Chelangat ascends to No. 7 in collegiate history with 31:55.80 effort and Alabama teammate Olemomoi elevates to No. 12, with New Mexico’s Mazza-Downie at No. 16; Tennessee’s Jacobs edges BYU’s Clinger, with Thorner lowering own steeplechase meet record and Rooks also victorious

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

AZUSA, Calif. – As it always seems to be the case, the Bryan Clay Invitational offers the chance for fast, personal bests, some that last for the remainder of the season and others for an entire collegiate career.

On opening night of the three-day meet at Azusa Pacific University’s Cougar Stadium, the depth of elite performances was remarkable once again.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS by Chuck Aragon

Alabama senior Mercy Chelangat lowered her personal best by more than 17 seconds Thursday and eclipsed the 32-minute barrier in the women’s 10,000 meters for the first time after winning in 31 minutes, 55.80 seconds.

Tennessee graduate student-athlete Dylan Jacobs outsprinted BYU senior Casey Clinger to win the men’s 10,000 in a personal-best 28:01.53.

In addition, BYU junior Kenneth Rooks eased to the men’s 3,000 steeplechase victory in 8:31.83, with New Mexico junior Elise Thorner lowering her own meet record by winning in 9:39.39.

Chelangat became only the ninth collegiate female athlete to break 32 minutes in the 10,000. Of the top 10 all-time NCAA competitors in the event, Thursday’s race by Chelangat is the only one that was not run at Stanford’s Cobb Track.

Chelangat, whose previous best was 32:13.13 in 2021, elevated to No. 7 all-time collegiately.

“That’s so powerful, that’s amazing,” Chelangat said. “Going under 32 in the 10K is not easy. I’m excited to see what the future holds for myself and all of these amazing ladies.”

Chelangat outraced sophomore teammate and fellow Kenyan Hilda Olemomoi (second, 32:05.83), who ascended to the No. 12 athlete in collegiate history.

New Mexico junior Amelia Mazza-Downie, representing Australia, challenged for a time before finishing third in 32:07.62, improving to the No. 16 all-time collegiate female 10,000 performer.

“I use every opportunity as a chance to get better,” Chelangat said. “I was really excited to see what I could do (tonight), because I know in Austin (for the NCAA Division 1 Championships in June), it’s going to be hard with the conditions there. I was excited to be here and test myself and see where my fitness is at right now.”

Iowa State senior Cailie Logue was fourth in 32:33.63, while BYU senior Aubrey Frentheway was fifth in 32:34.08. Frentheway’s mark set a program record that stood for nearly 40 years for the Cougars, besting the previous mark of 32:51.20 set in 1984 by Carey May.

West Texas A&M junior Florance Uwajeneza was sixth in 32:49.06 – elevating to No. 4 in NCAA Divsion 2 history – and Montana State senior Camila Noe was the last of the would-be stadium record breakers in seventh in 33:00.41.

Guatemalan Viviana Aroche Lopez was eighth in 33:10.80, Jessica Gockley – a former Division 2 All-American at Grand Valley State – placed ninth in 33:11.08 and Adams State senior Brianna Robles took 10th in 33:11.64.

Jacobs spent much of his race surrounded by a herd of BYU runners before surging ahead, then holding off Clinger by 0.14 seconds. Clinger ran 28:01.67, while teammate Creed Thompson was third in 28:04.15.

“Casey came up at around 600 (meters left to go), and was like, ‘We going? Let’s have some fun,’” Jacobs said. “And I was like, ‘all right, let’s have some fun.’”

Jacobs said staying in control was on his mind, as well.

“It’s never easy,” he said. “It’s the regular season, too. You want to go as hard as you need to but nothing over the top. You’re still getting ready for the postseason.”

Tulsa senior Cormac Dalton was fourth in 28:04.29, while BYU senior Brandon Garnica was fifth in 28:04.62. Butler senior Barry Keane finished sixth in 28:04.66, followed by BYU sophomore Joey Nokes (seventh, 28:05.83), Mexican athlete Marcelo Laguera (eighth, 28:05.83), Virginia Tech senior Antonio Lopez Segura (ninth, 28:09.86) and Montana State junior Ben Perrin (10th, 28:25.24).

Rooks’ victory in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase was significant, though he wanted a slightly faster time. Northwest Missouri junior Reece Smith, the defending Division 2 steeplechase champion, was second in 8:40.24.

Joel Mendez, who set the stadium record a year ago representing Montana, would’ve lowered it to 8:41.37, though he was third competing for Utah Valley.

“I think I probably should’ve taken the lead a little earlier,” Rooks said. “But it was good, and it was a good experience. I’m just reminding myself that maybe I’m not quite as prepared as I wished I was for this race.”

UTEP freshman Victor Kibiego was fourth in 8:41.90, while Miami (Ohio) senior Charles Harders, who led for a stretch of the race, was fifth in 8:43.10.

Pomona-Pitzer junior Colin Kirkpatrick finished sixth in 8:44.21, ascending to the No. 4 competitor in NCAA Division 3 history.

Thorner, representing England, lowered her own stadium and meet records in the women’s invitational race. She overtook early leader and Washington senior Kayley DeLay about halfway through the race.

Butler senior Angelina Ellis was second in 9:44.57, and DeLay finished third in 9:46.22.

“I was getting pushed and shoved because I didn’t go out fast enough,” Thorner said. “So I had to get out of that and then try and pick it up to catch her.”

Cal Baptist junior Greta Karinauskaite was fourth in 9:46.72 and BYU junior Lexy Halladay-Lowry was fifth in 9:49.95.

West Texas A&M senior Eleonora Curtabbi was the top Division 2 finisher in the race, placing 11th in 9:57.76. Curtabbi, the reigning Division 2 champion from Italy, broke the 10-minute barrier in collegiate competition for the first time and elevated to the No. 6 competitor in division history.

Perhaps Jacobs summed up Thursday night in the most appropriate manner..

“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s one of the best meets in the country. People come out here to try and run quick times, have a lot of fun and compete with the best in the country. That’s what we did today. It was definitely awesome to be a part of it.”