BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After narrowly missing qualifying for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships a season ago, Wilmington College runner Simon Heys made the most of his opportunity this season.

On Friday, the Wilmington High School graduate earned All-America honors in the 5,000-meter run.

Heys finished the 5,000-meter run in 14:11.96 to finish fifth in a talented, deep race.

“I thought Simon ran a really good, tactical race as he was running within himself the first mile and guys were mixing it up in front of him,” WC head coach Ron Combs said. “He stayed patient and kept working through the field. On paper coming into the meet, it was the deepest 5000-meter field ever at the the indoor national championships. I think it’s a great accomplishment for him to finish fifth.”

Christian Patzka of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater broke the NCAA Division III record with a run of 13:47.01 to win the national championship. Fellow Ohio Athletic Conference runner Alex Phillip of John Carroll University finished runner-up in 13:52.29.

Competing in his second indoor championships, JJ Durr placed 15th in the weight throw with a toss of 58-10.75. Joseph White of Carthage College won the championship with a throw of 70-3.

Heys will run in the 3,000-meter event at 5:40 p.m. this afternoon.