FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For the second straight year, James Mwaura will be representing Gonzaga Men's Track and Field at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in the 10K.

The sophomore runner finished 12th in the event at the NCAA West Region Preliminaries with a time of 28:52.55, just making the cut to advance to Eugene, Ore., where he picked up Second Team All-American honors in the event last spring. He finished just seven seconds behind first-place finisher Abdihamid Nur of Northern Arizona, who crossed the finish line in 28:45.90. 

Several runners hit the deck late in the race, with Mwaura barely avoiding the carnage to close out the race and get just the place he needed.

"It was just a huge relief," Mwaura said. "Going into it, I was nervous because everyone in the race is amazing ... It's a huge accomplishment. I was so nervous, but I just knew I had to put myself in the right position."

Aside from his appearance last spring, Mwaura is only the second-ever Zag to reach Nationals after Troy Fraley's All-American run in the Steeplechase in 2017 and the first to do it twice.

"NCAA D-I Athletics is the toughest collegiate competition outside the Olympics to challenge one's potential," said GU Head Coach Pat Tyson. "James survived a star-studded 48-man field to advance to Eugene!

"It wasn't easy, but he pulled it off for the second year in a row and we are so darn proud," he said. "Great first day for Zag Nation!"

Mwaura isn't done at Regionals yet — he's set to compete in the 5K race on Friday, set for a 6:10pm start. He qualified for Nationals in both events last year, earning All-American Honorable Mention honors in the process.

The NCAA Outdoor National Championships are set for June 9-12 at University of Oregon's Hayward Field.