The UNM track and field team has two All-American Englishmen.
Rory Fraser and Keith Gerrard ran in the men’s 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races, respectively, this weekend at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, and both finished in the top eight.
Fraser ran one of his best times (13:39.40) and said his strategy was to keep up with the fresh legs by not running the 10,000-meter the day before. For the first time since he left England three years ago, his parents were in the audience watching him compete.
“There were some guys that were just doing the 5k, and they knew that they could make it faster and help their chances to make the other guys even more tired,” he said. “So they basically just went quick from the very beginning, and I just tried to hold on as long as possible, and I just ran for as long as I could and that’s what got me sixth place.”
Rain delays affected the competitors’ routines throughout the four-day event, but Fraser’s race was one of the few that had sunlight.
“It rained all weekend,” he said. “And then the sun came out for my race and it felt like it was meant to be.”
Nicholas Kipruto and Ross Millington also ran the 5,000-meter. Kipruto took 11th place and Millington did not finish due to asthma-related complications from the humidity, said head coach Joe Franklin.
Franklin said he was happy that Fraser finished his collegiate career on a good note.
“Rory had an up-and-down season,” he said. “He did super well during cross country, ran very marginal during indoor track and field, and then started getting it going in outdoor and finished his college career as one of the best distance runners in the country.”
Gerrard, the other All-American, ran his personal best time (28:36.33) in the 10,000 meter.
“Keith did great. He finished fourth in the Mountain West, and then seventh in the country,” Franklin said.
In the high jump, Django Lovett rose 2.05 meters, and Richard York amassed 7,229 points in the Decathlon, as both took 22nd place in their respective events.
David Bishop ran 3:52.30 in the 1,500-meter race but failed to qualify for the final heat.
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On the women’s side, Ruth Senior took ninth in the 10,000-meter race, just missing out on All-American honors.
In the triple jump, Deanna Young leaped 12.36 meters and placed 11th.
At the end of the competition, the men’s team racked up only five points to place them in 41st place overall. The women’s team did not score.
Even with the struggles, Franklin said he thought this season was an improvement from the last, which he said was a complete disaster.
“We had some good performances, and some average, but overall better than last year,” he said.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that UNM has sent track-and-field athletes to the NCAA championships and Franklin said it’s a step in the right direction.
“You’re never 100 percent satisfied, but I’m very content with our progress,” he said.
