Iowa State's Mercyline Kirwa orchestrates upset, wins NCAA 10k title
Coming into the day, the battle for the 10,000-meter national title was viewed as a two-woman race. Mercyline Kirwa, however, had other plans. The Iowa State freshman from Kenya unleashed a devastating kick with 200 to go and sprinted away from a pair of collegiate distance sta
Coming into the day, the battle for the 10,000-meter national title was viewed as a two-woman race.
The Iowa State freshman from Kenya unleashed a devastating kick with 200 to go and sprinted away from a pair of collegiate distance stars to claim her first NCAA title, winning in 31 minutes, 54.88 seconds June 11 at the outdoor track and field championships at Hayward Field.
"Today, I was like, 'I can run with them and maintain their pace,'" Kirwa said. "'If they go fast, I'll just follow them.'"
Kirwa closed the race with a blistering final 400 split of 1:01.84.
New Mexico sophomore Pamela Kosgei, the meet record-holder, was second in 31:56.49. Brigham Young University freshman Jane Hedengren, the collegiate record-holder, took third in 31:57.94.
The stage was set Thursday for a highly anticipated showdown between Kosegi and Hedengren. Their back-and-forth battle during the 2026 outdoor season has been one of the sport's top storylines; Kosegi swept the 5K and 10K outdoor titles as a freshman in 2025.
Hedengren has burst onto the scene this spring, setting collegiate records in both the 5K (14:50.5) and 10K (30:46.8).
At the bell, Hedengren appeared to be moving comfortably as she stepped into the lead. But when Kosegi and Kirwa made their move at the 200 mark, Hedengren was not able to match them.
