Yaseen Abdalla, a senior runner for the Arkansas Razorbacks, had an extraordinary performance at the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Saturday, setting new school records in both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter events. His record-breaking feats included shattering a long-standing 20-year-old Arkansas record in the 3,000m and breaking his own school’s 5,000m mark, both accomplished in a remarkable display of speed and endurance.
In the 3,000-meter race, Abdalla not only set a new Razorback record, but he also registered the third-fastest time in collegiate history. He clocked in at 7:34.17, earning third place overall in the competitive seeded race. His performance also surpassed the previous collegiate record of 7:36.42, set by Drew Bosley from Northern Arizona in January 2023. Abdalla’s time was one of several impressive finishes, with the top four athletes in the race all achieving times faster than the previous collegiate record. North Carolina’s Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe finished first and second, with times of 7:30.15 and 7:30.23, respectively, both surpassing the previous record. Abdalla’s performance also broke his own Sudanese national record, which was set at 7:42.23 in the 2023 season. Furthermore, his 7:34.17 time pushed former Razorback Alistair Cragg’s 2004 collegiate record of 7:38.59 down to the No. 11 spot on the all-time list.
Notably, the 3,000-meter race saw remarkable performances from several other athletes, including Virginia’s Gary Martin, who placed fourth with a time of 7:36.09, breaking the previous collegiate record. Strand and Wolfe, with their impressive finishes, now hold the second and fourth positions on the U.S. all-time indoor list, respectively, with Abdalla landing at No. 8 among American performers. His 2,000-meter split of 5:03.95, which was the second-fastest ever recorded in collegiate history, further highlights his exceptional performance, just behind Bosley’s split of 5:03.74 from his collegiate record race.
In the 5,000-meter event, Abdalla continued his stellar performance, setting a new Arkansas school record of 13:22.29, surpassing Patrick Kiprop’s previous mark of 13:24.32, which had been set in 2023. Abdalla won the second heat of the race, cutting over a second off Kiprop’s record. His time also improved his own Sudanese national record of 13:46.39, which he had set earlier in 2024. The top-seeded 5,000-meter race was won by Harvard’s Graham Blanks in a time of 12:59.89, narrowly missing the collegiate record of 12:57.14, set by Nico Young of Northern Arizona earlier this year. The race also saw strong performances from Villanova’s Liam Murphy, who finished second in 13:10.42, and Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau, who placed third in 13:11.29.
In the second heat of the 5,000-meter, Abdalla faced stiff competition from several talented runners, including BYU’s Joey Nokes, Ireland’s Abdel Laadjel, and Alabama’s Victor Kiprop, all of whom finished close behind him with times in the 13:29 range. Other Razorback athletes competing in the event included Reuben Reina, who posted a career-best time of 13:41.76, moving him to No. 12 on the Arkansas all-time list. Reina improved his personal best by nearly 16 seconds compared to his time of 13:57.61 in the same race the previous year. Timothy Chesondin made his indoor debut with a time of 13:53.63, while Brian Masai finished in 13:55.77, and Tommy Romanow ran 14:17.44 in his first indoor race.
Abdalla’s performances at the Boston meet not only set school and national records but also cemented his status as one of the top distance runners in collegiate history. The Razorbacks, with strong showings from Abdalla and his teammates, demonstrated their prowess in distance events, further building on their legacy in track and field.
