AUSTIN, Texas – It may be his third-straight year at NCAA Championships, but
James Mwaura keeps finding new ways to make history.
Mwaura raced his way to the best individual finish by a GU athlete and his third-straight All-American honors in the Men's 10,000m Final Wednesday evening at Mike A. Myers Stadium, finishing fourth with a 28:14.64 time that ranks as his fastest this season. He's the first GU runner to earn All-American honors three times, and the first to make the All-America First Team in the 10K.
The senior was less than four seconds behind National Champion Ky Robinson of Stanford, who finished in 28:10.96 ahead of his teammate Charlie Hicks – who took National Runner-Up honors with a 28:12.20 time – and BYU's Casey Clinger, who took third (28:13.63). Mwaura is the first GU athlete to place in the Top Five at track's biggest stage, eclipsing Troy Fraley's seventh-place finish in the 3,000m Steeple back in 2017. Fraley is the only other GU athlete to earn All-America First Team honors.
"Another glorious moment!" said GU Head Coach Pat Tyson. "Man, did James run brilliantly. He threw a boat load of tactics at his competitors -- just kept his nose in as best he could when attrition whittles the field down. A beautifully -- and dramatically -- run race!"
Seeded seventh heading into this week's competition, Mwaura took the lead less than two minutes into the race and led for all but two of the race's first nine laps, abruptly falling behind as far as 11th at the 6,000-meter point but working his way up to third to get back in the mix with just two laps left. He put down 1:03.57 and 0:57.4 splits over those final 800 meters to challenge Robinson and Hicks and maintain his grip on First Team All-American status, holding off Oklahoma State's Isai Rodriguez over the home stretch to hold on to fourth place.
This is the third consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance for the senior, who looks to put the finishing touches on one of the most accomplished careers by a GU athlete in history. Mwaura — a program record holder in the 8K for cross country (23:02.9) as well as the 5K (13:30.02) and 10K (27:50.44) on the outdoor oval – is already a 2021 USATF U.S. Olympic Trials Finalist, an All-American in Cross Country (2021), and now a three-time All-American in the 10K (2021, 2022, 2023).
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
Mwaura competes in his final collegiate race in Friday's Men's 5,000m Final, set for a 7:55 p.m. (PT) start. Mwaura is seeded 10th. Friday's action will be broadcast live via ESPN+ on WatchESPN. Live results will be available through GoZags.com.
