Fay elevates to No. 6 in collegiate outdoor history by rallying past No. 8 Beadlescomb by a 13:16.52 to 13:17.16 margin, with Roe ascending to No. 20 all-time in 5,000 debut with 15:21.47 effort; Andrews-Paul sets Division 2 women’s 800 record and Sharman-Newell improves to No. 2 on men’s 800 division list

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

AZUSA, Calif. – Taylor Roe wasn’t figuring on being in contention for the win in the women’s invitational 5,000 meters Thursday night at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

She wasn’t even sure she was going to run the event, and in fact, she never had.

But the Oklahoma State junior has been on a roll lately, so why not?

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Roe won the elite section of the 5,000 at Azusa Pacific, surging to take control with about 1,400 meters to go, and winning in 15 minutes, 21.47 seconds.

Moments later, Washington senior Brian Fay sprinted at the finish to overtake Michigan State senior Morgan Beadlescomb and win the men’s race by a 13:16.52 to 13:17.16 margin.

Barely a month removed from winning the NCAA Division 1 indoor 3,000-meter championship, Roe had figured to just secure a solid qualifying time – the top 48 marks in both the East and West regions at season’s end advance to the postseason.

But in the midst of Thursday’s race, she just couldn’t help herself. An easy time wasn’t an option; the victory was, elevating to the No. 20 all-time collegiate outdoor competitor.

“As I got into the race,” Roe said. “I just was like the competitive spirit in me was just like, ‘No.’”

Roe surged ahead, winning by seven seconds over China AA’s WuGa He (15:28.81).

A pair of stars from New Mexico were third and fourth, with senior Adva Cohen running 15:29.51 and sophomore Gracelyn Larkin clocking a time of 15:29.93. All four times would’ve set new stadium and invite standards; Roe’s will stand.

Colorado’s Emily Covert, who led early on, took fifth in 15:40.40. Utah junior Cara Woolnough was sixth in 15:40.52. Former Colorado cross country and track standout MacKenzie Caldwell was seventh in 15:51.93.

Roe’s season was cut short by injury last year, so she keeps perspective. But Thursday's performance could offer another opportunity for success.

“I learned that I may be a 5k runner,” she said. “It’s always been my dream to be a 1,500-meter runner or miler, but I mean, I’m happy with this. I’m just grateful that I’m even out here competing.”

Her mark also took over the NCAA Division 1 lead in the event, as did Fay’s time in the men’s race.

His win was more dramatic, with a blistering final lap to catch Beadlescomb just before the finish line.

Beadlescomb built a sizable lead for the first three-quarters of the race. But Fay, representing Ireland, chipped away before coming to a realization in the final half-lap.

“I kicked it really hard at 400 (meters to run),” Fay said, “and then at like, probably 150 to run, I just sniffed the wind and I screamed, ‘I gotta get going.’”

He wound up with a personal best by eight seconds, ascending to the No. 6 performer in Division 1 outdoor history.

“To come back here and have a good result, I’m delighted with,” Fay said.

It was a different strategy for Beadlescomb, who said people know him more as a kicker. Leading for a long stretch was something different, as he improved to the No. 8 all-time Division 1 outdoor competitor.

“I think this weekend is the best I’ve ever felt leading or trying to win from the front, running from a long way out,” he said. “So I think that’s a step in the right direction. I’ve never had a ton of confidence from that far out.”

Colorado senior Eduardo “Lalo” Herrera finished third in 13:20.30, followed by Washington’s Kieran Lumb (fourth, 13:23.26), BYU sophomore Casey Clinger (fifth, 13:23.33) and Alabama freshman Victor Kiprop (sixth, 13:24.48).

All six times bested the previous fastest marks in both stadium and invitational history.

The women’s and men’s invitational 800 races in the afternoon set an impressive tone as the opening act for the elite 5,000 competitions under the lights.

Katy-Ann McDonald of LSU, representing Great Britain, prevailed in the fastest women’s section in a personal-best 2:00.98, leading five athletes with sub-2:02 efforts.

Anna Camp-Bennett, an adidas professional and reigning NCAA Division 1 1,500-meter champion, also ran a lifetime-best 2:01.09 for second, with former Simon Fraser star Addy Townsend taking third in 2:01.24.

Alison Andrews-Paul, a senior at Simon Fraser, achieved the NCAA Division 2 outdoor record by clocking 2:01.43, eclipsing the 2016 mark of 2:02.39 established by Carsyn Koch-Johnson of Cedarville.

Only Helen Crofts, another former Simon Fraser star who ran 2:01.35 at the World University Games in Russia during the summer of 2013, has run faster as a Division 2 athlete at any point during the year.

Lauren Ellsworth of BYU finished fifth in a personal-best 2:01.72.

Not to be outdone, a pair of Colorado State-Pueblo stars past and present took the top two spots in the men’s invitational 800.

Thomas Staines, a British athlete who achieved his best performance in four years, prevailed in a personal-best 1:45.28 representing Basingstoke and Mid Hants Athletic Club.

Reece Sharman-Newell, a freshman representing England, clocked 1:45.56 to ascend to the No. 2 competitor in Division 2 outdoor history. Former Wake Forest All-American Robert Heppenstall took third in 1:46.05.

Earlier Thursday, two German athletes earned titles in the elite groups of the heptathlon and decathlon.

University of Oregon junior Max Vollmer broke a long-standing barrier for him with his win, tallying more than 8,000 points for the first time to prevail with 8,022. He placed no lower than fifth in any of his 10 events.

Vollmer won by 434 points over UC Irvine junior Josh Farmer (7,588) and 637 over third-place Scott Boon of Houston Baptist.

Vollmer described his win as a “journey.”

“Four years ago, my freshman year, I scored 7,964. So I came very close to it. And then just the whole COVID (thing), didn’t compete, and last year, I had a lot of physical issues. Today, it worked.”

In the women’s heptathlon, Nevada senior Nicola Ader held on to win with 5,836 points, setting a new school record by four points. BYU senior Halley Folsom finished second with 5,699 despite winning the event-closing 800 meters in 2:07.47.

Ader racked up points by finishing second in four of the seven heptathlon events. When she confirmed she won, Ader was emotional, making a significant improvement on last year’s 5,607-point effort at Mountain West Conference Championships.

“The heptathlon is always like a very emotional event because it’s a combination of seven events and it’s two long, grueling days,” she said. “There’s just so many ups and downs.”