Alabama A&M University women’s distance runner Laura Avila set a new school record in the 5000 meters at the Vanderbilt Invitational held at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility in Nashville. Avila finished sixth with a time of 18:18.95, surpassing the previous record by more than a minute. The former record of 19:28.96 was set by Sanyae Gibson in 2025 during the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Sanyae Gibson also competed in Friday’s event, placing tenth with a time of 18:56.46.
In other events, Brianna Samuels finished fifth in the women’s 600 meters with a time of 1:34.33.
On the men’s side, Cameron Andrews placed sixth in the long jump with a mark of 6.96 meters. In the long jump invite, Olivier Jean and Justin Walker finished sixth and seventh, recording jumps of 6.98 and 6.97 meters respectively.
The men’s distance medley team—composed of Juan Osorio, Nathan Anderson, Corey Harris, and Zachary Cooper—finished eighth with a time of 11:02.98.
Alabama A&M will continue competition on Saturday for the final day of the Vanderbilt Invitational at the same venue. The meet can be watched live on SEC Network+.
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