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RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University junior
Joseph Maina competed in the preliminaries of the 5,000 meters at the 2009 NCAA Track & Field Championships Wednesday evening. The University of Arkansas is hosting the four-day national championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Twenty-seven athletes were split up into two heats for the preliminaries of the 5,000 meters. The top six finishers in each heat plus the next best four times qualified for the finals which will be held on Friday. Maina finished 10th in the second heat with a time of 14:18.44. Unfortunately, his time was not fast enough to qualify for the finals.
Northern Arizona junior David McNeill ran the fastest qualifying time as he crossed the finish line in 13:57.73.
In late May, Maina finished seventh in the 5,000 meters at the Mideast Region Championships with a time of 14:17.98. The Mideast Region is widely considered one of the toughest regions in the country, thus his time was good enough to qualify him for the national championships.
Maina was the top-ranked 5,000 meters runner in the OVC all season before being upset by teammate
Evans Kiptoo in the event at the OVC Championships. The Nairobi, Kenya native won the 5,000 meters at the OVC Championships in 2008 with a mark of 14:37.36.
Maina will have outdoor track and field eligibility next year and, thus, an opportunity to improve on his already decorated career at EKU. His 14:06.43 is the second-fastest 5,000 meters time in EKU history, behind only Jacob Korir. He is also a two-time OVC champion in track and field, garnering individual titles in the 5,000 meters (2008) and the 1,500 meters (2009).
Maina was just as successful in cross country as he won the OVC Championships last fall and was named the 2008 OVC Cross Country Athlete of the Year.