Alex Phillip’s trip to the Grand Valley State Holiday Open will be remembered for a long time. 

Coming off of an NCAA Division III National Championship victory in cross country, Phillip ‘23 turned his focus to his indoor track and field season on Friday, Dec. 3, for John Carroll University. 

In his first meet of the season, Phillip carved his name in the record books once again for the Blue & Gold, this time in the 5,000-meter race. 

In a race filled with NCAA Division I and II runners, Phillip proved his dominance as he finished in eighth place out of 16 runners, with a time of 13:58.42. 

“​​Running under 14 minutes in the 5k is one of the great barriers in collegiate running,” said Phillip to The Carroll News. “Ever since I began running, it’s always been in the back of my mind that to break 14 would be an extremely cool feat.”

Phillip’s astonishing time not only gave him the title as the record holder for an indoor 5k at JCU, but he also notched one of the top times in NCAA DIII history. 

Phillip is only the third runner in the history of the NCAA DIII to capture a finishing time under 14 minutes in the indoors 5000-meter race, regardless of track size. The two other runners that Alex Phillip joined with this feat are Dan Meyer and Ian LaMere.

“For me to achieve this and to be recognized with such talented runners is a really cool feeling,” expressed Phillip. “These guys have set the tone for Division 3 running, and I would like to follow in their footsteps in proving that Division 3 runners can compete with anyone in the country.”

Coming into this race for Phillip was no easy task. His race at the Grand Valley State Holiday Open came only 13 days after the John Carroll Cross Country season finale. 

“Coming off of such an emotional and physical high for both the team and individual, it was difficult to keep things focused going into this race,” admitted Phillip.” With some guidance from Kyle [Basista] and staying mentally relaxed, we put together a plan to drop mileage and just enjoy running going into the race.”

After the race, Phillip expressed his excitement on Twitter. 

A childhood dream finally achieved… I broke 14 minutes in the 5k 🤠

— Alex Phillip (@AlexPhillip47) December 4, 2021

Nevertheless, Phillip still has a whole season ahead of him and many more opportunities to shatter the record book’s both at John Carroll and nationally.

“This indoor season, I have some lofty goals,” exclaimed Phillip. “I would like to break the indoor 3k record, win another national championship individually, and win a national championship as a team in the DMR race.”

Phillip’s record breaking season is just getting started. 

The JCU Men’s Indoor Track & Field Team will continue the beginning of their season as they compete in the Youngstown State University Holiday Classic on Friday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. in Youngstown, Ohio.