While digging up the all-time top 10 performances, I had trouble finding information on what the collegiate record progression was in the 70s.
In 1967, Gerry Lindgren had the collegiate record at 28:40.2. Seems slow, but only two years previously in 1965, Ron Clarke had just lowered his own world record of 28:14.0 to 27:39.4.
It appears that Steve Prefontaine did not run the 10,000 until after college, when he set the American record of 27:43.6 in 1974, just four seconds off Lasse Virén's world record of 27:38.35. Looks like he should have run that race more often.
So what were the records between Lindgren's and Gabriel Kamau's 27:36.20 in 1982? You'd think Frank Shorter might have made a mark, but he only ran 29:16.4 in 1969 for Yale, but that might have even been just 6 miles. Part of the issue might be that they seemed to run 6 miles rather than 10,000 meters a lot of the time in college at the time. Was that the case at NCAA champs too?
Here's the current lucky top 13:
27:08.39 Sam Chelanga (Liberty) 05/01/10
27:27.96 Cameron Levins (Southern Utah) 4/30/12
27:28.48 Sam Chelanga (Liberty) 04/24/09
27:28.64 Stephen Sambu (Arizona) 05/01/11
27:29.40 Leoard Korir (Iona) 05/01/11
27:31.38 Chris Derrick (Stanford) 4/30/12
27:33.48 Galen Rupp (Oregon) 04/29/07
27:34.64 Mohammed Ahmed (Wisconsin) 4/30/12
27:36.20 Gabriel Kamau (UTEP) 04/24/82
27:38.10 Gidamis Shahanga (UTEP) 04/24/82
27:38.50 Dathan Ritzenhein (Colorado) 04/30/04
27:38.60 Zack Barie (UTEP) 04/24/82
27:41.05 Ed Eyestone (BYU) 04/27/85
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Some other times:
Henry Rono, 27:22.47 (1978) *After NCAA season*
Samson Kimombwa, 27:30.47 (1977) *After NCAA season*
Diego Estrada, 27:32.90 (2012) *Redshirted*
Boaz Cheboiywo, 27:46.47 (2003)
Shawn Forrest, 27:52.10 (2009)