The most anticipated 5,000-meter race at the Sound Running Sunset Tour, presented by Brooks, was the return to competition after more than a 15-month layoff for American record holder Alicia Monson.
But it was Oklahoma State star and Kenyan competitor Brian Musau who delivered the most memorable 5,000 performance Saturday night at Occidental College’s Jack Kemp Stadium.
Musau, the reigning NCAA Division 1 indoor and outdoor 5,000 champion, became only the third collegiate athlete in history to eclipse the 13-minute barrier at any point during the year, including the first individual to achieve the feat outdoors by winning the race in a lifetime-best 12:59.82 effort.
Musau elevated to No. 2 on the collegiate all-time, all-dates list, trailing only the 12:57.14 indoor 5,000 performance produced by former Northern Arizona standout Nico Young last year at the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University.
Rocky Hansen of Wake Forest finished second in a personal-best 13:07.77, ascending to the No. 10 collegiate all-time all-dates competitor.
Dylan Jacobs from On Athletics Club took third in 13:11.97 behind the two collegiate athletes.
Monson secured sixth in the women’s 5,000 in 15:01.63 in her first race since competing in March last year at The Ten, sponsored by Sound Running, at JSerra High in San Juan Capistrano.
Monson, who ran 14:19.45 to set the American 5,000 record in 2023 at the London Diamond League event, was sidelined recovering from surgery to repair torn meniscus in her knee, which she endured in April last year.
Monson achieved the qualifying standard to compete Aug. 3 in the 5,000 final at the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Oregon.
Bailey Hertenstein, a Nike professional athlete and former four-time All-American competing for Colorado and Indiana, won the 5,000 by clocking a personal-best 14:48.91 to hold off Taylor Roe of PUMA Elite in a lifetime-best 14:49.91.
Hertenstein ran 14:56.33 on Jan. 31 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, but had yet to achieve a sub-15 performance in an outdoor 5,000 competition prior to Saturday.
Roe had clocked 14:57 in a 5-kilometer road race April 19 in Boston, but had never run under 15:15 on the track, indoor or outdoor, before Saturday.
Karissa Schweizer of Nike Swoosh Track Club took third in 14:54.94, with Australian standout Lauren Ryan from Under Armour Dark Sky Distance running 14:55.88 to finish fourth and Allie Buchalski of the Brooks Beasts taking fifth in 15:00.79.
Josette Andrews, representing On Athletics Club, prevailed in the women’s 1,500 in 4:00.10, just missing her personal-best 3:59.72 from 2021.
Riley Chamberlain of Brigham Young clocked a lifetime-best 4:02.03 to secure second, improving from her 4:03.98 effort June 15 at Portland Track Festival.
Simone Plourde, a Canadian competitor representing Nike Swoosh Track Club, also produced a personal-best to take third in 4:02.91.
Drew Hunter of ASICS held off Sair Salgado from Under Armour Dark Sky Distance by a 3:33.41 to 3:33.87 margin to prevail in the men’s 1,500.
Hunter improved on his personal-best 3:33.78 from last year’s Sound Running Sunset Tour meet, with Salgado also lowering his previous-best career effort of 3:35.48 from June 15 at the Portland Track Festival.
Salgado clocked 3:39.68 at last year’s Sound Running Sunset Tour event.
Sam Prakel of adidas took third Saturday in 3:33.93, Under Armour athlete Foster Malleck placed fourth in 3:34.15 and another adidas competitor Morgan Beadlescomb finished fifth in 3:34.20.
After clocking a personal-best 3:33.93 on June 15 at the Portland Track Festival, Oklahoma State athlete Fouad Messaoudi of Morocco was sixth Saturday in 3:34.20.
Meghan Hunter of BYU won the women’s 800 in a lifetime-best 1:58.21, holding off former Northern Arizona All-American Maggi Congdon, who clocked a personal-best 1:58.55 in her professional debut as a Nike Swoosh Track Club competitor.
New Balance athlete Emily Mackay took third in 1:58.72, Sage Hurta-Klecker of On Athletics Club achieved fourth in 1:58.89 and Valery Tobias from the Brooks Beasts earned fifth in 1:59.51.
Navasky Anderson, the Jamaican national record holder representing Under Armour, won the men’s 800 in a personal-best 1:44.40, edging Abe Alvarado of Under Armour Dark Sky Distance in 1:44.47.
Matti Erickson, an Oregon All-American, took third in 1:44.49, adidas competitor Hobbs Kessler placed fourth in 1:44.77 and Isaiah Harris of the Brooks Beasts finished fifth in 1:44.96.
Isaac Updike of Under Armour Dark Sky Distance triumphed in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase in 8:13.68, just missing his personal-best 8:13.64 from June 14 at the Portland Track Festival.
Yasin Sado, a former Virginia standout, produced a lifetime-best 8:15.91 to secure second and Kenyan athlete Geoffrey Kirwa – the No. 2 all-time collegiate competitor at 8:13.89 representing Louisville in April – took third Saturday in 8:17.66.
Grace Fetherstonhaugh, a Canadian athlete representing Saucony, achieved a personal-best 9:28.42 to win the women’s 3,000 steeplechase.
Sarah Tait, a Scottish competitor racing for West Virginia, was second in 9:34.01 and ASICS athlete Logan Jolly took third in 9:37.14.
The meet concluded with adidas competitor Senayet Getachew clocking 30:36.67 to win the women’s 10,000, as Ethiopian athletes took the top three spots, with Asayech Ayichew (30:47.24) and Aynadis Mebratu (30:53.29) earning second and third, respectively.
Abdihamid Nur, a Nike Swoosh Track Club standout who has represented the U.S. at back-to-back World Championships in 2022-23 as well as the Olympics last year, won his section of the men’s 5,000 in 13:34.86.
Stanford competitor Zofia Dudek prevailed in the second section of the women’s 5,000 in 15:33.97.
Sadie Engelhardt, a Ventura High graduate and North Carolina State signee, finished fifth in her section of the 1,500 in 4:08.87, with Nike professional athlete Val Constien winning the race in 4:07.78.
Brandon Miller of the Brooks Beasts clocked 3:35.27 to win his section of the 1,500, but will focus on the 800 at the USATF Outdoor Championships.
– Erik Boal
