EUGENE, Ore. – Gonzaga's James Mwaura became the second-ever All-American in Gonzaga Track and Field history in his third-ever 10,000-meter race Wednesday. The sophomore placed ninth in the 10K national final, shattering his own school record time at 27:50.44 at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
 
Mwaura entered the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships ranked 14^th in the 24-runner 10,000-meter field. His previous personal best was 28:27.49, ran on May 14 at The Track Meet in Irvine, Calif. That was his first attempt ever on the track at 10,000 meters.
 
At Wednesday's national final, Mwaura bravely ran with the front pack for the entirety of the 25-lap race. His reward was running under the standard needed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials. The Tacoma, Wash., native, will return to the same track on June 18, running for a 10K spot in the Olympics in a Gonzaga jersey.
 
"I can't express how happy I am," Mwaura said after the race. "I hit the trials standard, had a 40-second PR, it just feels amazing. The atmosphere here at the NCAAs is unlike anything else."
 
The race was physical from the start, Mwaura absorbed a shove right after the gun, but he was composed and ran the race he wanted. The Top-10 finishers of the race were under the former meet record time of 28:01.30.
 
"I was more patient than any other race I've ever been in," Mwaura said. "I tried to be as patient as possible. If I pushed too early it would have come back to hurt me, but the last two laps were great."
 
Mwaura qualified for the 10K national final after placing 10^th at the NCAA West Preliminary Round with a time of 29:13.93 in College Station, Texas, on May 26.
 
"This was his third-ever 10k on the track," Director of Gonzaga Track and Field Pat Tyson said. "His third-ever! This is just so great. It's great for James, it's great for the program, it's great for Zag Nation, and it's great for our sport."
 
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. The top eight finishers are named First Team All-American, while ninth through 16 are second team.
 
Mwaura has a short turnaround before his 5,000-meter national final on Friday. He is ranked 24^th in the 5K field, with the GU all-time best time of 13:36.18. He 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 5,000-meter final is Friday at 6:55 p.m. The race will broadcast live on ESPN2, with live results available on GoZags.com.