INDIANOLA, Iowa -- With weather better suited to fast running and incredibly deep fields of competition from all NCAA divisions, the Bruin distance running squad turned in multiple personal bests at Thursday and Friday's Kip Javrin Invitational at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. The Bruins were also represented for the first time at the historic Drake Relays in nearby Des Moines.
Thursday began with the 1500-meter run, where all five Bruins recorded lifetime or season bests. Richard Marcoux became the first Bruin to dip under the 4-minute barrier, eclipsing his school record with a 3:59.67 clocking, placing him fifteenth overall among 108 finishers. Luis Casallas Vega ran a season-best 4:07.62 while lifetime bests were turned in by Robbie Siford in 4:28.99 and Alejandro Corona Martinez in 4:40.91. For the women, Ashley Guatemala ran to a lifetime best of her own with a 5:40.43.
The evening ended with the men's 5,000-meter heats featuring 128 athletes. Xavier Mallow ran to a 40th place finish with his 15:29.38 while Jose Lara Flores clocked 15:44.10 in 55th.
While that run was taking place, Alvin Keter was at the Drake Relays for the 10,000-meter run, attempting to meet the NAIA national qualifying standard. Through 15 of the 25 laps of the blue Drake oval he kept the required pace but fell off slightly and came up short, finishing in 31:34.56.
On Friday, the 800-meter races were run and produced the top Bruin finish of the meet. Ronald Kipyegon ran to a personal best and outdoor school record, placing third overall among 109 entrants in 1:53.28. Luis Casallas Vega was next for the team in 32nd with a 1:57.39 while Xavier Mallow finished in 2:01.97. Jose Lara Flores ran his first 800 of the season and recorded a 2:02.93 personal best, as did Robbie Siford, running 2:08.68. Alejandro Corona Martinez rounded out the men's entrants, running 2:17.13. Ashley Guatemala recorded her second lifetime best of the meet for the women, running 2:40.15.
Head Coach Craig Christians: "It was fantastic to see the team show the results of all their hard work with some decent albeit not great conditions. We can still go faster, and hopefully, we get a chance to do that in the next couple of weeks. Running at meets like Javrin and Drake, which have super high-quality fields, is going to be a great thing for our program."
The Bruins will conclude their regular season next weekend at the University of South Dakota's Tune Up meet. Then they will travel to Dickinson, N.D., for the NSAA Championship a week later.
