From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Kingsway’s Kylie Anicic opened her senior season at Edinboro with one of the fastest 10,000s in NCAA Division 2 history.

Anicic ran 33:25.55 at the Raleigh Relays at the Paul Derr Track at North Carolina State and placed 2nd to Kenyan Odilia Jepchumba of NCAA Division 1 Middle Tennessee State, who won the race in 33:16.76. Jepchumba was the Conference USA mile and 3,000 champ indoors in her first season of college competition.

Anicic’s previous 10,000 PR was 34:37.31 in a meet at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., in April 2022.

Her time is 14th-fastest in NCAA Division 2 history according to an all-time list posted on the USTFCCCA site that I was able to update and correct in several cases, thanks to results I found on Newspapers.com.

Her time is also 6th-fastest ever by a South Jersey high school alum and fastest by a collegiate in 10 years – since West Deptford graduate Meghan McGlinchey ran 33:15.95 as a La Salle senior at the 2014 Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

Anicic came through 5,000 meters in about 16:55 and closed in about 16:30 for a huge negative split. Her official 5,000 PR is 16:25.97 from her 5th-place finish at the NCAA Division 2 National Championships in Virginia Beach last March in her final year of indoor eligibility.

So she ran within four seconds of her 5,000 PR in the second half of a 10,000.

She closed in 5:10.87 for her final 1,600 meters, only three seconds slower than her fastest high school mile time.

Anicic’s time is No. 1 in NCAA Division 2 so far this year – more than 40 seconds faster than the next-fastest time, 34:07.09 by Madison Clay of Catawba in the same race.

All-Time South Jersey 10,000-Meter Run Top-10
31:05.71 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], Sept. 28, 2019, Doha, Qatar
31:35.63 … Erika Kemp [Rancocas Valley], Dec. 5, 2020, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
33:07.10 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], May 28, 2021, Portland, Ore.
33:15.95 … Meghan McGlinchey [West Deptford], April 4, 2014, Palo Alto, Calif.
33:23.12 … Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], March 26, 2010, Palo Alto, Calif.
33:25.55 … Kylie Anicic [Kingsway], March 29, 2024, Raleigh, N.C.
33:27.41 … Laura Mason [Northern Burlington], April 27, 1995, Philadelphia
34:27.85 … Jenna Darcy [Shawnee], March 31, 2006, Palo Alto, Calif.
34:34.91 … Katie Van Horn [Triton], March 20, 2007, Palo Alto, Calif.
35:26.85 … Megan Venables [Highland], May 11, 2012, Princeton, N.J.

All-Time NCAA Division 2 10,000-Meter Run Top 20
32:08.09 … Caroline Kurgat [Alaska Anchorage], March 29, 2019, Palo Alto, Calif.
32:28.57 … Sylvia Mosqueda [Cal State Los Angeles], June 1, 1988, Eugene, Ore.
32:43.64 … Lindsay Cunningham [Winona State], April 13, 2023, Walnut, Calif.
32:49.06 … Florance Uwajeneza [West Texas A&M], April 13, 2023, Azusa, Calif.
32:49.92 … Lauren Kleppin [Western Colorado], April 6, 2012, Palo Alto, Calif.
32:50.06 … Brianna Robles [Adams State], April 13, 2022, Walnut, Calif.
32:58.39 … Jennifer Sandovl [Azusa Pacific], April 16, 2021, Azusa, Calif.
33:05.8h … Bente Moe [Seattle Pacific], April 25, 1987, Walnut, Calif.
33:09.47 … Tanya Zeferjahn [Queens, N.C.], May 1, 2010, Palo Alto, Calif.
33:14.41 … Joyce Chelimo [Alka Anchorage], April 2, 2016, Palo Alto, Calif.
33:17.39 … Sarah Porter [Western Washington], May 26, 2011, Turlock, Calif.
33:22.70 … Rachel Patterson [Grand Valley State], April 29, 2012 Palo Alto, Calif.
33:24.59 … Zoila Gomez [Adams State], April 30, 2004, Palo Alto, Calif.
33:25.55 … Kylie Anicic [Edinboro], March 29, 2024, Raleigh, N.C.
33:31.80 … Jamie Park [Cal Poly], April 21, 1990, Walnut, Calif.
33:32.51 … Kelsey Bruce [Dallas Baptist], April 18, 2019, Torrance, Calif.
33:32.69 … Ida Narbuvoll [University of Mary], April 17, 2021, Dickinson, N.D.
33:34.40 … Julie Bowers [West Chester], May 22, 1985, Los Angeles
33:39.14 … Fatima Alanis [Queens, N.C.], May 26, 2022, Allendale, Mich.
33:42.32 … Robyn Root [Cal Poly], May 22, 1985, Los Angeles