The women’s 10,000 matched the excitement of the men’s 10K of the night before. And that’s saying something.
For Kansas senior Sharon Lokedi it was the culmination of a college career marked by steady progress. In her frosh year, she didn’t qualify. As a soph, she finished 6th in the 10K and as a junior last year she was 3rd. She finally reached the top of the podium in this, her final collegiate race. “It was pure joy,” she said. “I just did not expect that. I still can’t believe it.”
Lokedi is the only KU runner ever to score in this event, but she is the third Kenyan ever to win it. Her time of 32:09.20 was not only a PR, but also a meet record. In fact, the first 6 bettered the 30-year-old MR of 32:28.57 set by Cal State LA’s Sylvia Mosqueda. Louisville Frosh Dorcas Wasike (another Kenyan) finished 2nd in 32:11.81, also a PR. Third was the premeet favorite, Karissa Schweizer, who had won the XC crown in ’16, the 5000 title last June and both the 3000 and 5000 at this year’s Indoor. Defending champion Charlotte Taylor finished 5th. The top 6 were exactly those predicted by the T&FN formchart, but not in the same order.
New Mexico’s Alice Wright led the race for the first 5000, at which point Taylor took over for the next six laps. By the 8000 mark, with 5 laps to go, most of the field had fallen off the pace, but the top half-dozen were still within a second of one another, with Anna Rohrer leading at that point. With 3 laps to go Schweizer took over and led until halfway down the penultimate homestraight, when Lokedi passed her and never relinquished the lead.
“My coach just said to stay with them and have your own rhythm and sit with people,” said the winner. “With a mile or two laps to go, if I felt good, then to just go for it. I just felt good and I was like, ‘Why not? Let me just go and see where I’ll end up.’ It felt great.”
NCAA WOMEN’S 10,000 METER RESULTS
(June 09)
1. *Sharon Lokedi’ (Ks) 32:09.20 PR (MR)
(77.27, 76.45 [2:33.72], 76.53 [3:50.25], 76.79 [5:07.04], 77.21 [6:24.25], 76.74 [7:40.99], 78.06 [8:59.05], 78.07 [10:17.12], 78.08 [11:35.20], 78.18 [12:53.38], 78.22 [14:11.60], 78.75 [15:30.35], 78.26 [16:48.61], 75.47 [18:04.08], 76.60 [19:20.68], 76.88 [20:37.56], 79.98 [21:57.54], 78.71 [23:16.25], 80.69 [24:36.94], 79.69 [25:56.63], 78.01 [27:14.64], 76.94 [28:31.58], 74.80 [29:46.38], 74.16 [31:00.54], 68.66) (68.66, 2:22.82, 3:37.62, 4:54.56);
2. ***Dorcas Wasike’ (Louisv) 32:11.81 PR (2, 2 NCAA)
(69.24, 2:24.31, 3:39.56, 4:56.66);
3. Karissa Schweizer (Mo) 32:14.94 (3, 3 NCAA)
(73.80, 2:28.99, 3:43.79, 5:00.51);
4. Alice Wright’ (NM) 32:17.92 (4, 4 NCAA)
(71.68, 2:29.68, 3:46.05, 5:03.01);
5. Charlotte Taylor’ (USF) 32:17.95 (5, 5 NCAA)
(74.57, 2:31.52, 3:46.62, 5:03.72);
6. **Anna Rohrer (NDm) 32:26.24 (6, 6 NCAA)
(78.17, 2:37.28, 3:54.83, 5:12.23);
7. *Kaitlyn Benner (Co) 33:13.38;
8. *Jaci Smith (AF) 33:14.00;
9. Erin Clark (Co) 33:20.46;
10. *Weronika Pyzik’ (USF) 33:27.29;
11. **Makena Morley (Co) 33:28.66;
12. **Clare O’Brien’ (Boise) 33:34.18;
13. *Margaret Allen (In) 33:48.94 PR;
14. *Caroline Alcorta (NC) 33:49.81 PR;
15. *Lauren LaRocco (Port) 33:50.44;
16. ***Samantha Halvorsen (WF) 33:52.69 PR;
17. **Annie Heffernan (NDm) 34:07.99;
18. *Rachel Walny (BG) 34:19.02;
19. **Sara Freix (VaT) 34:53.03;
20. Eden Meyer (NFl) 35:03.00;
21. **Samantha Drop (Ga) 35:03.81;
22. Christine Frederick (OhSt) 35:23.61;
… dnf—*Militsa Mircheva’ (FlSt), Alli Cash (Or).
(best-ever mark-for-NCAA-place: 1–6) □
