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EUGENE, Ore. – Northeastern men's track and field sophomore Wesley Gallagher competed in the championship heat of the 5000-meter run on Friday night at the NCAA Championships, finishing 23rd overall in front of 10,104 at Historic Hayward Field.
 
The Pembroke, Massachusetts native clocked in with a time of 14:34.79 after keeping pace with the leaders through the first mile of the race saw the top eight runners finish below 13:40.00 for the first time in championship history.
 
Arizona's Lawi Lalang defended his 2013 outdoor 5000-meter title with a time of 13:18.36 to edge fellow Bowerman Watch List athlete Edward Cheserek (Oregon; 13:18.71), in an epic finish with both student-athletes topping the previous meet record held by Villanova's Sydney Maree at the 1979 championships (13:20.63).
 
In addition to Cheserek, Oregon held both the third (Dunbar; 13:26.90) and fourth (Jenkins; 13:27.41) finishes, while Wisconsin's Mohammed Ahmed (13:28.45), Villanova's Patrick Tiernan (13:31.25), Stanford's Joe Rosa (13:31.69) and Texas Tech's Kennedy Kithuka (13:34.91) rounded out the top eight to all earn First Team All-American honors.
 
"I am very proud of what Wes has done today and what he and Coach Matt Lonergan have accomplished by working so well together this year," said Cathrine Erickson, director of track and field and cross country. "We feel as though this experience is so valuable to his future and his development as a elite runner, and we expect to see more from Wes on the national stage as a Husky in the years to come."  
 
Gallagher reached the championship race thanks to a seventh place finish overall at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida two weeks ago. He finished with a time of 14:13.04. Gallagher, the reigning CAA Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year, dominated the 2014 outdoor season by posting a new personal best in the 5000 meter run at the Stanford Invitational on April 4. The sophomore crossed the finish line with an IC4A qualifying time of 14:02.90, earning him 10th place in the race and the 34th best time in the region. With the time, he now ranks third on NU's all-time performance list in the event.
 
"I thought Wes had a great year," said Lonergan. "Coming in to this year, he had never been to the NCAA Championships and had bests of 4:09 (mile) and 14:24 (5000-meter run). Now he has competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championships and NCAA Outdoor Championships, won conference titles, and ran 4:02 (mile) & 14:02 (5000-meter run).
 
"After running 13:30 5000-meter pace for the first mile in the NCAA final, he has gained valuable insight into what it means to compete at the next level. I am very proud of his accomplishments and look forward to his bright future in the Red and Black."