A YEAR REMOVED from Parker Valby’s championship record of 31:49.09, there was a new kid in town who was looking to follow in the footsteps of the multi-medaled Florida Gator.
New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei — a Kenyan frosh who is still getting her feet wet to life in the States, and who may be more of a steepler by trade with a 9:15.93 to her credit — let it be known that, whatever the distance, she is here to stay.
Notable returnees from the ’24 final included Georgetown’s 5th-placer Chloe Scrimgeour, the Razorback duo of Sydney Thorvaldson (7th) and Paityn Noe (9th) and NC State’s Grace Hartman (8th). Aside from Kosgei, other collegiate newcomers to keep tabs on included Oregon’s Diana Cherotich, the Big 10 champion and 31:45.22 performer, LSU’s Edna Chepkemoi, West Virginia’s Joy Naukot and New Hampshire’s Ruth White.
After a 71.8 first lap, Hartman settled into a 5-minute-per-mile rhythm, covering 1600 in 4:56.71, with Kosgei, Chepkemoi, Cherotich, Scrimgeour and Noe.
Hartman still led through 5K in 15:38, churning out 74–75 laps, shadowed by Kosgei, Cherotich, Scrimgeour, Noe and now Naukot.
With 10 laps to go Hartman, Kosgei and Cherotich had split from the rest and the trio had opened a 10m gap on Noe, Naukot and Scrimgeour. Half a lap later, however, Cherotich stepped off the track and left Hartman and Kosgei to fend for themselves.
At 6400 (9 laps remaining) and running well within the meet record, Kosgei determined that the time was right to make her move. She threw in a 72.6 to break Hartman and cruised the rest of the way to a 31:17.82 win and meet record.
Hartman was next in 31:32.15, followed by Naukot (31:34.34), Noe (31:36.91) and Scrimgeour (31:41.68). Back in 9th, White broke her own American Junior Record with a 32:22.60.
When asked if her race had gone according to plan, the humble Kosgei said, “My strategy is to always try my best. If I win it’s fine and if I lose it’s fine. I just thank God that I finished.”
Hartman, too, had a game plan. Her metronomic pacing helped 9 of the top 11 to record PRs (Kosgei and Hartman did not). In fact, her peregrination resulted in PRs for 11 of the top 15, with the top 5 dipping under Valby’s MR.
About her effort, the Tar Heel junior reflected, “Obviously I would have liked to go with her. I was really trying to gauge my effort throughout the race. Tactically, I might have done things a little bit differently, but you know, that’s just kind of how it goes.”
Kosgei added, “It was not easy, because for the first we go like hard, then we just maintained the pace and then, like 8 laps remaining, I said, ‘Let me try my best to go in front, maybe I see if my body will move.”
Move her body did, though Kosgei is not one to get ahead of herself. When asked about the upcoming 5000, she kept it simple, saying, “I don’t like to think because I don’t know.”
WOMEN’S 10,000 RESULTS
FINAL (June 12)
1. ***Pamela Kosgei’ (NM-Ken) 31:17.82 (x, 3 C)
(70.49, 2:26.47, 3:43.54, 4:59.43);
2. *Grace Hartman (NCSt) 31:32.15 (x, 7 C)
(73.77, 2:31.07, 3:48.87, 5:07.30);
3. ***Joy Naukot’ (WV-Ken) 31:34.34 PR (6, 8 C)
(68.96, 2:26.48, 3:44.83, 5:00.16);
4. **Paityn Noe (Ar) 31:36.91 PR (7, 9 C)
(72.56, 2:29.02, 3:45.64, 5:02.90);
5. Chloe Scrimgeour (Gtn) 31:41.68 PR (6, x AmC)
(76.72, 2:34.29, 3:50.72, 5:07.72);
6. ***Edna Chepkemoi’ (LSU-Ken) 32:10.75 PR
(73.17, 2:29.99, 3:49.97, 5:10.15);
7. *Rosina Machu (Gonz) 32:15.49 PR
(78.12, 2:34.88, 3:52.00, 5:09.67);
8. *Brenda Tuwei’ (Al-Ken) 32:20.14 PR
(79.18, 2:39.25, 3:58.47, 5:16.00);
9. ***Ruth White (NH) 32:20.60 AJR (old AJR 32:50.17 White ’25)
(79.80, 2:39.37, 3:59.55, 5:19.71);
10. Sydney Thorvaldson (Ar) 32:21.37 PR
(76.11, 2:35.53, 3:56.19, 5:16.44);
11. *Florence Caron’ (PennSt-Can) 32:23.71 PR; 12. ***Edna Chelulei’ (EnKy-Ken) 32:23.94; 13. *Sadie Sigfstead’ (Vill-Can) 32:40.13; 14. ***Brenda Jepchirchir’ (Aub-Ken) 32:41.66 PR; 15. **Ali Weimer (Mn) 32:42.31 PR; 16. *Jadyn Keeler’ (ND-Can) 32:59.12; 17. Jenny Schilling (Va) 33:07.58; 18. **Ruth Kimeli’ (Bay-Ken) 33:10.62; 19. Morgan Jensen (Ut) 33:11.05; 20. Mckaylie Caesar (Ut) 33:34.36; 21. ***Logan Hofstee (Gonz) 34:01.59; 22. **Josphine Mwaura’ (OkSt-Ken) 35:09.22;… dnf—***Diana Cherotich’ (Or-Ken);… dnc—*Hilda Olemoi’ (Fl-Ken).
