Levora up to No. 4 in Pac 12 rankings for 5,000 meters

SANDPOINT — Former Bulldog and current Washington State distance runner Sam Levora had his best race as a collegiate recently, finishing third in the 5,000 meters at the Stanford Invite in Palo Alto, California last week.

Levora, a junior who also excels on the Cougars’ cross country team, clocked a personal best 14:01, which equates to roughly a 4:30 mile pace for 3.1 miles. The time puts Levora at No. 4 in the current Pac 12 rankings in the 5,000 meters, the top WSU runner, and also gives him an NCAA first round qualifier.

For perspective on the time, consider Levora finished 22nd as a freshman in the Pac 12 Championships with a time of 14:33, then followed that with a 31st place showing as a sophomore in 14:44.

The Stanford Invite was the best showing to date for Levora, who could be in the mix to earn a highly-coveted spot in the NCAA Championships later this season if he continues on his current trend.

The time of 14:01 shaved a whopping 13 seconds off of his PR in the 5,000 meters. His other college PRs include an 8:30.7 in the 3,000 meters, a 4:11.6 in the mile, and a 3:51.2 in the 1,500 meters.

The Cougars track and field teams will compete this week at the Mt. SAC/California Invitational Combined Events in Azusa, at the Mt. SAC Relays in Torrance, Calif., and at the Beach Invitational at Long Beach, Calif. on Wednesday and Thursday.