chance at the collegiate record with a kick.

The Race

It's a clean start with the field out in 35.76 for the first lap. BYU's Riley Chamberlain is on pacing duties, leading Kosgei, Lemngole, and Venters. Already at 1K, we're seeing a group of 8 including the two pacers separate themselves from the second peloton. 

We're still clicking steady 36-second laps and down to pack of 7 now, splitting 4:50.44 at 1600m. It's Kosgei, Lemngole, Venters, Olemomoi, Alabama's Brenda Tuwei, and Bunnage now working together against the clock. Chamberlain couldn't make it to 3K, but as Tuwei starts to drop it's down to five left in the lead pack.

The pack hits 9:04 at 3K, six seconds off the prescribed pace. With 1600 to go, the split is 10:16 with Venters now leading over Lemngole and Kosgei. At 12 minutes in, Kosgei falls back to 4th, but this pack of 5 isn't breaking. 

It's 3 to go at 13:16! Now we're at just Lemngole, Kosgei, and Olemomoi as Kosgei finally drops. It's Lemngole versus Olemomoi with a lap to go!

With an incredible kick, Lemngole has brought this race back from pace hell and won in 14:52.57, ahead of Olemomoi in 14:52.84! The time destroys Valby's NCAA indoor record of 14:52.79 and is just tenths off Valby's outdoor record.

6:30pm ET: Men's 5000m

Graham Blanks set the track on fire here last year when he ran 13:03 to break the collegiate record and knock out the Olympic standard. This year, he defended his title at NCAA XC and his target has shifted accordingly: Blanks says he's aiming for the 2025 World Championships 5K standard of 13:01.00. 

He'll have a ton of help to get there, with most of his XC rivals alongside him (save for Habtom Samuel, who gets a pass to recover from his stitches after a legendary runner-up XC finish on one shoe). The biggest shocker of the XC meet, Furman's Dylan Schubert, has the biggest upside tonight as despite a prior 11th-place finish he wasn't on anyone's radar to finish 3rd behind Blanks and Samuel at this year's XC nationals. Another wildcard tonight is Brian Musau, who many viewed as a NCAA title contender before his Oklahoma State team underperformed. Musau still finished a respectable 5th, he has a solid track PB of 13:13, and he could be one to take the early pace.

Behind Blanks, "Big Ten Bob" Bob Liking of Wisconsin has a 13:09 PB, and he's coming off his best-ever NCAA XC finish of 16th in a race that he's struggled with historically. And joining Blanks on the 2024 Olympic team was BYU's James Corrigan, who finished 62nd at NCAAs but the indoor 5K should align closer to his 3K steeplechase specialty.

Lastly for the collegians, Drew Bosley set the collegiate 3K record on this track last indoor season and is entered in the 5K this time around. He's been racing back into shape lately and still has some eligibility left for NAU, so don't rule out another flash of brilliance from him if he can demonstrate his old fitness.

There's a solid professional field as well, led by 3:50 miler Sam Prakel of Adidas and the 13:12 American Kirubel Erassa. As with the women's race, these pros might have the potential to drag the likes of Blanks in and might challenge for the win.

The pace is set for 7:52 at 3K, working out to 13:05 pace. Blanks will need to kick it in to get sub-13:01, or on a great day might take back his collegiate record by besting Nico Young's 12:57.17 mark. The American record of 12:51.61, set on this track by Woody Kincaid, is a ways off, but if the pace gets out hot it's worth keeping in mind.

The Race

Pacer Anthony Camereiri  took the field through in 60.95 seconds for 400, a scorching pace right off the bat. By 800m in 2:04.54, Blanks had moved himself up to the top racer position ahead of Musau and Iowa State's Robin Kwemoi Bera. 

By 1600m passed in 4:10.83, the field had settled into a 31-mid per lap rhythm. 6 minutes in, Blanks, Musau, and Villanova's star miler Liam Murphy make the first separation of the race. With about half the race to go, it already seems likely your winner will be one of those three.

The pacer takes the field through 3K right on point, at 7:51 on pace for a 13:05. After keeping it up for an impressive nine minutes, the real racing begins.

Blanks and Musau are starting to break Murphy. As Murphy began to fall off, at around the 10 minute mark Musau fell next. It's Blanks against the clock, and a Worlds standard seems all but certain.

Blanks splits 10:57 with 800m to go. You know you're about to drop a fast time when the lapped runners move to the outside for you. With 11:57 on the clock with 400m to go, the Graham Blanks show is on full display as the audience gives a standing ovation.

It's 12:59.89! Blanks gets his sub-13 and Worlds standard, becoming the second collegian ever to break the 13-minute barrier.

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.

How To Stream 2024 Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener:

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