Schneider shines in first outdoor track of the race year and event debut, leading eight female athletes earning Olympic standard; Jenkins holds off Tiernan, Cheserek and Atkin as quartet all runs under mark required to race in Tokyo

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Chuck Utash

For all of the career success enjoyed by Rachel Schneider, the Under Armour professional athlete had never run 10,000 meters on the track.

Eric Jenkins hadn’t returned to the event since the last Olympic cycle, but just like with Schneider, the 25-lap endurance test looked plenty familiar for the Nike pro Saturday night at the Sound Running Track Meet.

With both athletes leading some of the deepest 10,000 fields in the world this year, the American standouts held off their international competitors to prevail, with Schneider leading eight female competitors to earning the Olympic standard and Jenkins among a quartet to achieve the feat in the men’s race.

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Schneider rallied in the final 800 meters to clock 31 minutes, 9.79 seconds, edging first-year professionals Weini Kelati (31:10.08) – making her debut for Under Armour’s Dark Sky Distance team – and Alicia Monson (31:10.84), representing On Athletics Club. Sharon Lokedi took fourth in 31:11.07, highlighting three Under Armour athletes training in Arizona placing in the top four.

Jenkins covered the final 400 in 61.1 seconds to earn a come-from-behind victory in a lifetime-best 27:22.06 over Australian athlete Patrick Tiernan (27:22.55), competing in his first race for Nike Oregon Track Club Elite, and Skechers pro Edward Cheserek (27:23.58).

Jenkins, who raced the 10,000 for the first time since 2016, elevated to the No. 9 all-time American performer and ascended to No. 8 in the world this year.

Schneider soared all the way to the No. 8 competitor in U.S. history, including the seventh-fastest competitor in a women’s-only race. She also improved to No. 7 in the world this year, including sixth in women’s only competition.

Monson now ranks No. 10 in U.S. history, including ninth in women’s-only competition, with fifth-place finisher Natosha Rogers (31:12.28) right behind her among American all-time performers.

Kellyn Taylor, who ran 31:07.60 in a mixed race Sept. 1, led three HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite athletes to earn the Olympic standard. Taylor took sixth in 31:15.65, followed by Dani Shanahan (31:22.86) and Stephanie Bruce (31:24.47).

Shanahan overcame a fall early in the race, but remained composed and gradually made her way back up with the lead pack, on her way to lowering her personal best by a minute from last year’s Stanford Invitational. Bruce improved from clocking 31:34.87 in the mixed race with Taylor.

They were all part of 12 competitors to produce sub-32 performances and 17 American athletes to earn Olympic Trials qualifying marks.

Maggie Montoya, who won the Under Armour Sunset Tour meet Aug. 29, lowered her personal best to 32:06.87 to place 14th.

Bowerman Track Club athlete Vanessa Fraser, competing for the first time since February after recovering from knee surgery, was 15th in 32:09.57 and North Carolina State fifth-year athlete Elly Henes clocked 32:12.06 in her 10,000 debut. Iowa State senior Cailie Logue also earned the Olympic Trials standard by finishing 19th in 32:19.37.

Air Force Academy senior Maria Mettler won the opening section in 32:09.37, the fastest time by any collegiate competitor in both races combined. Mettler, who edged Carrie Verdon of Team Boulder (32:09.82), led another six athletes to Olympic Trials qualifying standards and became one of 20 Division 1 athletes ever to run under 32:10 on the collegiate all-dates list.

Great Britain’s Sam Atkin was the fourth male athlete to secure the Olympic standard, clocking 27:26.58.

Joe Klecker, a first-year professional for On Athletics Club, ran 27:35.57 in 10,000 track debut, with Iowa State junior Wesley Kiptoo – a former National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 champion at Colby Community College in Kansas – clocking 27:37.29.

Hilary Bor, representing HOKA ONE ONE, took seventh in 27:38.53 and Georgetown graduate student-athlete Robert Brandt improved by more than 40 seconds to run a lifetime-best 27:39.20.

Kiptoo and Brandt are among 15 Division 1 athletes to run under 27:40 on the college all-dates list.

Frank Lara (27:44.65) and Connor McMillan (27:53.17) also earned qualifying standards for the Olympic Trials.

Northern Arizona sophomore Abdihamid Nur won the opening section in 28:12.06, with Tinman Elite athlete Sydney Gidabuday clocking 28:15.41 and former Arizona State standout John Reniewicki, representing the Bell Lap, running 28:15.65, all significant personal-best efforts.