Common Sense Prevails: Christian Noble’s 13:37 NCAA Division II 5K Record Will Count

By Jonathan Gault
February 1, 2021

There is still room for common sense in track & field. Last week, LetsRun.com reported that the NCAA was considering not accepting the would-be Division II indoor 5,000-meter record run of 13:37.39 by Lee (Tenn.) University’s Christian Noble on January 24 at the Magic City Elite meet in Birmingham, Ala. Noble achieved the record with the aid of a pacing light system, which is legal under both USATF and World Athletics rules but prohibited by the NCAA.

Today, however, Noble’s coach Caleb Morgan informed LetsRun.com that the NCAA has confirmed Noble’s mark will count. Though the mark already counted officially for personal best and Olympic Trials qualification purposes, confirmation from the NCAA means that Noble can use the mark to qualify for next month’s NCAA Division II Championships, which will also be held in Birmingham.

While NCAA rules explicitly prohibit “pacesetting by any kind of technical device that benefits the field,” the NCAA’s 2020-21 championship qualifying criteria states that qualifying marks may be achieved in “an open track and field competition conducted under the competition rules of the NCAA, USATF or IAAF.” Since the Magic City Elite meet was USATF-sanctioned and conducted under USATF rules — which explicitly allow pacing light technology — Noble’s mark was upheld.

On Sunday, Noble ran 7:51.46 in Birmingham (without pacing lights) to break the Division II record of 7:54.77 previously held by Adams State’s Sydney Gidabuday (though Western Oregon’s David Ribich ran 7:50.81 on an oversize track in 2018). Noble currently ranks #1 in Division II in 2021 in the mile (4:00.60), 3k (7:51.46), and 5k (13:37.39).