Karissa Schweizer Takes Down Ednah Kurgat At BU Season Opener
Karissa Schweizer Takes Down Ednah Kurgat At BU Season Opener
Karissa Schweizer won the battle of NCAA XC champions over Ednah Kurgat in a 5K at the BU Season Opener
Karissa Schweizer of Missouri defeated Ednah Kurgat of New Mexico over 5K, 15:17.31 to 15:19.03, in the battle of NCAA XC champions at the BU Season Opener on Saturday afternoon.
A pacer took the field through the mile in just under 5:00 with Kurgat, the '17 NCAA XC champion, and Schweizer, the '16 NCAA XC champion, in tow followed by All-Americans Weini Kelati, Sharon Lokedi, Caroline Sang, Alice Wright, and Grayson Murphy.
Kurgat proceeded to ratchet up the pace and winnow down the field from there and by 3K, only Schweizer remained on her shoulder with 9:19 on the clock.
With 800m to go, Schweizer took a lead that she would hold through the line. She clocked 2:55 for the final 1K and 68 seconds for the last 400m. The times are new all-time PBs over 5K for both women (indoor and outdoor) and rank No. 6 and 7 on the NCAA all-time indoor list. Nine women broke 16 minutes in the race, plus one more in Section 2 (Rosie Donegan, whose prior best was 16:17).
Watch NCAA XC champion rematch between Schweizer and Kurgat in the BU women's 5K:
NCAA Indoor 5K All-Time List
| RNK | TIME | ATHLETE | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| 1 | 15:01.70 | Jenny Barringer | Colorado | 2009 |
| 2 | 15:12.22 | Emily Sisson | Providence | 2015 |
| 3 | 15:14.28 | Kim Smith | Providence | 2004 |
| 4 | 15:15.21 | Molly Seidel | Notre Dame | 2016 |
| 5 | 15:17.28 | Sonia O'Sullivan | Villanova | 1991 |
| 6 | 15:17.31 | Karissa Schweizer | Missouri | 2017 |
| 7 | 15:19.03 | Ednah Kurgat | New Mexico | 2017 |
| 8 | 15:20.57 | Sarah Disanza | Wisconsin | 2014 |
| 9 | 15:21.66 | Betsy Saina | Iowa State | 2013 |
In the women's 3K, Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire just missed the NCAA all-time top 10 in running 8:55.68. The 2017 NCAA indoor mile runner-up had last raced a 3K in 2015, when she set her PB at 9:29.
Heather MacLean of UMass Amherst continued her breakout year with a 9:03.03 effort and Providence's Millie Paladino ran 9:05.10.
Watch Elinor Purrier clock an NCAA-leading time of 8:55 in the 3K:
All-American Gabrielle Thomas of Harvard set a new fieldhouse record in the women's 300m by out-leaning Grace Claxton, 37.47 to 37.64. Thomas also won the women's 60m finals in 7.44.
Junior @ItsGabrielleT breaks her own school record in the 300m in 37.47. #GoCrimson
— Harvard T&F | XC (@HarvardTrack_XC) December 2, 2017
Myles Banfield of Albany set a new fieldhouse record in the men's 300m with a 33.62 effort over Cameron Nurse of Boston.
Cory McGee of New Balance Boston won the women's 800m by eight seconds in 2:05.51, the second-fastest indoor time of her career.
The men's 5K saw two athletes break 14 minutes: Providence alum Julian Oakley ran 13:49.55 for Ocean State TC, and Tulane's Emmanuel Rotich ran 13:52.15. Rotich is the first athlete from Tulane to break 14 minutes for 5K; his time broke a nearly 20-year-old school record of 14:00.58 set by Amos Kipyegon in 1998.
Watch the men's 5K below:
