EUGENE, Ore. – Alabama track and field distance ace Mercy Chelangat ran away from the field to win the women's NCAA 10,000-meter championship on day two of the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus, Thursday.

Chelangat crossed the finish line in a time of 32:37.08, more than a dozen seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. The first Alabama runner to win an NCAA cross country title, Chelangat is now the first Crimson Tide runner to win an NCAA 10,000-meter championship.

With Chelangat's 10 points, the Crimson Tide is in sixth place after day one of women's competition, while the men are also sixth heading into Friday's after scoring 11 points on Wednesday.

NCAA 10,000-meter Champion Mercy Chelangat

"The 10k is a really long race, so you have to be patient. I wasn't really surprised by the pace. I know my strengths and I knew I could survive the pace until the end. So when it was time to go, it was time to go and I was ready for that. I wasn't worried at all, I knew I would be there at the end."

Head Coach Dan Waters Said

"What an extraordinary race for Mercy. She went out there and executed the plan, running smart all the way through. She is extremely talented and works super hard, and when you combine those two things, you get nights like this. We are super proud of everything she's accomplished and we can't wait for what's next. Overall, I'm super proud of the way we fought today. It shows we have a very bright future."

More from the Crimson Tide on Thursday

• Flomena Asekol ran a 4:14.46 in the 1,500 meters, missing the championship final by just .03
• The 4x400m relay of Christal Mosley, Amara Obi, Amari Brown and Na'Taja Ballard ran a 3:31.29, finishing one spot out of the championship final
• The 4x100m relay of Ballard, Brown, Ayla Stanisclaus and Milan Fields combined to a run 43.85, taking 15th overall
• Amari Brown runs a career-best 22.99 in the 200 meters, taking 19th place
• Brown's time in the 200 meters (22.99) ties her for seventh all-time at UA
• Samantha Zelden posted a throw of 50.53 meters to take 20th in the javelin

Men's Final Day (Friday)

• Alabama returns to action Friday for the last day of the men's competition with 11 points already in the bank after Isaac Odugbesan took third in the shot put and Bobby Colantonio Jr. finished fourth in the hammer throw
• The Tide men also advanced to finals in two events, the 4x400-meter relay and the 200 meters
• Leander Forbes, Demetrius Jackson, Corde Long and Khaleb McRae combined to shatter the school record in the 4x400-meter relay, going 3:00.42 to advance to Friday's final as the No. 2 seed, bettering the previous mark set in 1985 by three-quarters of a second.
• Tarsis Orogot advanced to Friday's final of the 200 meters after turning in a career-best time of 20.32, which ranks him fifth all-time at UA.

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