Rohrer runs to world lead

Notre Dame sophomore becomes No. 7 all-time collegiate performer, including third-fastest American in NCAA Division 1, to hold off Bruce in 10,000-meter showdown

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Stephanie Bruce traveled across 10 time zones to take part in another memorable 10,000-meter race at the 42nd Stanford Invitational.

But it was time for Anna Rohrer to shine Friday at Cobb Track and Angell Field, taking over the world lead with one of the most impressive performances ever by a collegiate runner in her 10,000 debut.

Rohrer, a sophomore at Notre Dame, surged ahead in the last 1,600 meters and held off one final push from the Northern Arizona Elite athlete down the stretch to clock 31 minutes, 58.99 seconds, with Bruce running 31:59.88.

"I feel like I'm back in my high school days. I feel like a kid because it was a new event and I didn't have any expectations. I didn't really know what I was shooting for," Rohrer said. "I knew she was probably going to go with me and I knew it was probably going to come down to the last part. It was just really exciting to have people to chase and just be along for the ride and see what I can do. I was a lot of fun."

Rohrer, 20, became the No. 7 performer in collegiate history -- including the third-fastest American in NCAA Division 1 -- trailing a decorated list of distance stars, Iowa State's Lisa Uhl and Betsy Saina, Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego, Providence's Emily Sisson, Iona's Kate Avery and Arkansas' Dominique Scott.

All seven performances occurred on the same prestigious track in the past decade, either at the Stanford or Payton Jordan invitationals.

"It was pretty special to be able to be part of that for her. I didn't really care that she was sitting behind me because if I dragged her along to a fast time, I'd be remembered more for that," Bruce said. "I want to further American distance running and I want us to be able to compete with the best in the world."

Bruce, representing Oiselle, did just that March 25 in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda. She placed 22nd, but was the fastest runner of non-African heritage in the field and the No. 2 American behind 15th-place finisher Aliphine Tuliamak.

Even with the travel demands, Bruce didn't back down from the challenge of competing against the much fresher Rohrer, lowering her personal best nearly 15 seconds from last year's invitational race.

"I didn't know if I was going to have anything in me today, but I felt like I had good fitness coming in and I was just able to kind of grind," Bruce said. "I kept telling myself, 'If you have anything, it's going to be in the last 300,' and I just tried to close my eyes and dig as deep as I could."

Rohrer, an All-American in both cross country and indoor track, closed the final 1,600 in under 5 minutes to become the first American this year to break 32 minutes after eight athletes accomplished the feat last year.

"Fatigue-wise, I knew I could probably go harder and it was like 'Hey, this is how I feel during a workout' and this isn't a workout I wanted to pick it up a little bit and whatever happened, happened. I knew it was going to be fast," Rohrer said. "It felt really good to pick it up the last part and change gears becasue that's what I've been working on in workouts. I knew I was ready for it and I just wanted to see what I can do."

In her return to outdoor track following an ankle injury during indoor season, Notre Dame fifth-year senior Molly Seidel won the second section in 33:19.60. Seidel won the 2015 NCAA 10,000 title, but this season, the Irish have the potential to challenge for the top two spots, with Rohrer emerging as the favorite.

Only San Francisco's Charlotte Taylor (32:11.80) and Missouri's Jamie Kempfer (33:09.67) ran faster than Seidel among collegiate athletes in the invitational section.