EUGENE — Karissa Schweizer closed strong in the final half lap to overtake Alicia Monson and the two were within a stride of each other for much of the final 100 of 10,000 meters.
Schweizer held on for the win in a season-best 30 minutes, 49.56 seconds, topping Monson’s personal-best 30:51.09 in the women’s 10,000 of the USA Track & Field championships Friday night at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field.
Both Schweizer and Monson qualified for the team that will represent the United States during July’s World Athletics Championships at Hayward. They will be joined by Natosha Rogers, who beat Emily Infeld by less than a quarter of a second for the third and final spot on the team.
Emily Durgin led for nearly all of the first 5,000 meters, setting the pace at each of the first five 1,000-meter splits.
Monson took over the lead, and then she and Schweizer, who trains with the Portland-based Bowerman Track Club, pulled away from the rest of the pack and began lapping some of the other runners in the 20-woman field during the final three laps.
“I’d say when Alicia took the lead, I told myself if I can stick on her as long as possible, I had confidence in my kick,” Schweizer said. “She definitely made it difficult. With 400 to go, I dug really deep.”
They ran the final 5,000 meters in under 15 minutes, which Schweizer said was a season-best 5k for her. It was made even more impressive given she had Achilles surgery last fall.
“I definitely didn’t think I was in that good of shape,” Schweizer said. “I was very confident that I was in a better place than I was last year. I’m excited to see where this continues to go. … So many doubts and uncertainties lying ahead and I was really nervous, but I’m so excited that I was able to have that surgery and able to come back so quickly.”
With Schweizer and Monson, who set a personal best by more than 19 seconds, across the finish line, the drama turned to Rogers and Infeld for a dramatic back-and-forth final half lap.
Both Rogers and Infeld said they made the decision not to keep pace with Schweizer and Monson and instead push for third.
“I pretty much knew the whole time except that last five yards,” said Rogers, who had her best finish since finishing second in the 10,000 during the 2012 Olympic trials. “I was like. Uh oh. I thought I was maybe going to get beat there for a second, but I dug really deep and thankfully got it. I’ve been working on my kick a lot.”
Her 31:29.80 edged Infeld’s 31:30.04.
“I thought I had it with 100 to go,” Infeld said. “I thought I was in really good position and Natosha has a phenomenal kick and I gave it everything I had. I feel like I raced tactically how I would’ve wanted to race, it just wasn’t enough. I think that’s what’s hard.”
Infeld said she’ll run the 5,000 meters and attempt to make the national team in that event during next month’s USATF Outdoor Championships.
“I really want to make it; I would love to make it, so we’ll see,” Infeld said. “It’s going to be really tough to make, but going to give myself another shot and see if I can do it.”
