AUSTIN, Texas – University of Colorado junior Pierce Murphy punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships after placing seventh overall in the 10,000-meter run on Thursday night at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Murphy, who finished in 29:45.35, ran a smart race, steadily working his way up the pack to position himself well at the end to capture one of the 12 qualifying spots for nationals in June. The finish was a very close one with the top nine runners crossing the line within two seconds. Oregon’s Edward Cheresek won in 29:43.89, while Southern Utah’s Nate Jewkes was ninth in 29:45.