COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – Amon Kemboi and Lawrence Kipkoech both earned All-America honors in the 5000m at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships inside Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium on Friday night.

"It was definitely a very tactical race," said head coach Michael Kelly. "If you look at the results, the whole field was in the race with 400m to go. It made it really challenging to be able to pick up the pace and move through the field."

Kelly continued, "I was thrilled to see Amon sneak in there and get eighth place. He bolted by a couple of people in the last 50m of the race. Unfortunately, Lawrence didn't have enough finishing speed to get on the podium."

Kemboi placed eighth to earn first team All-America honors, while Kipkoech crossed the finish line in 11th place to pick up second team accolades. Kemboi is just the third Campbell athlete to win first team honors, as only Eric Bergemann (2003) and Amon Terer (2017) have previously accomplished the feat.

Kemboi completed the 5000m race in a time of 14:17.42 and Kipkoech followed closely behind in a time of 14:18.00. All of the runners were in a pack until the final 800m of the race, when it turned into a sprint for the finish line. Justyn Knight of Syracuse was the first to the line, clocking in at 14:14.47 to win the individual title.

 "I think Lawrence is really looking forward to tomorrow's 3000m to make up for not getting on the podium tonight," said Kelly.

The NCAA Championships continue tomorrow at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium, with Kipkoech slated to race in the 3000m and Sabina Allen set to compete in the triple jump. For the latest information about Campbell track & field, make sure to follow @GoCamelsRun on Twitter.