Justyn Knight victorious in 5,000m at ACC championships
Syracuse runner expected to compete for 1st NCAA title in June
Justyn Knight continued his winning ways as the NCAA track and field championships draw closer, capturing the men's 5,000 metres at the Atlantic Coast Conference outdoor championships on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Syracuse Orange junior crossed the finish line at Georgia Tech in Atlanta in 13 minutes 52.38 seconds, more than two seconds ahead of North Carolina State's George Parsons.
Knight was third at last year's event in the 10,000 and won the 1,500 as a freshman in 2015. He entered this year's competition fresh off his May 5 victory at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, Calif., where the Toronto native set a world standard for this season in 13:17.51.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PaytonJordan?src=hash">#PaytonJordan</a> 5000m: <a href="https://twitter.com/justyn_knight">@justyn_knight</a> FTW 13:17!.51!! <a href="https://t.co/QYrG6Puqfy">pic.twitter.com/QYrG6Puqfy</a>
—@AthleticsCanadaSunday's performance was Knight's eighth ACC title between cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and field.
At the recent Payton Jordan meet, Knight's time qualified him for the world championships in August in London, which he is "really excited" about but has put in his "back pocket" while remaining focused on competing for an NCAA title June 7-10 in Eugene, Ore.
Knight will next compete at the University of Kentucky for the East preliminary round for the NCAA championships, starting May 25. The preliminaries determine which Syracuse runners compete for spots in the championships.