HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton women’s track and field opened up the 2025 season with a bang, winning the university’s first ever CAA championship on the indoor circuit, helped by a freshman who is quickly establishing herself as a rising star while breaking multiple school and CAA records.
“It’s hard to find a distance runner that can sprint and run long, and she can run faster at a long distance than most people,” said Hampton track and field head coach/director Maurice Pierce.
Peninah Mutisya, a freshman from Kitui, Kenya, has already broken multiple school and CAA records both indoors and outdoors.
Most recently, Mutisya broke the school record for the 5,000 meters last Saturday at the Raleigh Relays, beating the previous record set in 2017 by one minute and 13 seconds.
“My assistant coach knocked out a plan and said she’s going to not only break the record, but destroy the record,” Pierce said. “And then I started to pay attention to the clock — she started lapping the field. I said, ‘She’s getting ready to do something serious.'”
In March, Pierce went to Nanjing, China as the head coach of the United States men’s world indoor national team. After leading Chesapeake native and gold medalist Grant Holloway to his third straight indoor world title, he’s shifting his focus to his freshman pupil, hoping to help her the same way. He wants her to get to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I understand that the long haul big goal is the Olympic games and world championships,” Pierce said. “We don’t want to showcase her too much and let all her talent stop here at Hampton. We’re looking at the bigger picture.”
“I believe I can make it because whatever coach says, we will work on it,” Mutisya said. “I shall see it coming, so I believe I’m going to make it, as he says, to the 2028 Olympics. I must.”
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