RALEIGH, N.C. – Fresh off her Big Ten Indoor Championship in the event, Penn State track & field’s Faith DeMars set the No. 2 time in program history in the outdoor 5,000-meter run at the Raleigh Relays on Friday night.
It was an excellent evening for the three Nittany Lion 5K runners who made the trip to Raleigh to race in the top 5K field in the country. DeMars clocked a 15:44.98, good for second all-time at Penn State. DeMars became just the sixth Nittany Lion woman to break the 16:00 barrier, and the first since 1978 to run under 15:45. Kathy Mills holds the Penn State record with her 15:32.52 set all the way back in the aforementioned 1978 season.
In addition to DeMars’ historic mark, Sophia Toti, the 2022 Big Ten Outdoor Runner-Up in the 10,000m, set a new PR in the 5K, with a 16:27.10 that clocked in over four seconds faster than her previous 5K all-time best.
The third member of the contingent, Kileigh Kane, made her collegiate debut at the 5K distance with a 16:51.50.
DeMars’ time clocks in as the second-best time in the Big Ten this season, with Addie Engel of Ohio State finishing just 0.96 seconds ahead of DeMars in the same heat in Raleigh. The top 17 finishers in Raleigh earned the NCAA’s new top 17 qualifying marks, meaning DeMars’ 7th-place finish gave her the No. 7 mark in the country heading into the weekend.
UP NEXT
The rest of the Nittany Lions’ squad will take to the track on Saturday, March 24 at the Hurricane Invitational, hosted by Miami.
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