Tuesday, April 2, 2019

NEW ORLEANS – A third Division II all-time record on the season has earned Alaska Anchorage senior Caroline Kurgat her third U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association national weekly award of the year.

Kurgat was named today as the USTFCCCA’s Division II Women’s National Athlete of the Week after she set the Division II all-time record in the 10,000 meters with her performance at the Stanford Invitational. The only Division II athlete running in the race’s invitational section, Kurgat placed fifth in a time of 32:08.09. The time blew away the previous divisional record of 32:28.09 set by Sylvia Mosqueda of Cal State LA in 1988.

The time also ranks third this season at all college levels and is fifth in the world according to the IAAF (as of Apr. 2). All six of the top world times were run in that Stanford Invitational race.

Coming into the week, Kurgat had owned the second-best time in Division II history of 32:33.24, which she ran at last year’s Stanford Invitational.

It is the third outdoor National Athlete of the Week award all-time for Kurgat and the third national award for the Eldoret, Kenya product this season. She earned the USTFCCCA Division II Female Indoor Athlete of the Week honors on Jan. 15 after she set a Division II all-time best in tbe indoor 3,000 meters in a time of 9:07.05. Kurgat was honored again on Jan. 29 after setting the all-time mark in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:48.46.

The Division II champion indoors in both the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, Kurgat was honored by the USTFCCCA in March as the organization’s Division II Indoor Female Track Athlete of the Year.

Kurgat entered her senior season with the No. 3 time all-time in the 5,000 meters, having run 15:41.21 at last year’s Payton Jordan Invitational.