By Chris Chavez
June 8, 2023
Stanford University teammates Ky Robinson and Charles Hicks went 1-2 in the NCAA 10,000-meter final on Wednesday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.
Here’s what you need to know:
– Ky Robinson claimed his first NCAA title with a 28:10.96 victory, while his teammate and NCAA cross country champion Charles Hicks finished second in 28:12.20.
– BYU’s Casey Clinger finished third with 28:13.63
– Defending champion Dylan Jacobs faded in the hot conditions and finished 14th in 29:12.47.
How it happened:
The race started off slowly since it was still 82 °F at the start and the lead pack remained bunched up through the first half of the race in 14:10 for the first 5000m.. However, the pace picked up and the lead group began to thin but still had about nine men in contention with two laps remaining in the race. With 500 meters to go, Robinson made a move and pulled away from the rest of the field. Hicks tried to chase him down, but he didn't have enough left to respond to Robinson’s 54.19s final lap. Robinson’s final 800m was clocked at 1:56.85.
What they said afterward:
Ky Robinson: "I didn’t necessarily think the 10,000m was my event. I thought it was more of the 5000m or the 1500m. I did a few 1500s this year and they felt good but thankfully I had those wheels in the last lap and was able to make it happen.”
“500m to go, there was still a big pack of us. I could feel some people looking a little bit tired. I felt great so I made that move to the front and from thereon in, I just had to hope I had the strength to hold and keep fighting those demons. Kept them at bay, got to the last 100m, and saw the big screen. I looked up and saw Charles on my shoulder and myself. It just felt like practice with those last reps of the workouts where it’s just the two of us and Cole (Sprout) and some of our teammates sprinting in. I thought, ‘One of us. Who wants it the most?’ Thankfully, I had that extra half step so I was able to get it over him."
Charles Hicks: "My best shot was to probably go a bit earlier but it was a bit hot and sweaty out there. I didn’t know how I was going to handle it. It felt like the pace was already moving well. To be perfectly honest, Ky is such an exquisite athlete that even if I went a lap sooner, he probably still would’ve got me. Day in and day out, we’re trading punches on the track and hanging out as some of the best friends in the world off the track. It’s an absolutely incredible experience that still hasn’t sunk in. I’m just so proud of him…Both of us were pretty disappointed with how we performed at (NCAA) indoors. Even though we walked away with an All-American in the 5000m, I think we both wanted a lot more from that race. We’ve been working every single day. Neither of us has taken a single day off since March. I think you saw that payoff today."
What happens next?
Robinson, Hicks, Clinger, Jacobs, Gonzaga’s James Mwaura and Harvard’s Graham Blanks are among the athletes who will double back to compete in the 5,000-meter final on Friday at 9:55 p.m. CT.
Other highlights from Day 1 of the NCAA Championships:
– Florida’s P.J. Austin notched a huge personal best of 9.89s (+1.3 m/s wind) to qualify for the men’s 100m final. He entered the day with a personal best of 10.09s. Auburn’s Favour Ashe also had a strong day with a 9.96 seconds (1.3 m/s) personal best to win his section. Texas Tech’s Terrance Jones, who ran 9.91s earlier in the season, failed to advance.
– Texas’ Leo Neugebauer ran a 400m personal best of 47.08 to move ahead of Georgia’s Kyle Garland on Day 1 of the decathlon. Neugebauer finished Day 1 with 4591 points and a 21-point lead over Garland. He told us, “I’m having so much fun. I think I’m having too much fun.” Highly recommend watching his interview with Katelyn Hutchison.
– Arkansas’ Carey McLeod won the men’s long jump with a facility record of 8.26m.
– Harvard’s Kenneth Ikeji won the men’s hammer throw with a 77.92m toss on his final throw of the day.
– Arizona’s Jordan Geist threw 21.06m to win the men’s shot put title after finishing third in the men’s hammer throw.
– LSU’s men ran the fastest 4x100m qualifying time in NCAA history with a 38.06s win before Friday’s final. They set the collegiate record of 37.90 at the SEC Championships.
– Florida’s men’s 4x400m broke the NCAA Championship record with a remarkable 2:58.62. Ryan Willie split 44.53 on the final leg for the Gators. Five schools broke 3:00.00. Oklahoma ran 3:01.85 and did not advance.
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.
