Kosgei Qualifies First at NCAA Prelims
AUSTIN, Texas – Cowboy senior John Kosgei continued his impressive month of May on Thursday, qualifying first in the 10,000 meters at the West Preliminary Round.
The Eldoret, Kenya, native crossed the line in 29:36.55, almost a second ahead of Northern Arizona’s Ahmed Osman.
Kosgei, who won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the Big 12 Championships nearly two weeks ago, becomes the first Cowboy to punch his ticket to the Championships final round in Eugene, Ore., on June 9-12.
“He ran a great race,” Cowboy coach Dave Smith said. “He was very patient like he’s becoming very good at doing. He didn’t take the lead until about the last 50 meters. He had a fantastic kick and won the race.”
In the 10,000 meters, the top 12 finishers in the 48-man race advanced to the next round. The final round in Eugene will be a 24-man race, with the top eight finishers earning All-America honors.
Junior Johnathan Stublaski qualified ninth overall in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:43.00 to advance to Saturday’s national quarterfinal.
The Eagan, Minn., native finished third in his heat in the system that advances the top five from each heat along with the next four fastest times.
“He was great,” Smith said. “The whole idea was to just get into the final. With about 200 meters to go, he realized he was going to qualify and was able to keep running hard, but keep some in the tank for Saturday.”
The mark of 3:43.00 was the second-fastest of the season in the 1,500 meters for Stublaski, who won the Big 12 title at the distance May 16.
For Saturday’s national quarterfinal, the top five finishers from the two heats and the two next best times will advance to the Championships.
West Preliminary Round – Day One Results
1,500 Meter Run
9 Johnathan Stublaski 3:43.00*
33 Tom Farrell 3:51.13
— Raul Botezan
10,000 Meter Run
1 John Kosgei 29:36.55**
*-Qualified for Saturday’s National Quarterfinal
- Qualified for Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Updated 05-28-2010
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