Hamer Captures Second Place in NCAA Championship 5,000-Meter

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Eric Hamer continued his upward trajectory in his collegiate career, resetting the school record for the third time en route to finishing second place in the 5,000-meter race Friday afternoon at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships inside the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Hamer, of Monument, Colo., crossed the finish line at 13:29.60 – clearing his previous school mark by 8.33 seconds. The time goes down as the fifth-best in the NCAA this season and the 11^th-best all-time in the NCAA Championships. In the CSU record book, he now sits about 15 seconds ahead of former teammates Grant Fischer and Jerrell Mock who are also the only other Rams to ever compete in the race on the national stage.

Winning the race was Iowa State's Wesley Kiptoo, the Big 12 Cross Country Champion and Runner of the Year, with a time of 13:23.77, which marked the fastest this season in the NCAA plus a national meet record.

Student-Athlete's Perspective
Graduate Runner Eric Hamer
"I feel a little surreal…I definitely was a little uneasy early with the fast start. I had a sneaky suspicion that Kiptoo was going to do something kind of crazy like that. I did not want to ask coach though, because I kind of already knew the answer – do not go for him. Once you are 2K in, you think about yourself battling and wanting to be competitive for the win and it can be emotional prerace if you think about all the different scenarios. But when you are in the thick of the moment and you are battling for every place you can get; I mean that was the greatest second place I have ever run. It feels like a winner. I feel like I earned it in every way. I feel like I still did it the hard way. I tried to be as smart as I could, as responsive as I could. I feel like I ran my race. I did my best to relax when coach told me to, but when I made the decision to go and make the move it hurt me, so it must hurt them."

More on the race…
"About 3K in I really felt out of my depth. I felt like I had a moment where I did not think I could do this and there are 10 guys just ready to run me down into the ground. As soon as I thought that though, I immediately thought, 'This is what breaking into the next level feels like. This is what it felt like when you ran cross country and got your first All-America.' It is a moment where you must draw a line in the sand and refuse to step back. With about 2K left, I knew I could press the gas and get in front. I had been trailing fourth place and I knew I could jump this guy and use a huge surge to catch second and third. When I was getting to that point is when coach Art Siemers yelled 'Blow by them!'. Which I did, making them the target [to the rest of the pack] and not me. Coach Siemers does not overcoach and he uses his words wisely. When he says something, you listen and you respond."

On the support…
"I've definitely felt the love in my corner from the whole Ram nation. Obviously having Art Siemers and our trainer Anne Bradley on-site. Those two have been there since day one. I cannot do it without either of them. Siemers is not the kind of coach that sends you a ton of motivation or trying to get ahead emotionally. He is just calling out the facts, calling out the splits and telling you to get ready, telling you to go and telling you to keep going. That is really what a coach is supposed to do. I had to put my phone down about two hours before the race, because I was getting so many texts of people cheering for me, thinking of me and love me. I get to celebrate with all those people after the race. People are telling me good race and all, but really it is me trying to reciprocate like no I could not do it without any of them or my teammates, friends, or family. That is when it really comes full circle. It can be overwhelming in a good way."

Coaches' Corner
Head distance coach Art Siemers
"Obviously, Eric wanted to try to win. We knew that Kiptoo was the big favorite with his other national titles and top times. Eric wanted to establish a solid pace, so it was tough when Kiptoo and the runners from Arkansas and Florida State went out at 29 seconds for the first 200, which is really fast. So, I was really proud of Eric for realizing how fast that was and not following. He was looking uncomfortable with the decision of going after those guys or settling. He tucked in and relaxed in that second pack – the chase pack. From there I waited until about lap eight before I said, 'Whenever you feel good, Eric'. That is when he started to roll away from the pack to go after the front. He was smart, because right when he was coming up on the Arkansas and Florida State runners your intuition is to slide in behind them and relax for a second, but I yelled to ride around, and he just kept rolling. I also wanted him to get more of a gap between the pack, because of few of the guys going into the kick because they have stronger finishing sprints. He is so mature right now in his racing. In the past, he may have been more aggressive in the beginning and it would have cost him, but now he is at a part of his running career that he has a great sense of the race. He had a perfect race strategy. To get second in the NCAA's was phenomenal."

All-Time Rams in the NCAA Indoor Championship 5,000-Meter Race
2021 | Eric Hamer (2nd, 13:29.60)
2020 | Eric Hamer (Cancelled due to COVID-19)
2018 | Grant Fischer (14th, 14:21.82)
2017 | Grant Fischer (9th, 13:55.37); Jerrell Mock (10th, 13:56.74)
2016 | Jerrell Mock (14th, 14:07.09)

CSU Indoor History Book | 5,000-METER RUN
1. Eric Hamer, 3-12-21; *1st in MW*13:29.60
2. Grant Fischer, 2-9-18; 13:44.24
3. Jerrell Mock, 2-10-17; 13:44.65
4. Ben Larson, 2-13-15; 13:58.85
5. Josh Glaab, 2-12-05; 14:02.59

Event 7 | Men 5000 Meter Run | RESULTS
1. Wesley Kiptoo, Iowa State, 13:23.77; Meet Record & fastest time this season in NCAA
2. Eric Hamer, Colorado State, 13:29.60
3. Morgan Beadlescomb, Michigan State, 13:29.96
4. Adriaan Wildschutt, Florida State, 13:30.55
5. Aaron Bienenfeld, Cincinnati, 13:31.65
6. Shea Foster, SE Louisiana, 13:32.38
7. Alec Basten, Minnesota, 13:32.98
8. Ben Veatch, Indiana, 13:33.50
9. Andrew Jordan, Washington, 13:33.61
10. Jacob McLeod, Arkansas, 13:39.50
11. Devin Meyrer, Michigan, 13:40.66
12. Gilbert Boit, Arkansas, 13:46.48
13. Amon Kemboi, Arkansas, 13:50.10
14. Alec Sandusky, Cincinnati, 13:54.96
15. Colton Johnsen, Washington State, 14:01.86
DNF. Matt Young, Arkansas

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