California Baptist University
NCAA DI Outdoor National Championships
Soca Caps Incredible Season with First-Team All-American Honors
6/13/2025 10:08:00 PM | Cross Country & Track
EUGENE, OR--- Valentin Soca closed out the season for the California Baptist University track team with First-Team All-American honors in the Men's 5K Finals at the Outdoor National Championships on Friday evening.
Soca did not let the daunting nature of historic Hayward Field deter him from putting up an incredible performance in the 5K, and in doing so, he earned his third All-American honor in his stellar career.
Soca took a shot at leading the group early on and would stay in the lead pack through the entirety of the race. He would fall back as far as eighth during the course of the run but would avoid getting boxed in for too long and would keep himself attached to the leaders. The race was decided in the final few hundred meters as the lead group of six runners, including Soca, would break from the pack to take a shot at the title. Brian Musau of Oklahoma State crossed the line first, followed by the returning champion and 10K runner-up Habtom Samuel of New Mexico. Soca would come in not far behind them at 13:21.76, which would be 1.16 seconds behind the leader.
The finish for Soca earned First-Team All-American honors for the first time in his outdoor career after finishing as a Second-Team All-American in the 10K last season in Eugene. Soca would finish ahead of multiple All-Americans, including the 10K Champion in Ishmael Kipkurui of New Mexico, who has the second-fastest collegiate time in NCAA history. The race caps off a historic season for the junior, who would capture All-American honors in both cross-country and outdoor season. Soca ran the 7th fastest time in NCAA history in the 5K at the Bryan Clay Invitational at 13:13. He would also win the 1500M title at the Western Athletic Conference Championships and would be an All-Region finisher during cross-country season.
Players Mentioned
