ALLENDALE, Mich. – With one powerful stride at the very end of college track's longest race, AIC redshirt freshman Ezra Mutai edged out his competition to win his second national championship and the fifth in the history of the American International College track and field program on Thursday, May 27.
For the first 8,000 meters, Mutai was the man the pack of runners chased; he led after all but one of the first 20 laps, falling briefly to third on the 10th lap but retaking the lead on the 11th. Senior Isaac Harding of host Grand Valley State University nd Colorado State University-Pueblo senior Marcello Laguera were with him through the midpoint of the race, where Laguera fell back. Minnesota State University-Moorhead senior Nadir Yusuf also hung within a few seconds of Mutai for most of the race.
Just as Laguera fell back, however, sophomore Dylan Ko of the Colorado School of Mines jumped into the fray, pushing from 12th place to sixth just shy of the 6000-meter mark, and up to fourth quickly after. It was clear that that quartet – Mutai, Harding, Yusuf, and Ko – contained the champion. At the 8000-meter mark, the four were within a second of each other.
The shuffling on the last five laps was incredible. Harding slightly overtook Mutai with 1200 meters to go, and both were passed by Yusuf as he bolted to the front with just 800 meters to the line. He faded, however, and Mutai passed Harding only to find himself just behind Ko with one lap remaining – the trio of Mutai, Harding, and Ko separated after 24 laps by just two-tenths of a second with the finish line in sight.
Ko, however, could not quite keep pace with the incredible push that the rookie Mutai and the veteran Harding put on going through the last turns. Heading into the final stretch, the duo were both sure to break the one-minute mark for their lap, but only one would be able to finish in first. They were neck and neck into the final 50 meters, and even to the last 25, but Mutai had one more drop in the tank, powering just ahead of Harding to win by a bare 0.22 seconds.
The crown makes Mutai the first Yellow Jacket to win a national title in both cross country and track and field, as he won the cross country title in 2019 as a true freshman. He joins teammate Leakey Kipkosgei as the only two-time national champions in the history of AIC – although Kipkosgei will have a chance to become a three-time national champion when he competes in the 3000-meter steeplechase to be held Saturday, May 28.
AIC's first national title was won in 2012 by Dominic Smith '12, who took the crown in the 400-meter dash at the 2012 Indoor National Championship. Kipkosgei was part of the next title for AIC in his freshman campaign in 2016, as the distance medley relay unit won their race. Kipkosgei won one on his own three years later; the 2019 victory was AIC's first one outdoors, as he dominated the steeplechase to become the first multi-time national champion in AIC's history. That fall, Mutai won the cross country championship in his first semester of competition.
-Release courtesy of AIC Athletic Communications
WATCH: Ezra Mutai of @AICtrack & Isaac Harding of @GVSUXCTF (��) finish 1-2 in the Men's 10,000 Meters at the 2021 @NCAADII Outdoor T&F Championships, separated by just 0.22 seconds ��pic.twitter.com/43r1dTR50K
— USTFCCCA (@USTFCCCA) May 28, 2021
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