Pamela Kosgei Sprints Past Lexy Halladay-Lowry In Final 50 To Win Women's 5,000; Habtom Samuel Runs 13:05.87 For Fastest Collegiate Performance Outdoors

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Will Nelson

INTERVIEWS

For the second time in less than a week in the Los Angeles area, Jane Hedengren has taken high school girls distance running into uncharted territory. 

The Timpview UT senor led much of the elite women's 5,000 meters on Thursday at the Bryan Clay Invitational and ultimately finished third in 14:57.93. 

Ahead of her were New Mexico's Pamela Kosgei, who won it in 14:52.45, and BYU's Lexy Halladay-Lowry, second in 14:52.93. 

Behind Hedengren: Florida's Hilda Olemomoi, the 2024 NCAA 5,000 and 10,000 runner-up. 

Just six days after blitzing the girls 3,200 meters at the Arcadia Invitational in a time of 9:34.12, Hedengen smashed the high school record and U.S. U20 outdoor record of Elizabeth Leachman by nearly 28 seconds. In March, she crushed the national high school indoor record and U.S. U20 absolute record at Nike Indoor Nationals when she ran 15:13.26.

"I don't get this type of opportunity very often to compete with a great field of women, so I wanted to put myself out there, hang on, and see how far I could go," Hedengren said. 

Hedengren went to the front on the first lap (behind pacer Lucky Jenks) and held the lead for more than 12 minutes of the race. She slowed a bit at one point, thinking someone behind her would move to the lead, but no one did. For her part, Kosgei thought Hedengren was another pacer and didn't want to pass her. 

Kosgei passed Halladay-Lowry and outkicked her in the final 50 meters as they became the first collegians to go under 15 minutes this spring. 

Kosgei's time is No. 2 all-time among collegiate women and missed Parker Valby's record by less than three-tenths of a second. Halladay-Lowry is third all-time outdoors. And Hedengren, if she were in college, would be No. 4. 

All three women passed through 3,000 meters and 9 minutes flat. 

Habtom Samuel Breaks Nur's Collegiate Outdoor Record

Meanwhile, New Mexico put five men, all of them from African countries, under 13:40 in the top men's section of the 5,000. 

Sophomore Habtom Samuel won the race in a meet and facility record 13:05.87 and freshman training partner Ishmael Kipkurui was next in 13:09.24. 

Samuel's time is the fastest ever for a collegian outdoors and betters the record of Abdi Nur of Northern Arizona, who ran 13:06.32 in 2022. 

Samuel has run faster indoors, having gone 13:04.92 in Boston in February. Nico Young and Graham Blanks have also run faster on the indoor oval.

Kipkurui moved to No. 4 on the all-time outdoor collegiate list for 5,000. 

The roles were reversed three weeks ago at The TEN, where Kipkurui outkicked Samuel as the two of them ran the fastest 10,000 meters times in collegiate history. 

"I missed the college record in the 10k and it's really good to come back ... I'm so happy to run this college record," Samuel said.

Third place finisher Valentin Soca of California Baptist University, ran a time of 13:13.10 to break the South American U23 record. Soca is from Uruguay. 

Michaela Rose Wins Loaded Women's 800

LSU's Michaela Rose ran a time of 2:00.22 to win the fastest section of the women's 800 meters and four more women were within a second of her. 

Right behind Rose was Maggi Congdon of Northern Arizona, who broke a 38-year-old school record with her 2:00.27. 

Sophie O'Sullivan of Washington was third in 2:00.61, just ahead of U.S. Olympian Juliette Whittaker of Stanford, fourth in 2:00.76. 

Portland's Laura Pellicoro was fifth in 2:01.19. 

Washington's Kyle Reinheimer won the men's 800 meters in 1:46.09. Tyler Matthews of BYU was second in 1:46.50 and Reece Sharman-Newell from CSU-Pueblo was third in 1:46.80.