Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
John Thomas Terrier Classic
Four Buffs Hit Top 10 Marks in Boston
January 30, 2026 | Track and Field
BOSTON – Avery Pearson moved up to the No. 2 spot in Colorado history as four Buffaloes placed in the top 10 in school history as the women took center stage at Boston University's John Thomas Terrier Classic Friday.
Both our 800 girls won their 800 heat by quite a bit, Abbey was the top collegian in the 5k and Mia PR'd really, really big, so that was pretty cool, Coach Sean Carlson said.
Pearson ran a time of 2:04.15 in the Invite 800 and moved into the No. 2 spot in school history. She was the second Buff to earn a top-10 spot in the 800. Riley Burkey ran the Open 800 earlier in the day, and with her time of 2:10.40 took more than four seconds off her collegiate indoor best.
In the 3000-meters, Mia Larochelle set her new PR with a time of 9:03.66, moving into No. 6 on CU's all-time list.
Before the race, Mia asked me if she could really run a 9:05, because that's where I seeded her, Carlson said. So for her to run a 9:03, that's really cool.
In the 5000-meters, three Buffs took part with Abbey Nechanicky running in 15:42.12, which bettered her PR by more than 15 seconds. She was the top college runner in the race and moved up two spots from No. 10 to No. 8 in CU history.
Juliette Forstrom and Ella Hagen also took part in the 5k, with Forstrom setting a new PR in 16:12.87 and Hagen clocking a solid 16:20.29 in her first collegiate race at the distance.
Overall, the main point on the women's side is they have really, really good momentum right now, Carlson said. This should continue to build confidence for them and the whole team going into the later parts of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Burkey got things started in the third heat of the Open 800 and won her heat in a time of 2:10.40, taking more than four seconds off her college indoor best (2:14.80) and entering the top 10 in CU history.
Later in the 800 Invite, Pearson won the third heat with a time of 2:04.15, placing her at No. 2 in CU history behind only Sage Hurta (2:02.54 in 2021). The time is also No. 9 in the NCAA this season.
Next up was the 5k Invite and Nechanicky ran 15:42.12 and bettered her PR by more than 15 seconds from early December when she ran 15:57.80 to enter the top 10 in CU history. Friday, she moved from No. 10 on the performance list up two spots to No. 8.
In the Open 3k, Larouchelle set a new PR with a time of 9:03.66, which is now No. 6 on CU's performance list and a time that should put her in the top 25 of the NCAA this season.
To close out the day, the Open 5k saw Forstorm set a new PR with a time of 16:12.87, taking over seven seconds off her previous best of 16:23.26. Hagen got her first collegiate time of 16:20.29.
UP NEXT
The men are up next here in Boston on Saturday with 11 Buffs slated for action in the men's 800, 3k and 5k events.
Women's 800-meters
Avery Pearson, 2:04.15
Riley Burkey, 2:10.40
Women's 3000-meters
Mia Larochelle, 9:03.66
Women's 5000-meters
Abbey Nechanicky, 15:42.12
Juliette Forstrom, 16:12.87
Ella Hagen, 16:20.29
Players Mentioned
