Eritrean athlete earns first collegiate track victory for Lobos in 7:40.63 in Boston, with Adams State’s Coca achieving NCAA Division 2 record 7:44.90, as Grizzlies also add another division all-time effort with 11:08.94 women’s DMR; Anstey, Clarke, Muhumed and Reniewicki also win, plus Salt Lake’s Harris lowering national junior college 5,000 mark 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Phil Ponder

Habtom Samuel wasn’t a part of the memorable 3,000-meter festivities Friday in Seattle, but that didn’t limit the performance of the New Mexico freshman standout Saturday at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.

Samuel, an Eritrean competitor, secured his first collegiate indoor track victory by clocking 7 minutes, 40.63 seconds to lead 12 athletes in his section and 30 overall to sub-8 performances at the Track and Tennis Center at Boston University.

Stanford’s Ky Robinson, representing Australia, ran the fastest collegiate time on an oversized track Friday by clocking 7:36.69 at the Husky Classic at the Dempsey Indoor Facility, leading 20 competitors under the 8-minute barrier.

Samuel elevated to the No. 12 all-time collegiate competitor on a 200-meter track and ascended to No. 17 on all indoor surfaces combined, rallying past Under Armour Baltimore Distance teammates Ahmed Jaziri of Tunisia (7:41.05) and Willy Fink (7:42.47) with a 27.97-second final lap.

Although Adams State achieved a pair of NCAA Division 2 women’s all-time marks in the 3,000 meters and distance medley relay, Grizzlies’ senior Miguel Coca wasn’t going to be left out of the record-setting performances.

Coca finished fourth in 7:44.90, smashing the fastest indoor marks in Division 2 history, regardless of surface.

Christian Noble of Lee University in Tennessee ran 7:50.98 in 2022 at Boston University, with David Ribich from Western Oregon clocking 7:50.81 in 2018 on the oversized Dempsey track at the Husky Classic.

Coca was joined by Colorado School of Mines’ standout Loic Scomparin of France finishing fifth (7:46.11) and Wingate’s Hamza Chahid from Morocco earning eighth (7:47.70), achieving the three fastest indoor performances in Division 2 history.

Furman’s Cameron Ponder took 10th in 7:48.20, as 11 competitors achieved sub-7:50 efforts in the top section, including five collegiate athletes.

John Reniewicki of Under Armour Baltimore Distance enjoyed an improvement of more than five seconds to win the men’s mile in 3:51.72, covering the final lap with a 27.76-second split to rally past South Carolina’s Anass Essayi in 3:51.91.

Essayi, representing Morocco, had already achieved the second-fastest mile in collegiate indoor history by clocking 3:50.46 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational last year. Essayi is the only collegiate athlete with a pair of sub-3:52 efforts in his career, producing two of the top four all-time indoor marks.

Craig Engels, a Nike professional athlete, took third in 3:52.05 and Eric Holt of Empire Elite Track Club finished fourth in 3:52.35.

Drake’s Isaac Basten earned eighth in 3:53.54, elevating to No. 13 all-time among collegiate competitors on a 200-meter track and No. 16 overall on all indoor surfaces combined, one of 13 athletes to achieve a sub-3:55 effort and among 43 competitors to eclipse the 4-minute barrier.

Kansas prep athlete Clay Shively (Trinity Academy) was the 50th-place finisher, but his time of 4:00.70 is US#2 and No. 8 all-time in high school history. 

Ahmed Muhumed of HOKA Northern Arizona Elite won the men’s 5,000 in 13:16.99, just off his outdoor top mark of 13:16.09, but an improvement of more than nine seconds in indoor competition, as nine athletes ran under 13:20.0.

Muhumed and Anthony Rotich of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, who ran 13:17.52 to place second, are both expected to represent the Americans on March 30 at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Arkansas athlete Peter Maru, representing Uganda, made his debut for the Razorbacks a memorable one by taking third in 13:17.86, ascending to the No. 18 all-time collegiate indoor performer.

JaQuavious Harris of Salt Lake Community College, who had already run 13:40.92 on Jan. 27 at the Washington Invitational on the oversized Dempsey track, lowered his own national junior college all-time mark by securing sixth in his section and 34th overall in 13:40.87.

Stephen Sambu of Rend Lake College in Illinois had produced the top two-year college performance on a 200-meter track by clocking 13:51.59 at the 2010 Tyson Invitational in Arkansas.

Patrick Koon from Leon FL ran 14:06.38 for a US#1 and the No. 7 performance in high school history. 

Jack Anstey, an Australian competitor representing Under Armour Dark Sky Distance, eclipsed his national record in the men’s 1,000 meters by clocking 2:16.95.

Anstey, who ascended to the No. 16 all-time global indoor competitor, lowered the 2010 Australian standard of 2:19.60 established by Ryan Foster at Penn State.

Ryan Clarke, a Dutch athlete, won the men’s 800 in an indoor personal-best 1:46.08, with Irish competitor Cian McPhillips securing second in 1:46.43.

Penn State’s Handal Roban took third in 1:46.81, following a 1:47.10 effort to triumph Friday at the Eagle Invitational at the nearby TRACK at New Balance.

John Carroll’s quartet of Tyler Gast, Garrett Clark, Caleb Correia and Basheer Alramahi won the men’s 4x400-meter relay in 3:10.93, the No. 2 effort in Division 3 indoor history.

Rowan set the Division 3 record by clocking 3:10.09 at the meet last season.

Gracie Hyde achieved her second Division 2 all-time performance in less than 24 hours for Adams State.

After becoming the first female athlete in division history to eclipse the 9-minute barrier in the 3,000 with her 8:58.33 effort Friday, Hyde anchored the Grizzlies to victory Saturday in 11:08.94 in the DMR, holding off Richmond in 11:10.35.

Lieke Hoogsteen, Victoria Amiadamen and Jessica Simon joined Adams State in taking down the 11:12.47 standard established by Grand Valley State at the Division 2 indoor championship meet last year in Virginia.