The NCAA Cross Country Championship was nothing less than a blockbuster event. Attracting some of the best collegiate runners, the competition saw several prestigious universities and players participate giving some of the best performances of their career. For fans, the highlight moment of the event was not Habtom Samuel but came in the form of a 6-foot-tall long-distance runner and a current student of The Harvard Crimson.

Claiming another win with the NCAA, Graham Blanks adds another impressive feat to his career but this time the stakes were high and the competition got intense. Divided into three categories Division I, DII, and III, Blanks’s participation came under the Division I category of the event since his last involvement in NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championships of 2023. This year saw him competing for the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 5000-meter run and his recent competition in the 10k event. The competition alongside acclaimed players, however, came as a tough one but Graham managed it pretty well.

Graham’s unexpected win

Running away in the field of Madison, Wisconsin, Graham Blanks’s participation at the 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship led him to become the fourth American athlete to claim back-to-back wins of his career since his first win at the 2023 Cross Country Championship. The unexpected win, came off at the final line finishing off the 10k run in 28 minutes, 37.2 seconds while coming off strong against New Mexico Lobos player Habtom Samuel, who took the second consecutive place since last year. The Crimson player, however, now joins BYU player Conner Mantz who already has the 2020 and 2021 Cross Country Championship titles.

While talking about his experiences during a post-game conference, the runner revealed the extremities he faced during the event: “I was just trying to enjoy it but to be honest, I wish I could’ve enjoyed it a little bit more. I was in a lot of pain. Going into that last turn, I was like, ‘Eh, I might not have it.’“ For Graham, the win was, however, not very enjoyable, but it didn’t leave him in a disappointing finish at the competition.

Leading away with the first position in the table of Division I Men’s Individual Title, Graham Blanks’s win is a credit to all the competing participants. Brigham Young University on the other hand, took away the lead in the men’s race event with its two-time NCAA Champion Conner Mantz not taking it once last year. With the competition now over, the runner now looks forward to his final year as a Crimson player.

Graham Blanks’s 4-year collegiate career

With four years passed since his collegiate days, Graham Blanks’s career at Harvard Crimson saw an emerging growth with several highs and lows. Starting his first season in 2021 with a 14:10.36 time in the 5000m race, the same year saw his career-best and first win in the 5000m event finishing off in 13:51.65. Improving in the next season saw his participation at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship. As a first, the runner finished in 6th position following which he was named the Ivy League Champion participating in the 3000m and 5000m respectively.

However, opening the 2024 season as a junior, Graham’s first performance saw a record-breaking moment at the Sharon Colyear-Danville in the 5000m event. Breaking Arizona’s Lawi Lalang record of 13:08.28, Graham’s 13:03.78 time came as quite a highlighting moment of his career. With such impressive feats achieved at the age of 22, the young runner is currently looking out for further options after completing Harvard. As of now, Graham Blanks will remain in the Crimson camps training alongside his teammates before deciding on his future.