Katelyn Tuohy wins NCAA 5000m title at Altitude

Alright, here's one of our race finals of the day, the women's 5000, there's the collegiate and the

altitude

records will take their toll on this 16 runner field as we look at Caitlin Tui who really has been the distant star of this season 2023. You're absolutely right, Dwight, he spent the indoor season going toe-to-toe with some of the best professional runners in the country. He set the NCAA 3K record at the Melrose games, the NCAA mileage record from the Dr Sander Invitational and when he ran 15.15.92 for 5K in Boston, it was just two weeks after his cross country win from the NCAA, she also has a wolf pack teammate in this final, Kelsey Mill Junior from Saratoga Springs, she actually has two with her, there's a wolf pack, three of them.

Yeah, yeah, three of them all together for Lori Henna's team and when I talked to Coach Hennis for a few minutes and asked him about the decision about what they were going to do at the NCAA Championships with Caitlin Tui because she had run an incredible mile , said this. was the most feasible double because of the way the schedule played out, go with the 5K on Friday and then the 3K on Saturday and you're watching Mercy Chillin come out on top and NCAA champion in her own right in both Outdoors , at over 10,000 meters and cross country, you see Tui reach her height as well and then Hilda Ole Momoy from Alabama as well, so you have two members of the Roll Tide Squad in the top three and also the eyes placed on you. grab that turquoise jersey from New Mexico that is Amelia Mazza Downey and you actually get the turquoise jersey for the Joe Franklin team when you make an appearance in an NCAA championship, you have to earn it and you don't give it back, you get to keep it.

That, the rest of the Unis, you have to return at the end of the season, but since she is a person who trains at

altitude

, it is an immense opportunity for her here at her home track, it is a good tradition, well, many of the athletes in 16. Runners train in the countryside and live at altitude. Many of us say almost half the field does it and Merced, who is in front, hails from Kenya, which is at altitude, but Alabama Tuscaloosa is not at altitude the last time I checked in talking strategy with Alabama Women's. Distance coach Nick Stenoff said you have to respect your opponents on this course, there are a lot of women on this course who have run fast recently, but you also have to respect the altitude, you have to base this race and measure it on what everyone else is doing, you can't wait for someone else to make a move and when someone else makes a move or if you make a move you have to do it efficiently control what we can control dictate our own race it's great that you have those teammates together you have olamomoy and shelling in that lead group with each other which will certainly help as they are expected to return in the 3000s just like Caitlyn Tui but have different race strategies for executing olamomoy. has run 15 17 this season just two seconds behind Caitlyn Tui, was the SEC runner-up to Lauren Gregory in the 3000 and also showed some speed at the SEC Championships held at O ​​Level White, split 440 in the SEC victory? distance medley relay for the Crimson Tide and she initially didn't want to run it, it's enough to just trust me and tell me how, tell me how she feels after finishing and she said that when she first found herself holding that stick, she said oh yeah, that It was pretty funny now that you think about it, I guess you could predict that Mercy Chelan was going to try to get in front and slow down because she has good foot speed so she might as well save them all.

That's as long as she can and I'm sure the smart women in this field will know that's what she's doing and try to turn it into a more honest beat, but altitude is the X Factor here in doing that. That's why you would think that some of the athletes who are focused solely on the 5,000 and don't have the 3K for tomorrow would be the ones who would be aggressive up front or at least at the midpoint of the race would try to stretch. this and punish those who are going to try to back off, so I'd be interested to see how things will play out here as these laps unfold and you mentioned how impressive Mercy Chilling has become, she's not afraid to get up front, she she's got that championship resume, so you almost wonder what brought her back for another year at Alabama.

She just had some unfinished business and part of that is what you're seeing, this is an opportunity for her to build up that collegiate resume and then. potentially, in talking to Alabama coaches, considering eventually moving up to the marathon in preparation for 2024 and considering an Olympic opportunity at that distance, but we've seen Caitlyn Tui really develop in her running execution throughout her collegiate career, she She's typically been one of those straight forward weapons, but she's really come into her own in terms of her career. Insight at a multitude of distances. Coach Hennis told him that when you're doubling, you really have to be careful about how much energy you're expending on it.

In the first event, she did, she's always been comfortable coming out to the front in races because that's what she made of her for much of her high school career. Now, when you're around college kids, you can feed off the countryside around it, so now. she's comfortable, you know, throwing a surgeon in the middle of a race or running over people like we saw her do at the NCAA cross country championships, so John, you're on the track and you've had plenty of opportunities to talk and look at Mercy Chelan over the years, uh, what is it, what's your opinion from there?

Well, two things, one when you talk about Caitlin Tui's battle, is she a great runner, but she really is a great athlete and maybe that has nuances, but there are many. There are great runners in this field, but overall she is a great athlete who can do a lot of different things. I think she would be a great soccer player in other things. And Larry, you mentioned the coaches at Alabama and it's been an odd couple. of months for them since they lost their coach, Will Palmer, right at the beginning of the year and, uh, Ameris Tynesma immediately left Alabama and transferred to NC State and, mercy, that's part of the reason he came back in his senior year was to run for Will and That caused some shocks on that team that they had to get over that had nothing to do with mileage and training.

It's about getting used to a new guy and a new voice in her head. I'm surprised no one is challenging Mercy Chalan. here you have to be delighted that she can set the pace here now, with 16 laps remaining. I know a lot of things can happen, but she's really pretty, but she has a lot of bite in her timing during the first mile and you're catching two of the same looks. towards the infield, I'm not sure if someone is grabbing that left leg or following too closely or anticipating someone to make a move, but you know John's point about Shuffle training at the University of Alabama in talking to Nick Stanuff who has been on the job five weeks this is week number five for him so this Alabama women's distance team started the season with coach Palmer and then Dan Waters took over for a period of time and these are all different systems that they were learning with and different styles. from training, it's a testament to how adaptable those athletes have been so far this season and some of the adversity they've endured to get to this point, man, it's a group up front, you need someone to start like we are.

Coming to the halfway point here, someone needs to open this race. Well, I'm still waiting, but no one seems interested in doing it. I have to be excited, no doubt, it's a huge boost of confidence and comfort for Olamomoy to have the mercy to do so much. They work from the beginning, they train together every day, they do all their training together and that has been a great benefit for Olamaway, who has had an outstanding season. Coach Dennis said that Mercy really gives Hilda confidence that they love each other. do well, but you don't depend on each other, you certainly want to support each other, but he told you not to stop if one of you doesn't go with the other, keep your race plan, your race execution, what you are searching.

Here it looks like Tui is starting to get a little anxious because the field is bunching up. You know, I hate seeing that because that's when you get crashes and burns. You have to have somewhere to run and an indoor track is much smaller than an outdoor track and you don't want to log extra metres, especially at altitude, so a dilemma develops as we start to see things get worse. They stretch slightly, but in front, the first five or six, maybe an eight, are far away. too close to each other foreigner now for Utah, meaning Lawrence Canyon Kansas senior Emily Venters, hasn't really changed much since the beginning.

Venture is one of the beneficiaries of altitude, very well conditioned to endure that and I think this is her. soul event, this should be your focus in this championship event, so one that could benefit greatly from challenging and pressuring the rest of the field to be more aggressive in the second half of the race, well, let's count, we have two from New Mexico. Oh. and there's a little bit of traffic right there, that's the problem that you were alluding to Dwight right there, we're starting to see it and then Shalon quickly went from first to tied for fourth as you mentioned, two from New Mexico, one from BYU.

I got northern Arizona, Colorado, Utah, so you have almost half the field living and training at that significant enough altitude that this doesn't bother them as much. Now immediately two, pick up the pace a little bit with Ventner, right there, olomomoy is also still there. there in third and Chelan is in a position where at least he has some room to run. Hunter looks incredibly comfortable for the reason and she is a two-time NCAA cross-country All-American. No one is really out of it right now. wide and seems interested in regaining the lead or just staying out of trouble, of course Caitlyn Tui is worth mentioning, if it comes down to it there are few people who can hold up against the collegiate record holder in the mile and She also split a 427 on a DMR anchor stage earlier this year, when she did that she was very surprised at how easy it felt to do it since she got so much strength off the cross country and Lori Hennis said we think the strength is the speed and miles, both in Open Mile and Mile. within the DMR that Tui has put together have shown exactly that he found a lot of new strength leading up to that NCAA cross country season and then when he transitioned to the indoor track season, he found a new level of rotation that we've I've seen his speed even more impressive than before in the remaining mile and you can see that the field has now stretched significantly over the course of the last lap and a half.

Shellan took the lead again, picking up the pace. Tui right there olamide hers too The nurse has now slipped back a bit to fourth place and I'm sure Chilling Got is well aware of Tui's speed. The good work they have done before having raced at championship levels before being incredibly familiar with each other is a threat. The two Alabama athletes are together and can push this and trust each other, but you're starting to see Tui finish as they enter the back stretch. The separation has occurred between the two athletes from Alabama and Tui with 1200 meters remaining and what benefited.

Chelan achieved with that slower start The pace also benefited in the remaining laps olomomoy has the advantage at 5 000 meters over the challenge in which you are a little faster than chelingat in this indoor season. Keep in mind that when Olamomoy ran 15-17 this season, she was just two seconds behind Caitlyn from her Collegiate lead and looks very relaxed in third, it looks like 11 White is just gauging when Caitlyn Tui plans her move to surpass Mercy Chillin. Hilda Aloma will certainly have to go with her. her and challenges her remaining five laps and olamide has put him in a position where he has been in third place most of the time, meaning that someone has been pushing the air aside for her, she has been able to draft lightly first.

The Challenger has gotten a lot of air alone as has Tui because she runs on the outside of the lane and I think we should see these three athletes in the 3000, the last woman to win the 5K 3K double Carissa Schweitzer of Missouri in 2018. only 800 meters remain as they pass the finish line and Tui now takes the lead. The olomom white covers that moved very quickly. The Chilean fell again to third place. Make sure you don't get cut by Mercy Chelling. You could see that she had enough distance to settle. behind NC State's Tui North Carolina State's Kelsey Chamel, Tui's teammate now making wavesher presence to catch up with that group of three, but if she is expending a lot of energy to do so that will hurt her in the long run with three laps remaining.

As they pass the start, this is where you've seen Caitlyn's maturity to grow at the NCAA level, planning her move and executing it with Precision, not getting too anxious and making that move early in the race, knowing that it's not just her she has the kick, but she is also trying to be as tactical as possible to achieve the double. We're wrapping up Oklahoma State's Natalie Cook, a freshman who's two rounds away now, and Thule with a small gap she was able to develop. olimari and she feels it and leaves with that omoy has no answer or foreign chalenga she found a crack she found a crack in the door in the window she found that opportunity and she had to take advantage of it without leaving anything to chance she respects the athletes in the field that surrounds her in Dan O'Brien actually asked during the press conference who her biggest inspiration is and she said it's my teammates, who I draw inspiration from, who I train from every day and you can certainly feel what she's like. channeling that right now Tui has put 20 meters to God, she will be the winner unless she gets hit by a truck, so the sophomore from Stony Point, New York, who has two wolf pack mates in this final, will win the first of What would be uncertain, many more NCAA championship

title

s.

Alabama's Olimar will lead the Crimson Tide to a second third place finish, which is 14 points for Alabama in this 5 000, but it was Caitlin two of you who executed a smart race plan with the help of Mercy until then. She got the first 10 laps at 1609-65 altitude and waited there to congratulate her teammates. Also a big bear hug for Bocellen. Got a boy from Aloma when Caitlyn Tui captures that indoor

title

and feels like yeah, it looks like she has a lot left in her. legs to come back tomorrow she's been planning this move for a while a click Quick look at the remaining turns of the clock also that big video board to see where her exact position is we talked about the rotation and how much she had grown within her speed in the over the course of several distances, that's what Lori Hennis attributed to her during this 2023 indoor season and extends that step to Precision during the course of the subsequent stretch, throws a big Surge and then when she's there, secures the victory, she gives the Little Wolf Pack sign there with both hands as she crosses the line, she's the NCAA indoor five thousand meter champion and she'll be back for more in the 3000 and it's great to have a couple of teammates there with her in that moment. is inconsequential due to the conditions and also as a result of this slow initial pace, are the official results with Caitlyn Tui, NCAA champion, second and third place for Alabama with Hilda Olomomoy and Mercy Chilengat, so 14 points for Alabama NC State with a first quarter, so that's 15 points for the Wolf Pack in that 5,000 meters, as well as an eighth place finish, which is another point, that's 16 total points for NC State in the women's 5,000.

First and John Anderson, he's down with the winner, he's fine, well, we. We're trying to get all Americans from the state of North Carolina in that race, so we're looking forward to Sydney Seymour. uh we have water here for Caitlin Tui, the winner. We also have Kelsey Camille first. We'll start with first, but at a slow pace most of the time you seem to let it go and get comfortable with it, why what was the strategy for you? Try to save energy for tomorrow's 3K and we just thought that with the altitude it would be like that.

It wouldn't be smart to hit it so I was patient but I had to take the lead a little early to keep my position because I didn't want to get caught up just because in the tight turns it could be dangerous so um 800. A while ago I started to tighten it up a bit. little and the last two I made a really good effort. I turned around and saw Kelsey walk in and then Cindy said it was amazing. We talked a little about this yesterday, but we moved up from second place last year to first. This year, the difference is what else to focus on before I can celebrate Kelsey.

How much does just having the three of you together in this race help three of you in the top eight? I think it means a lot to us. You could probably see that we were all looking for each other a little bit during the race and were trying to disconnect from each other and it's really comforting and really helpful for all of us. I think Gary said you don't look like that. It scares me at all, but what do I know? Oh, oh, how angry you were then as you were running around trying to chase an All-American spot that I like, with a Revenge, like I say, I didn't have the best interior spaces or the best season. but these guys always pushing and encouraging me has gone beyond what I can put into words, so I am very grateful.

It's a wolf pack, three All-Americans and three girls who also helped them win the National Cross Country Championship. Congratulations to all. from you thanks Dwight