No national records this week for UAA’s Caroline Kurgat, but she set a pair of school records, including one mark that ranks as the third-best in the history of NCAA Division II outdoor track.
Kurgat, a four-time national champion who owns three Division II national records, broke her own school records in the 5,000 and 1,500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.
A senior from Kenya, Kurgat clocked a time of 15 minutes, 40.45 seconds Thursday in the 5,000 to beat her previous school record of 15:41.21. On Friday she ran a school-record 4:19.48 in the 1,500 meters to surpass her previous PR of 4:21.18.
The 15:40.45 ranks third on the list of all-time D-II outdoor bests in the 5,000. The 15:41.21, recorded last season, ranks fourth.
Last month, Kurgat broke the Division II outdoor record in the 10,000 with a time of 32:08.09. In the indoor season, she set Division II records in the 5,000 (15:28.64) and 3,000 (9:07.50).
Four other Seawolves also broke school records at the meet in Asuza.
Soldotna’s Dani McCormick broke her own mark in the 800 with a time of 2:05.00, Anchorage’s Chrisalyn Johnson broke her own record in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 5.25 inches, and David Sramek of the Czech Republic became the first UAA pole vaulter to surpass 15 feet with a jump of 15 feet, 1 inch. The effort helped Sramek finish ninth in the decathlon.