Kelati Holds Something In Reserve To Win Thrilling Women's 10K

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

AUSTIN – Weini Kelati learned something from last fall’s second-place finish in the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The New Mexico sophomore knew that even though she might build a late lead in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships that she must keep something in reserve to fend off a late challenge – or risk losing.

On a snowy field in Wisconsin last November, Colorado’s Dani Jones closed a gap and passed Kelati in the last 200 meters for the win.

On a warm night Thursday in Austin, Kelati was chased down by Oregon’s Carmela Cardama Baez on the final lap, but she was able to summon more strength and speed in the final 50 meters to win the title for New Mexico in a stadium-record time of 33 minutes, 10.84 seconds.

“I always learn something and take it to the next level,” said Kelati, who became only the second New Mexico female athlete to capture an outdoor national championship, joining 3,000-meter steeplechase winner Courtney Frerichs in 2016.

“You can’t be the same Weini. (With) different races comes different challenges. I know Anna Rohrer was going to take (the lead). She’s a great runner and I respect her a lot. I let her take it and then I switched with her, because she cannot lead all the race. I saved (something) for the finish line because I know someone’s going to have a great finish, and I want to deal with that.”

Cardama Baez, who was finished 19th at the regional prelims last year and was fourth at the Pac-12 Conference Championships in May, came charging back into the picture over the final couple laps.

“The thing I’m good at is getting on the rail and staying anonymous,” Cardama Baez said. “I can pretend I’m not there. Usually people fall for it and today it worked. I just tried to go one by one and forget what is happening behind me.”

On the final lap, Cardama Baez made up a five-second deficit and drew up alongside Kelati with 80 meters left.

Cardama Baez’s late effort brought an appreciative late-night crowd at Mike A. Myers Stadium to its feet. She finished second in 33:11.56.

“With a lap to go I started thinking I think I can get her,” she said. “I’m just going to go for it. I think I freaked out a little when I got next to her. I was just looking at the line and trying to get there.”

Cardama Baez called her preparation for the women’s 10K a community effort.

Because Oregon faced the prospect of important 10,000-meter finals in Tucson, Ariz. for the Pac-12 Championships, Sacramento for the West prelims, and Austin for the NCAA finals, the track program and a group of grad students worked together to create a heat chamber to give Cardama Baez and others a chance to acclimate to hot and humid conditions.

“We have people coming in at 4:30 on a Saturday to watch us run on a treadmill in a box that is, like, 94 degrees and humid,” Cardama Baez said.

Cardama Baez finished higher than any Duck in the women's 10,000 meters final since Kathy Hayes, who won it in 1984.

The race went out slow in warm conditions – 78 degrees and 78 percent humidity – and Notre Dame’s Rohrer took the reins of the early pacing. Rorher stretched out the field behind her a bit and ran between 75 and 85 seconds after going through 1,600 in 5:44.63.

Kelati shot to the front and began to create separation with six laps to go, when she ran a 74.78-second lap.

Kelati’s lead grew to 40 meters but the trio in the next group – Washington’s Izzi Batt-Doyle, Arkansas’ Taylor Werner and Cardama Baez – weren’t completely letting go of the rope.

Over the final penultimate lap, Kelati’s lead shrank a bit.

Cardama Baez wrestled second place away from Batt-Doyle and Werner and began to boldly take off after Kelati.

She never quite was able to get ahead of the New Mexico star, who knew that she was about to have company and was prepared for a counter-attack.

“I was like, ‘Whoa, there is someone coming to me,” Kelati said. “But I’m not going to give up until the finishing line because I will run until I faint.”

Batt-Doyle finished third in 33:17.81. Her finish matched the program-best third place by Anita Campbell in 2009.

Taylor Werner picked up five big points for Arkansas by finishing fourth in 33:20.68, just ahead of Villanova’s Caroline Alcorta (33:20.70).

Rohrer finished sixth for the second straight year.

Paige Stoner of Syracuse was seventh and Wiscons’s Amy Davis was eighth, one spot ahead of podium favorite Ednah Kurgat, Kelati’s New Mexico teammate.