Bama Central

Mercy Chelangat Wins Individual National Championship in 10,000 Meter Race

The Crimson Tide's long distance star takes home her second individual national title.

Katie Windham

Mercy Chelangat can now add another trophy to her trophy case. She won the 10,000 meter race at the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon Thursday night with a time of 32:37.08. Chelangat is the first Crimson Tide runner to win the 10,000m title.

"The 10k is a really long race, so you have to be patient," Chelangat said in a press release. "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.”

This is the second individual national title won by Chelangat, joining her individual 2021 NCAA cross country championship. 

Last year, she finished second in the 10,000m behind Oregon's Carmela Cardama Baez, but she got her redemption Thursday night with a win of more than 12 seconds over the field in her junior season. 

Chelangat also won the individual SEC championship in the 5,000m and 10,000m and will compete in the 5,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday. She was third in the 5,000 meters at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships. 

With the win, Chelangat gives the Crimson Tide 10 points in the team standings, which puts Alabama in a tie for sixth after two days of competition. 

"What an extraordinary race for Mercy," Alabama head coach Dan Waters said in a press release. "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."

Mercy Chelangat
Alabama Athletics
Mercy Chelangat at 2022 NCAA Outdoors
Alabama Athletics
Mercy Chelangat at 2022 NCAA Outdoors
Alabama Athletics
Mercy Chelangat with national championship trophy
Alabama Athletics

On the men's side, Alabama had two athletes score on Wednesday. Senior Isaac Odugbesan took third in the shot put with a throw of 20.48 meters. In addition to being a personal high finish at NCAAs for Odugbesan, it was also Alabama’s best finish in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Hreinn Halldorsson also took third in 1980. 

Indoor individual NCAA Champion on the hammer throw, junior Bobby Colantonio Jr. got fourth with a throw of 71.97 meters, his highest ever finish at outdoors. After two days of competition, the men are in a tie for sixth with 11 points. 

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Katie Windham
KATIE WINDHAM

Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports. 

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