BOSTON, Mass.—Auburn distance runner Joyce Kimeli shattered the Auburn indoor record at 5000m this past weekend at the BU Season Opener, crossing in 15:37.82, 27 seconds faster than the previous mark held by Holly Knight.
A sophomore indoors, Kimeli broke the school record while finishing ninth in a race that featured some of the top 5000m times in collegiate history with three runners breaking the 15:15 barrier. Her time was an amazing 51 second improvement from her previous 5k indoor PR and 29 seconds better than her outdoor best at that distance.
"I'm extremely proud of Joyce, and happy for her accomplishment," Auburn distance coach David Barnett said. "The race had several of the top 5,000m times in collegiate history and she contributed to that. Joyce's time will qualify her for NCAA indoor nationals and beat the school record by almost 30 seconds and we've had several competitive women come through our program.
The race for Kimeli was a late addition to the schedule to allow her to compete against some of the nation's top distance runners.
"I'm very appreciative to Coach Spry and the opportunity he gave us to travel to this meet on short notice," Barnett said.
Kimeli has had one of the best distance performances in a calendar year in Auburn history. The 2019 year has seen her earn three All-America honors, including two outdoors and one in cross country. She brought home three SEC indoor and outdoor silver medals at the conference level and won the NCAA South Regional cross country title. Kimeli also broke four school records, three indoors and one outdoors.
"Joyce loves representing Auburn, and always finds a way to rise to the occasion while make the most of her opportunities," Barnett said. "It's also important for our program since her time is one of the fastest 5,000m times in SEC history, and recruits can see that if you come to Auburn University you can compete among the nation's elite."
Auburn will open the indoor season as a team on January 10, 2020 at the Blazer Invitational at the Birmingham CrossPlex.