EUGENE, Ore. — The University of Colorado was represented by only one male athlete at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field, former Kalispell Flathead distance standout Zach Perrin.
The senior capped his outdoor career with a 19th-place finish in the men’s 5,000-meter run on Friday evening, securing honorable mention all-American status. Perrin ran a 14 minutes, 16.56 seconds on Friday, 10 seconds out of range of second-team all-American honors.
Stanford’s Sean McGorty won the 5k with a time of 13:54.81.
A former 1,500-meter runner for the Buffaloes, Perrin shifted his focus to the 5,000 his junior season, winning the Pac-12 Conference championship in the event in 13:58.48. He finished 11th in the NCAA Championships, good enough for second-team all-American honors. He clocked a 13:50.83 at the NCAA West Regionals two weeks ago, and entered Friday’s race seeded ninth.
Perrin also found success during the indoor season, placing 15th in the mile in 2017, good enough for second-team all-America. A standout cross country runner, Perrin placed 16th at last fall’s Pac-12 Championships, then secured ninth overall at the regional championships to garner an all-region recognition.
During his high school career at Kalispell Flathead, Perrin won four individual state championships, including a cross country title as a senior. The 3,200-meter state champion as a freshman, Perrin added two more titles his senior season, winning the 1,600 and 3,200 at the State AA meet.
A competitor at prestigious prep meets such as the Arcadia Invitational in California and the Foot Locker West Regional and Foot Locker Nationals, Perrin posted high school career bests of 1:54 in the 800, 4:09 in the 1,600 and 8:55 in the 3,200.
His collegiate outdoor bests included 1:49.85 in the 800, 3:43 in the 1,500, 13:46.09 in the 5,000 and a 9:06.39 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Perrin concludes his University of Colorado career as a two-time second-team all-American, as well as Friday’s honorable mention all-American finish. Perrin’s brother, Jake, is a member of the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ track and field program, and owns Montana state records in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Their younger brother, Ben, will be a senior at Flathead next fall and won state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 this spring.
The brothers also have a younger sister, Hannah, who just completed her freshman season at Flathead.
