MacPherson Hits NCAA Mark at Stanford Invitational

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Razorback harriers Peter Kosgei and Scott MacPherson competed in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational late Saturday night, March 31.

MacPherson finished 24th in the field of 29 athletes, 13th among collegians, and was under the NCAA provisional time of 29:30.00 with his clocking of 29:16.74. This weekend was MacPherson’s debut in the event. He holds a 5K best of 13:49.03.

In all events, other than the 10,000-meter run and the decathlon, athletes must qualify for an NCAA Regional before competing for a spot in the NCAA meet. However, those two events aren’t contested at the regional meets. Qualifiers for the 10K and decathlon are determined by the same automatic and provisional qualifying standards applied in indoor track and field.

A packed field of collegians and professionals, seven collegiate runners were under the NCAA automatic mark of 28:45.00 and seven hit the NCAA provisional mark, including UA’s MacPherson. Nicodemus Naimadu was the race winner with a time of 28:06.26.

Uncharacteristically, Kosgei, who holds a 10,000-meter best of 28:08.97 from the 2005 Stanford Invitational, did not finish the race.

For complete results of the 2007 Stanford Invitational, visit www.gostanford.com. The entire Razorback team will make its official outdoor debut at the 2007 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, in Austin, Texas, April 5-7. For complete details, visit www.texassports.com.