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Akbar Shatters Own School Record in 5,000-Meters
American junior places eighth at Penn Relays

April 25, 2002

Samia Akbar established a new school record in the 5,000-meters while finishing eighth at the Penn Relays.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — American junior Samia Akbar (Herndon, Va./Oakton) continued her outstanding season tonight at the prestigous Penn Relays. Running in the Championship of America 5,000-meters, Akbar set a new school record in the event, finishing in 16:44.36. She finished eighth in the race as she provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Akbar ran an extremely smart race, running the first mile in the middle of the pack in 5:20. The pack split into four groups and she settled into the second pack through the second mile. Akbar came through the second mile in 10:46 (5:26 for mile two).

Akbar made her move at this point of the race. She broke out of the second pack and began to pick off runners ahead of her one by one. Akbar caught a number of runners that were in the first pack as she continued to move up in the third mile. Akbar crossed the line in 16:44.36 and was just edged out by Kim Thalmann of Brown for seventh.

Akbar's time smashes her previous school record of 17:17.53. Her next race will be next weekend at the Patriot League Championships. Penn Relays continues tomorrow with the men's distance medley relay running in the Championship of America at 3:30 p.m.

Event 80, Thursday, 7:55 pm
CW 5,000m Run Championship

1. 16:29.79, Mary Proulx (Keene State)
2. 16:32.12, Michelle Carson (Michigan State)
3. 16:32.64, Julie Culley (Rutgers)
4. 16:35.08, Jamie Krzyminski (Michigan State)
5. 16:37.19, Jenn Ford (North Florida)
6. 16:40.86, Cheryl Bauer (William & Mary)
7. 16:44.19, Kim Thalmann (Brown)
8. 16:44.36, Samia Akbar (American)
9. 16:49.72, Colleen Harrison (Kent State)
10. 16:50.07, Carlan Gray (Cornell)
11. 16:52.81, Catherine Casey (Princeton)
12. 16:57.96, Rachel Evjen (Northwestern)
13. 16:58.40, Jennifer Modliszewski (unattached)
14. 17:00.29, Sharon Dickie (Tennessee)
15. 17:01.78, Lara Niell (Dartmouth)
16. 17:02.98, Aimee Alexander (Delaware)
17. 17:03.10, Kristy Fuller (South Florida)
18. 17:04.08, Jenna Richardson (Brown)
19. 17:05.36, Nicole Kelleher (Dartmouth)
20. 17:06.28, Dagny Dingman (Dartmouth)
21. 17:09.06, Beth Kraft (North Carolina State)
22. 17:09.16, Katie Anderson (Michigan State)
23. 17:14.88, Everlyn Cheptoo (Fairleigh Dickinson)
24. 17:17.36, Molly Hammer (Kent State)
25. 17:18.28, Jocelyn Smith (Edinboro)
26. 17:18.86, Paula Gowing (Oklahoma State)
27. 17:24.73, Meggan Hodge (Mississippi State)
28. 17:30.45, Marisa Clapp (Springfield)
29. 17:33.94, Kati Stevens (Ohio State)
30. 17:41.84, Jesica Southers (Tennessee)
31. 17:59.03, Jess Riden (Penn State)
dnf, Jennifer Payne (Stony Brook)