SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Rosina Machu improved her program record in her first appearance at Women's 5,000M Semifinals on Day Four at NCAA West Prelims to close out Gonzaga's outing in Sacramento, finishing ninth in her heat and 17th overall.

A freshman racing in her first outdoor season, Machu's new personal best of 15:59.71 is over four seconds faster than the previous program record, a 16:04.49 time from Kristen Garcia in 2021. Her time was the fastest among all freshmen competing at Prelims and fourth-fastest on the West Coast.

A pair of Utah runners -- Emily Venters (15:34.60) and Simone Plourde (15:34.64) went 1-2 in Machu's heat and finished second and third overall behind Utah Valley's Everlyn Kemboi's 15:30.25 time in Heat 2.

Machu, who initially broke the record on April 14 with a 16:03.77 time at the Bryan Clay Invite, moved into fourth place – one of five automatic qualifying spots – by the sixth lap and held on until the final 1200 meters, when a late surge moved her to ninth despite a 1:19:08 closing lap. Machu was one of three runners to put down a new personal best in her heat along with Colorado State's Sarah Carter and Arkansas' Heidi Nelson.

UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
James Mwaura, who qualified for NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the 5K and 10K this week for the second time in his career, will compete in the Final for both events at University of Texas' Mike A. Myers Stadium on June 7 and June 9. Wednesday's 10K Final is set for a 7:08 p.m. (PT) start, with Friday's 5K set for 7:55 p.m. 

All of the action at NCAA Outdoor Championships will be broadcast live via ESPN+ on WatchESPN. Live results will be available through GoZags.com -- follow @ZagRunning on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.