BOSTON – In the fastest indoor 5,000-meter race in collegiate history, Ky Robinson shattered his own Stanford record on Saturday at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener.
In finishing second to Harvard's Graham Blanks in the seeded section, Robinson ran 13:06.42. Blanks crossed the finish line in 13:03.78. Blanks and Robinson ran the two fastest indoor times in collegiate history.
On the banked 200-meter track at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center, Robinson broke the Australian and Oceania indoor record of 13:09.96 set by Oliver Hoare in 2021. Robinson also shattered his own Stanford absolute record of 13:11.53, run at this meet last year. At the time, it was the third-fastest collegiate time in indoor history.
In the second section of the women's 5,000, Lucy Jenks ran an indoor personal best of 15:38.53, moving her into the No. 3 spot in Stanford indoor history. It was less than a second off the Stanford record for a 200-meter track, though record-holder Fiona O'Keeffe also has a 15:35.77 on an oversized indoor track.
Stanford twins Leo and Lex Young made their collegiate track and field debuts, with Leo finishing second in the fifth section in 13:49.71, a personal best and five seconds off Chris Derrick's school freshman indoor record of 13:49.71 from 2009. Lex Young ran 14:01.40.
The fast section of the men's 5,000 featured the top four finishers from the NCAA Cross Country Championships on November 18, in Earlysville, Virginia. Robinson was third in that race, with Blanks winning the title.
In this rematch, Robinson led from the gun, with Blanks and pro Sam Atkin tucking behind. With 800 to go, Atkin took the lead only for Blanks to make his move with two laps (400 meters) left. Robinson closed with a 59.10 final 400, though Blanks went 57.04 over the same distance.
Counting outdoor marks, Robinson is No. 3 on the all-time Pac-12 list and has run the sixth-fastest 5,000 time by a collegian, including out-of-season races.
The timing of the meet – only two weeks after the NCAA Cross Country Championships – is meant to take advantage of the season-ending fitness from cross country to catapult runners to fast times that could get them into the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The fastest 16 in each event at the indoor season's end will advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 8-9 in Boston.
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Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener
At Boston University Track and Tennis Center
(200-meter banked track)
Men
5,000 – 1, Graham Blanks (Harvard) 13:03.78 (collegiate indoor record); 2, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 13:06.42 (PB; Stanford absolute record; No. 2 collegiate indoor AT; No. 6 collegiate absolute performance AT); 41, Cole Sprout (Stanford) 13:42.27; 55, Leo Young (Stanford) 13:49.71 (PB); 103, Lex Young (Stanford) 14:01.40; 115, Robert DiDonato (Stanford) 14:08.60.
Women
5,000 – 1, Parker Valby (Florida) 14:56.11; 3, Ella Donaghu '21 (Nike Union AC) 15:16.97 (PB); 21, Lucy Jenks (Stanford) 15:38.53 (No. 3 Stanford AT); 45, Sophia Kennedy (Stanford) 15:57.57 (PB); 61, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 16:16.32; 79, Riley Stewart (Stanford) 16:24.66; 131, Caroline Wells (Stanford) 17:00.35; 136, Ava Parekh (Stanford) 17:02.31.
PB = personal best
AT = all-time
