USTFCCCA News & Notes
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA
January 28, 2026  
Records could – and should – fall this weekend at the NYRR Millrose Games.
Three of them, to be exact: Katelyn Tuohy’s 3000-meter record of 8:35.20 from 2023, along with both mile records – Ethan Strand’s 3:48.32 and Silan Ayyildiz’s 4:23.46, each set in 2025.
“Should” sounds slightly less declarative than “will,” but when you have four of the fastest athletes in collegiate history ready to take aim at those marks, it seems to be a matter of when, not if.
The women’s 3000 meters rivets our attention, because it features BYU’s Jane Hedengren and Alabama’s Doris Lemgole. Nearly two months ago, Hedengren shattered Lemngole’s collegiate 5000-meter record by running 14:44.79 in Boston – almost eight seconds faster than Lemngole’s mark from 2024. And last outdoor season, both Hedengren and Lemngole showcased their prowess over 3000 meters with and without barriers: Hedengren clocked 8:40.03 as a high school senior, while Lemngole became the first collegiate woman to break nine minutes in the steeplechase with an 8:58.15 performance.
One more wrinkle: The Armory has been kind to collegiate women in the 3000 meters, as both Tuohy and previous record-holder Karissa Schweizer set their records inside the building.
Virginia’s Gary Martin and Oregon’s Wilma Nielsen are the athletes to watch in their respective Wanamaker Miles. Martin came within a half-second of Strand’s record at last year’s Millrose Games, and Nielsen just ran 4:26.74 this past weekend in a tune-up. Nielsen has also already called her shot, saying she wants to break her teammate’s record.
Just like the women’s 3000 meters, the collegiate record in the men’s mile fell twice at the Millrose Games: first to Chris O’Hare in 2012 and then the following year to Lawi Lalang.
Let’s not forget about the seldom-run two-mile, which New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel will contest alongside a stacked field. Samuel is one of the fastest men in collegiate history in both the indoor and outdoor 5000 meters as well as the 10,000 meters, so the two-mile isn’t too far outside his wheelhouse. The known collegiate record is 8:18.3, set by Henry Rono in 1978.
