Sharon Colyear-Danville indoor season opener highlighted by exceptional women’s field, which could challenge Emily Sisson’s 2015 collegiate record

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The Sharon Colyear-Danville season opener has become a destination in recent years for several of the country’s top collegiate distance runners to compete in elite 5,000-meter races and Saturday’s event at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center is no exception.

Reigning NCAA Division 1 cross country champions Weini Kelati of New Mexico and Edwin Kurgat of Iowa State, along with Division 2 men’s winner Ezra Mutai of American International are among the athletes scheduled to compete in the fastest sections of the 5,000.

Six of the top 10 women’s indoor 5,000 performers in collegiate history have been produced at the Sharon Colyear-Danville meet in the past five years, including four last season.

The suggested pace for the elite women’s race Saturday, provided by New Balance professional Lianne Farber as the designated rabbit, is 15 minutes, 10 seconds, which would be faster than the 2015 collegiate indoor record of 15:12.22 set in 2015 by Providence’s Emily Sisson.

Kelati ran 15:15.24 last season in Boston to place second behind teammate Ednah Kurgat in 15:14.78. Kurgat elevated to the No. 3 all-time collegiate indoor performer, with Kelati improving to No. 5.

Both athletes are scheduled to compete Saturday, along with New Mexico teammates Charlotte Prouse and Adva Cohen.

Arkansas seniors Katie Izzo and Taylor Werner, who finished third and fourth Nov. 23 at the Division 1 Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., are also expected to race, along with the Brigham Young trio of Courtney Wayment, Erica Birk and Whittni Orton, who placed fifth, sixth and seventh at the NCAA final.

North Carolina State’s Elly Henes and Kelsey Chmiel, Minnesota’s Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz, Auburn’s Joyce Kimeli, Georgia’s Jessica Drop and Oregon’s Carmela Cardama Baez are also among the entries for the elite section.

In addition to Farber, British professional Verity Ockenden is also scheduled to compete, along with HOKA Northern Arizona Elite athlete Dani Shanahan and Ocean State AC professional Briana Ilarda.

Ocean State Track Club’s Jordan Mann is the designated rabbit for the elite men’s section, with a suggested pace of 13:35. The cutoff for the top 10 all-time men’s collegiate indoor performers is 13:25.38.

Canada’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, an ASICS professional, is entered, along with HOKA New Jersey New York Track Club’s Donn Cabral, Nike’s Amos Bartelsmeyer and Sam Prakel of adidas and British pro Kieran Lumb.

In addition to Edwin Kurgat, who boasts an indoor 5,000 best of 13:34.54, Arkansas’ Gilbert Boit, Hofstra’s Alex Masai, Campbell’s Athanas Kioko, Princeton’s Conor Lundy, Syracuse’s Iliass Aouani, Washington’s Tanner Anderson and Iona’s Ehab El-Sandali are scheduled to race in the elite men’s section, along with Middle Tennessee State teammates Jacob Choge and Kigen Chemadi.

Mutai, who won the Division 2 title Nov. 23 in Sacramento, will be competing in his first indoor 5,000 for American International.