Nichols Runs Top-10 Mark In NCAA History

CALIFORNIA – Just a day after losing her NCAA-leading mark, Colorado track and field senior Abby Nichols reclaimed the lead with an exclamation, posting the second-fastest time in CU history and eighth-best time in NCAA history.
 
Nichols was the top collegiate runner at the Mt. SAC Relays Invitational women's 5,000-meter run, finishing fifth overall in 15:15.95. Her mark trails only the NCAA record and CU school record set by Jenny Simpson and she slides into eighth in NCAA history behind BYU's Whittni Morgan and ahead of BYU's Courtney Wayment, the defending NCAA cross country champion. Alabama's Mercy Chelangat ran 15:17.28 to push Wayment out of the top-10 in NCAA history and leave the Buffs as the only school with two representatives in the top-10.
 
Nichols ran her first 3,000-meters in 9:14.65, which would've placed her third in CU history in the women's 3,000 behind a pair of Olympians in Kara Grgas-Wheeler and Shayne Wille. In her final lap she dropped a 65.84 second lap, the second-fastest lap record tonight behind 2020 Olympian Karissa Schweizer who won the race in 15:02.77. Nichols was so extraordinary she covered her last 1600-meters in 4:48.
 
Over at the Bryan Clay Invitational, the rest of the distance squad took to the track in the 1,500-meter run. Andrew Kent was the top male runner in 3:42.06 seconds, good for ninth in CU history. Closely behind him was Noah Hibbard in 3:42.68. Both marks should be good enough to make it the regionals.
 
On the women's side, Micaela DeGenero opened her outdoor season in 4:15.96, finishing ninth overall in the invitational section. Gabrielle Orie had a strong performance as well running 4:22.96.
 
Earlier in the day the 400-meter athletes showed out at the Mt. SAC Relays. Grace Jenkins ran 54.73 to move to seventh in CU history in the event while Tyler Williams ran 46.24 to move to eighth on the men's side. In the 400 hurdles, Abbey Glynn ran a personal best 57.82 to improve on her fourth-best mark in CU history.
 
Tomorrow action will shift to the Beach Invitational for most of the team, but the men and women's 4x400-meter relays were shifted to the Mt. SAC Elite Invitational 4x400-meter relays Saturday evening. The teams will face the top competition in the country at the collegiate level, as well as face off with three USATF relay teams.
 
Mt SAC Information:
Results - https://finishedresults.com/meets/3179
Stream – https://www.runnerspace.com
 
Bryan Clay Information:
Results – https://finishedresults.trackscoreboard.com/meets/10178/events
Stream – FloTrack
 
Pacific Coast Invitational Information:
Results - https://finishedresults.com/meets/3755
 
Beach Invitational Information:
Results - https://finishedresults.com/meets/3754
 
Doug Max Invitational Information:
Results – https://www.rapidresultslive.com