MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Wittenberg junior Conor Kolka (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) finished 17th in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division III Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championshps on Thursday night.

The Basics

• Venue: Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium - Myrtle Beach, S.C.
• The men's 10,000 meters was scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m. as the final event of the opening day of the three-day NCAA Championships meet.
• This marked Kolka's first appearance at an NCAA Track and Field Championships meet. He ran in the NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships in November.
• Kolka is the Wittenberg men's track and field team's lone representative in the national meet, making his event the final one in the Tigers' 2024 season.
• The top 22 declared student-athletes qualified for each event, and the top eight finishers in each event earn All-American recognition.

Results - Men's 10,000 meters

• Kolka finished 17th in the 22-man field with a time of 31:40.99. He entered as the No. 15 seed with a qualifying time of 29:42.25.
• Kolka crossed the start/finish line in as high as 10th place, doing so at the 2,000-meter mark.
• He crossed the line in 12th place at the 5,600-meter mark.
• Simpson's Spencer Moon won the race with a time of 30:41.91.

Quotes

• Junior Conor Kolka: "I would say tonight was the toughest race I've ever been in. I know I gave the race everything I had and am happy with that. However, the style of racing is still new to me, and when they made the move, I tried to cover it and couldn't. It was a great experience to be here, and I got a taste of the dream today. I'd like to thank my friends, family and teammates for the support this year. I can't wait to come back stronger next year."
• Head coach Paris Hilliard: "I am really proud of Conor's efforts tonight. We obviously would have loved to come away with an All-American award, but it's been such a great year for him. Coach Marco has done a great job helping Conor grow into an elite runner. We are excited about his senior year."

Above: Junior Conor Kolka runs in the men's 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Thursday night. | Photo by Caleb Williams, d3photography.com