UNM's Jasmine Wood wins Mountain West 10k title by a hundredth of a second in thrilling finish

Sean Reider
Sean Reider Journal Staff Writer
Published Modified

In what could very well be the closest race of the weekend, a Lobo came out on top.

New Mexico’s Jasmine Wood pulled through late to win the women’s 10,000-meter conference title by a hundredth of a second, securing the Lobos’ first individual honor Thursday at the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Racing in Fresno, California, the junior from Buckinghamshire, England and Air Force’s Ella Johnson broke away from the pack with just 100 meters remaining. Johnson overtook Wood briefly, only for the latter to surge down the stretch and lean into the closest finish of the day — one where it wasn’t immediately clear who came out on top.

But the times left no doubt: Wood finished in 34 minutes, 27.49 seconds to Johnson’s 34:27.50.

“I think that’s the fastest I’ve run, like, ever in my whole life,” Wood laughed during a post-race interview with the Mountain West Network. “I mean, (Johnson) put up such a good show, and I really had to fight for that.”

“I’ve got this mantra, like, ‘get bored before you get tired,’” she said when asked about how she prepared for Thursday’s race. “That’s really where my head’s at — like, the first 5K was actually a lot harder than I thought it’d be. It’s quite warm.

“But, yeah — just getting bored before my legs gave out,” she laughed.

There was less drama in the men’s 10K: UNM finished 1-2 with Vincent Chirchir (28:59.75) and Evans Kiplagat (29:04.52) notching podium spots.

Both also broke Air Force’s Luke Combs’ previous meet record of 29:05.72 as three Lobos finished in the top five; Thomas Termote (29:18.37) finished fourth behind Boise State’s Meshack Kuyo (29:12.29).

The MW Track and Field Outdoor Championships continued late Friday and Saturday.

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