EUGENE, Ore. — For the second season in a row, James Mwaura is coming home from the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field with All-American honors.
The Gonzaga sophomore placed 15th in the Men's 10,000 meter national final at Oregon's Hayward Field on Wednesday evening with a time of 28:29.58, becoming the first Zag runner in program history to finish as an All-American in consecutive seasons after finishing ninth in the race in 2021. It's the fourth All-American honor of his career, and he's only the third time a Zag has earned All-America honors at the outdoor season's biggest stage, following Troy Fraley's All-American finish in the steeplechase in 2017.
"It's a rare thing for us, and it's a special honor," said GU Men's Track and Field Head Coach Pat Tyson. "Especially in this 10,000 meter race, which was so loaded with favorite didn't even win. The race wasn't the kind of tactical race that favors James' style. He's a guy who lives on 'reeling guys in' mode.
"He had higher aspirations. I think he would probably tell us that he gave it his best — he always gives his best. But he's hungry for more."
Notre Dame's Dylan Jacobs surged ahead over the final lap to take the national championship, crossing the finish line with a time of 28:12.32.
In the last 12 months, Mwaura has taken home All-American honors in the 2021 track season, the 2021 cross country season and now the 2022 track season — the most successful yearlong stint by any Zag distance runner in program history.
"In his last four races at the highest level, he's put himself in a position to earn those titles, which is great for our program," Tyson said. "We're never satisfied — James is never satisfied. But I think when he looks back over his career at Gonzaga, he knows that he always gave his best and he did something that nobody's ever done."
Mwaura holds the program record in the event with a time of 27:50.44 at last year's NCAA finals at Hayward, when he placed ninth with the ninth-fastest mark ever ran at the NCAA Championships. His best time this spring clocked in at 28:29.01, also at Oregon's Hayward Field. Going into today's race, that time ranked 20th in the nation, per USTFCCCA's TFRI list.
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 nationals. 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 after the preliminary race. "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."
