EUGENE, Ore. – Gonzaga's
James Mwaura will be the second-ever men's qualifier for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in program history this week. The sophomore runs in the 10,000-meter national final Wednesday, before taking on the 5,000-meter national final Friday.
The collegiate premier event returns to the newly renovated Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on the campus of the University of Oregon. The top eight finishers of the races are named first team All-American. Troy Fraley placed seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase national final at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His finish made him the first track All-American in Gonzaga history.
Mwaura qualified for the 10K final after placing 10
th with a time of 29:13.93 at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in College Station, Texas, on May 26.
Mwaura enters Wednesday's race ranked 14
th in the 24-runner field. He ran the program-record of 28:27.49 on May 14 at The Track Meet in Irvine, Calif.
Friday, Mwaura is ranked 24
th in the 5,000-meter field, with the GU all-time best time of 13:36.18. The Tacoma, Wash., native, ran that school record at Hayward Field at the Oregon Relays on April 23.
Mwaura advanced to the 5K national finals following a 13
th place finish at the NCAA West prelims on May 29. He placed fourth in his heat with a time of 14:00.07.
The 10,000-meter national final is tonight at 7:38. The 5,000-meter final is Friday at 6:55 p.m. Both races will broadcast live on ESPN2, with live results available on GoZags.com.
