Johnson, who clocked a career-best 13:45.86 in the win, broke away from the leading pack in the closing laps to secure the win by seven seconds and a new meet record – taking more than 13 seconds less than the old event standard. . By slashing nearly 18 seconds from his best time, which was set over this same weekend last year, Johnson posted the Falcons’ fastest time over 5,000 meters outdoors since 2019 and ranked third in the program’s all-time rankings. At the end of the eight sections of the 5000 meter race, Johnson posted the fastest time of the 165 competitors.

Johnson wasn’t the only Falcon to impact the program’s Top 10 in the 5,000 meter race at Cox Stadium on Friday, as a rookie Ally Peterson debuted 10th in the all-time women’s rankings in her first race at the distance. Crossing the finish line in 16:54.36, Peterson was the top collegiate finisher in her section and placed second among varsity runners — and fourth overall — in the full field of 103 runners. Senior Adrianna Wilder added a time of 17:31.14 to finish 25th overall.

Senior Matt Zacharie officially kicked off the competition on Thursday, March 31, when he competed in the 3,000m steeplechase on the first day of action at Cox Stadium. Competing in his first steeplechase since his freshman year, Zacharias lost more than 21 seconds off his previous time to finish in the first half of 32 runners (15th) with a time of 9:27.69.

The Falcons distance team continues their California competition later tonight at the Stanford Invitational, while the rest of the Air Force team hosts the Open Front Range at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex tomorrow (April 1). , starting at 11:30 a.m. (MT).