Day four of the NCAA Championships from Eugene, Oregon was one for the records books, as Florida’s Parker Valby and the women of Arkansas put on a show.
PARKER VALBY, 5000 METERS
In perhaps the most anticipated race of the night, Parker Valby lined up for the 5000m just two days after winning the 10000 meter title. It was evident early in the race that she would be gunning for the 5k record, running to the front just one minute in and never letting go. After seven minutes, Valby and Hilda Olemomoi of Alabama had completely broken away from the front pack and absolutely started cooking the pace. Olemomoi hung to Parker’s shoulder until there was a mile to go when Valby’s pace proved to be too much, as the junior from Florida then ran solo to the finish line. When it was all done, 14:52.18 after the start, Parker Valby had the NCAA record.
The previous outdoor collegiate record time belonged to Katelyn Touhy, which she ran 15:03.12 last year.
With these championships concluded, Valby has earned FIVE individual NCAA titles in this academic year: cross country, indoor 3000m, indoor / outdoor 5000m, and outdoor 10000m.
ARKANSAS WOMEN, 400 METERS, 4×400 METER RELAY
To close the show, the Arkansas women in the 4×4 were already the hot team to watch, because just an hour and a half earlier, they had a supersweep, going 1-2-3-4 in the individual 400 meter championship race.
Nickisha Pryce, Kaylyn Brown, Amber Anning, and Rosey Effiong each came through the line sub-50 in the 400m final, with Pryce coming away setting the collegiate record in a dominating 48.89 seconds. Were she in the World Championships final in Budapest last year, this time would have been good for silver. In fact, Brown’s 49.13 would have also earned her the bronze in that race.
Anning ran a strong first leg, giving Effiong a slight lead, which she then extended before handing the baton to Pryce. It was during this third leg that Pryce blew the lead out to an insurmountable distance. On the anchor leg, Brown absolutely crushed the final 400, never slowing up through the line. At the end of the race, they had a new collegiate record by four seconds running 3:17.96, which is a #6 all-time mark. The prior collegiate best had been set by a foursome from Arkansas just two weeks ago when they ran 3:21.92.
The icing on the cake? This 4×4 clinched the NCAA team title for the Arkansas women.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM DAY 4
- Alabama’s Doris Lemngole set a collegiate record in the steeplechase, running 9:15.24, bettering Courtney Wayment’s 9:16.00 from 2022
- Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker and Roisin Willis go 1-2 in the women’s 800m, running 1:59.61 and 2:00.17. Willis went from seventh to second on the final straight. Whittaker is Stanford’s first ever NCAA outdoor champion for the 800
- Rose Yeboah of Illinois set a new meet record for the high jump (1.97m), besting Amy Acuff’s 1.96m jump from 1995
- Ackelia Smith of Texas earned the triple jump NCAA Championship two days after winning the long jump competition
For full NCAA Division I Championship results, click here (via ncaa.com)
