AUSTIN, Texas – Less than 48 hours after earning First Team All-America honors in the Men's 10,000m Final on Wednesday, James Mwaura picked up his second 5K All-American finish – and the fifth of his career on the outdoor oval – in his final race as a Zag, punctuating a legendary career that ushered in an era of unprecedented success for GU distance running.

Mwaura finished 10th in the race with a 14:11.82 time, moving from 23rd place over the first two laps into All-American territory while putting down the fastest split of the penultimate lap (1:03.17) to move into 10th.

"James executed another strong race plan," said GU Head Coach Pat Tyson. "Goal was to go out slow, not in the lead, to see how the race unfolded and then see what he can manage over the last 800."

Friday night's results concludes the third consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance for the senior, putting the finishing touches on one of the most dominant and storied careers of any GU athlete, regardless of sport. In three consecutive seasons of reaching collegiate track's biggest stage, the senior has finished as an All-American in every event he has qualified for. In 2021, he finished as honorable mention AA in the 5K and a Second Teamer in the 10K. In '22, he followed up with another Second Team finish before Wednesday's fourth-place finish – the highest individual finish by a GU runner in program history – earned him First Team honors for the first time in his career.

Mwaura's decorated career also saw him become a cross country All-American ('21), a U.S. Olympic Trials finalist ('21), a four-time All-West Coast Conference Cross Country First Teamer, a four-time NCAA XC Championship Qualifier, and a three-time All-West Region finisher. 

Mwaura's was foundational to GU's three consecutive team qualifications to NCAA XC Championships, including their program-best 13th-place finish last fall. He holds program records in the XC 8K (23:02.9) as well as the outdoor 5K (13:30.02) and 10K (27:50.44), and ranks in the all-time Top 10 in five other distances in either XC, indoor or outdoor.

"Five years ago, when James made a visit to Spokane, he was approached by [then-assistant coach for Men's Basketball] Tommy Lloyd, who told him 'You can go anywhere, a lot of great places … but if you come to Gonzaga, you'll be the guy," Tyson said. "And he became that guy."

"We will miss James Mwaura, but his legacy will live on forever in Gonzaga history. Thank you James."