Methum the top qualifier heading into Friday's 5,000 meter finals

Wesley Methum ran the top qualifying time in the men's 5,000-meter trials (14:47.26) on Thursday to automatically advance to Friday's finals at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
 
"Wes ran an instinctively great race," Master's head coach Zach Schroeder said. "Today's result is really a display of the great work he has done leading up to this moment."
 
Methum, who won heat two by over a second, is one of 16 runners to reach Friday's final race. The top-four finishers in each heat automatically qualified, along with the next four fastest runners after that.
 
"I've felt great the past couple days and the Lord is truly so faithful in victory and defeat," Methum said. "We have been prepping hard for so long, but it is truly the Lord that grants the race. I am so grateful for His faithfulness through this time."
 


Teammate Daniel Rush, the Golden State Athletic Conference champion in the event, placed 26th out of 40 runners overall and ninth out of 13 in the same heat as Methum, crossing the line in a time of 15:13.90.
 
"The race was very far from what I wanted, but clearly it's where the Lord wanted me," Rush said. "I'm disappointed but not discouraged, and am so incredibly thankful for every blessing God gave me this season, especially health."
 
Methum credited Rush for helping prepare him for the national meet.
 
"Having my teammate and brother Daniel by my side throughout this past season and this week has been so encouraging and sharpening," Methum said. "The more the season progresses, the more clear our dependence on the Lord is."
 
Rush started quickly, finding himself in second place after the opening 200 meters. He was in 12th in his heat after his third full lap, before moving up to sixth after 1800 meters. The sophomore did not go lower than 10th after that, improving by one spot to ninth in his final lap.
 
"I felt good through the first 3K, but then the race fell apart the last mile and the pack ran away from me," Rush said.
 
Methum was in ninth after the first 200 meters of his heat before working his way up to second after 1400 meters, a position he held for the next seven laps. Over the final two laps, Methum moved up to first and closed his final 400 meters in 1:02.42, the fastest lap run by anyone in the trials.
 
"I was stoked with how our heat ran," Methum said. "There were plenty of guys at the front to take the lead that it allowed for comfortable positioning."
 
Schroeder added: "There was a lot of contact and jockeying for position throughout the race that enabled him to avoid some unnecessary shoving."
 
Methum will seek to earn his second NAIA All-American award of the season, after receiving the distinction in cross country just last month, and to become the first TMU Men's Track & Field athlete to be bestowed with the honor since 2017. The team captain said his pursuit of that goal is "all for the Master."
 
The men's 5,000-meter final is scheduled for Friday at 5:55 p.m. CT / 3:55 p.m. PT.
 
"Tomorrow he has a chance to claim his first All-American title on the track, which would be a great accomplishment," Schroeder said. "Our hope is to use every achievement for the glory of God, making Him known as we follow Him faithfully."


 
In the men's 800-meter trials, Kevin Pacheco placed 16th out of 18 and fifth out of six in heat three, finishing in a time of 1:56.20. Pacheco was in sixth position in his heat, before closing with a strong final 100 meters to move up to fifth.
 
"I was very happy I was able to run the race," said Pacheco, who was battling a nagging injury. "It got to the point where every step hurt tremendously, but the Lord allowed me to finish all my races, so I'm very happy for the experience."
 
Before Methum runs in the men's 5,000-meter finals, women's team captain Arianna Ghiorso (1500 meters) and teammate Seanna Nalbandyan (400-meter hurdles) will compete in the finals of their respective events.
 
The women's 1500-meter finals are scheduled for 3 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. PT, while the women's 400-meter hurdle finals are set to begin at 4:10 p.m. CT / 2:10 p.m. PT.
 
To watch the live stream of the meet, visit: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/naia/
Live results can be tracked at: https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=2259
 
Meet Schedule