Friday, February 10
Seattle, WA
3:45 p.m. MT
Montana State University
at
Husky Classic
Camila Noe
Photo by: Thomas Anderson
Camila Noe Breaks Own 5,000 Meter Record During Husky Classic
2/10/2023 11:05:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Noe became the first MSU woman to go sub-16 in the indoor and outdoor 5,000-meters on Friday night.
SEATTLE, Wash. – Montana State track and field senior Camila Noe's season debut in 5,000 meters was a long time coming. Yet it was worth the wait — even if the buildup was nerve-wracking.
Before Noe's school-record-breaking 15:59.69 5K at the Husky Classic on Friday, the Bozeman High School grad was anxious about her season debut in her marquee event. Nearly a year removed from her last 5K on the track, Noe was so hesitant to set a goal of breaking 16 minutes that she approached Dale Kennedy Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Lyle Weese not once, but twice in the week before the race.
After the second time, Weese not only gave Noe the reassurance she needed but also told her to throw out the time and race.
Throw out the slow start to her workouts this indoor season. Throw out the near-year-long break between running a 5K on the track. Throw out the fact that she'd be running at sea level in one of the most iconic indoor track facilities, in the fastest 5K heat against several cross-country All-Americans. To paraphrase fellow MSU distance runner Ben Perrin: You go to Dempsey Indoor Stadium to run fast times.
And, as almost every MSU runner did on Friday, Noe took advantage of that opportunity to run a fast time.
So with that in mind, Noe toed the line with 18 other runners, all while silently telling herself, Just relax. You can do this.
The starting gun went off, then sounded again seconds later, as a congested start prompted the race officials to bring everyone back for a cleaner start. During the second start, Noe found herself in the back row, jostling for position before making her first of many moves forward on the straightaway of the first lap. Yet the senior wasn't nervous. She was relaxed and focused in the moment.
"I could tell from the first 200 meters that we were going pretty fast and I didn't need to be part of that front group," Noe said. "We went through the first 1,600 meters at 5:02, which was well below what I wanted to go through. I was more aware of my pace and I didn't want to exert more energy than I needed to just to be in the top five. I felt comfortable and I wasn't stressed."
Over the next 1,600 meters, the race split into two packs: One group of nine following the pacer in earnest, and a chase pack about 10 meters back, biding its time. This is where Noe was throughout the first few phases of the race.
"She is a really good racer," Weese said. "A lot of it comes naturally to her, but she put herself in a good position and was really aware of what was happening around her. If there was someone ahead of her who was slowing down, she didn't hesitate and she kept going. She didn't get caught up in anyone else's race."
Noe worked her way up to the front of the chase pack where Furman's Jenna Mulhern set the pace and waited for the right moment to break off. Yet with four laps to go, Noe sensed Mulhern wasn't gaining on the leaders and she took matters into her own hands.
"Oftentimes, as runners, we get behind a person and we get comfortable following them, but what changed for me was I had more awareness," Noe said. "I knew people in front of me were slowing down, so I made my moves. Then I noticed I was picking up ground on the [Washington's Andrea Markezichl] who was ahead of me for the last few laps. I was like, 'wow, I'm actually running faster than some of the front-pack runners right now.'"
Her second-half patience paid off. With two, 300-meter laps to go, Noe could sense she was running well based on the energy of the crowd, split seconds of noticing Weese's reactions out of the corner of her eye and how her body felt in the last phase of the race. No stranger to running sub-16 in the 5K, Noe was familiar with how that pace felt, plus she was feeling good enough to make a final move.
Then she approached the home stretch. Sub-16 appeared within reach.
"Coming along the home stretch, I realized 'oh my God, I'm going to make it,'" Noe said. "I crossed and saw the clock at 15:58 or 59 and I knew I made it. I would've been so sad if I missed sub-16 by a second. I was pretty stoked."
Her time not only broke her own school record she set last year but also makes her the first MSU woman to go sub-16 in the 5K in indoor and outdoor track. Noe ranks third in the Big Sky Conference and 39th in Division I during one of the fastest collegiate track seasons in history.
"I feel so much more confident coming off of this race," Noe said. "I consider the 5K my event, so to be able to pull off a sub-16-minute 5K is such a confidence booster. I feel like I'm walking away from this race with a lot of gratitude for the fitness I have and motivation for the upcoming months. It feels like some goals of mine aren't too crazy now that I've been able to run that time."
Her sentiment echoed teammate Ben Perrin's recollection of the meet. Perrin, who broke the MSU 5K record at last year's Husky Classic, ran a similar, confidence-boosing 5K by starting out smart in the middle of the pack, making the right moves to gun down Furman's Dylan Schubert in the second half and took control of the race in the last few laps. He would finish in a time of 13:41.44 — a narrow second place behind former Oregon runner Jackson Mestler, who overtook Perrin in the final 10 feet of the race.
"Sometimes, training at altitude can discourage you because of the times, but it was nice to come down to sea level and race," Perrin said. "Everyone had a solid weekend here, so our confidence and excitement as a group is pretty high."
Aside from Noe's school record, five Bobcats ran personal bests in Seattle, including two more top-10 marks in the 3K thanks to Mya Dube and Levi Taylor. With this meet almost wrapped up — Chris Bianchini runs the 800 meters on Saturday afternoon — the Montana State distance team looks forward to the Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships two weeks from now.
"I think the athletes sometimes question whether the track size and altitude adjustments are really accurate," Weese said. "So to get to sea level and run fast in this meet helps build their confidence — whether it's outright PRing, or setting personal bests from adjusted marks."
BUSINESS TRIP NOTES
All the new top-10 marks in program history set at the meet
Before Noe's school-record-breaking 15:59.69 5K at the Husky Classic on Friday, the Bozeman High School grad was anxious about her season debut in her marquee event. Nearly a year removed from her last 5K on the track, Noe was so hesitant to set a goal of breaking 16 minutes that she approached Dale Kennedy Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Lyle Weese not once, but twice in the week before the race.
After the second time, Weese not only gave Noe the reassurance she needed but also told her to throw out the time and race.
Throw out the slow start to her workouts this indoor season. Throw out the near-year-long break between running a 5K on the track. Throw out the fact that she'd be running at sea level in one of the most iconic indoor track facilities, in the fastest 5K heat against several cross-country All-Americans. To paraphrase fellow MSU distance runner Ben Perrin: You go to Dempsey Indoor Stadium to run fast times.
And, as almost every MSU runner did on Friday, Noe took advantage of that opportunity to run a fast time.
So with that in mind, Noe toed the line with 18 other runners, all while silently telling herself, Just relax. You can do this.
The starting gun went off, then sounded again seconds later, as a congested start prompted the race officials to bring everyone back for a cleaner start. During the second start, Noe found herself in the back row, jostling for position before making her first of many moves forward on the straightaway of the first lap. Yet the senior wasn't nervous. She was relaxed and focused in the moment.
"I could tell from the first 200 meters that we were going pretty fast and I didn't need to be part of that front group," Noe said. "We went through the first 1,600 meters at 5:02, which was well below what I wanted to go through. I was more aware of my pace and I didn't want to exert more energy than I needed to just to be in the top five. I felt comfortable and I wasn't stressed."
Over the next 1,600 meters, the race split into two packs: One group of nine following the pacer in earnest, and a chase pack about 10 meters back, biding its time. This is where Noe was throughout the first few phases of the race.
"She is a really good racer," Weese said. "A lot of it comes naturally to her, but she put herself in a good position and was really aware of what was happening around her. If there was someone ahead of her who was slowing down, she didn't hesitate and she kept going. She didn't get caught up in anyone else's race."
Noe worked her way up to the front of the chase pack where Furman's Jenna Mulhern set the pace and waited for the right moment to break off. Yet with four laps to go, Noe sensed Mulhern wasn't gaining on the leaders and she took matters into her own hands.
"Oftentimes, as runners, we get behind a person and we get comfortable following them, but what changed for me was I had more awareness," Noe said. "I knew people in front of me were slowing down, so I made my moves. Then I noticed I was picking up ground on the [Washington's Andrea Markezichl] who was ahead of me for the last few laps. I was like, 'wow, I'm actually running faster than some of the front-pack runners right now.'"
Her second-half patience paid off. With two, 300-meter laps to go, Noe could sense she was running well based on the energy of the crowd, split seconds of noticing Weese's reactions out of the corner of her eye and how her body felt in the last phase of the race. No stranger to running sub-16 in the 5K, Noe was familiar with how that pace felt, plus she was feeling good enough to make a final move.
Then she approached the home stretch. Sub-16 appeared within reach.
"Coming along the home stretch, I realized 'oh my God, I'm going to make it,'" Noe said. "I crossed and saw the clock at 15:58 or 59 and I knew I made it. I would've been so sad if I missed sub-16 by a second. I was pretty stoked."
Her time not only broke her own school record she set last year but also makes her the first MSU woman to go sub-16 in the 5K in indoor and outdoor track. Noe ranks third in the Big Sky Conference and 39th in Division I during one of the fastest collegiate track seasons in history.
"I feel so much more confident coming off of this race," Noe said. "I consider the 5K my event, so to be able to pull off a sub-16-minute 5K is such a confidence booster. I feel like I'm walking away from this race with a lot of gratitude for the fitness I have and motivation for the upcoming months. It feels like some goals of mine aren't too crazy now that I've been able to run that time."
Her sentiment echoed teammate Ben Perrin's recollection of the meet. Perrin, who broke the MSU 5K record at last year's Husky Classic, ran a similar, confidence-boosing 5K by starting out smart in the middle of the pack, making the right moves to gun down Furman's Dylan Schubert in the second half and took control of the race in the last few laps. He would finish in a time of 13:41.44 — a narrow second place behind former Oregon runner Jackson Mestler, who overtook Perrin in the final 10 feet of the race.
"Sometimes, training at altitude can discourage you because of the times, but it was nice to come down to sea level and race," Perrin said. "Everyone had a solid weekend here, so our confidence and excitement as a group is pretty high."
Aside from Noe's school record, five Bobcats ran personal bests in Seattle, including two more top-10 marks in the 3K thanks to Mya Dube and Levi Taylor. With this meet almost wrapped up — Chris Bianchini runs the 800 meters on Saturday afternoon — the Montana State distance team looks forward to the Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships two weeks from now.
"I think the athletes sometimes question whether the track size and altitude adjustments are really accurate," Weese said. "So to get to sea level and run fast in this meet helps build their confidence — whether it's outright PRing, or setting personal bests from adjusted marks."
BUSINESS TRIP NOTES
- In the invitational heat of the 3K, Duncan Hamilton placed third with a time of 7:44.90 — about one second off his fastest time of the season.
- Earlier in the 3K, Levi Taylor ran a lifetime best of 8:01.05, which ranks fifth all-time at Montana State. Owen Smith also PRed in the 3,000 meters with an 8:17.20.
- On the women's side, three 3K runners set new PRs. Mya Dube was the top Bobcat in the event with a 9:29.90 — the sixth-fastest at MSU — while Kendra Lusk shattered her previous best time by over 15 seconds with a time of 9:45.93. Running her first 3,000 meters in a Bobcat uniform, grad transfer Ava Weems ran a 9:50.57 and Lindsey Paulson rounded out the 3K runners with a 9:43.57.
- Over in the men's 5K, Cooper West ran his second, sub-15 5K with a 14:38.28 in the first heat, while Matthew Richtman clocked a 14:16.21 in the invitational heat of the 5K. For the women, Alex Moore ran an 18:15.51 in the first heat.
All the new top-10 marks in program history set at the meet
- Women's 5,000 meters: Camila Noe, 15:59.69 — New school record
- Men's 3,000 meters: Levi Taylor, 8:01.15 — 5th all-time at MSU
- Women's 3,000 meters: Mya Dube, 9:29.90 — 6th all-time at MSU
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
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