Thursday recap at the NCAA Championships...

DES MOINES, Iowa--Brie Felnagle of North Carolina (center, wearing hip #10/photo by Paul Merca) easily won her heat of the women’s 1500 meter run to advance to Saturday’s finals at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

In contrast to yesterday’s conditions, Thursday’s competition was run under nearly perfect conditions, with temperatures in the low to mid-70s, and a lack of humidity.

The former Bellarmine Prep standout from Tacoma looked very comfortable and in control as she cruised to victory in a time of 4:15.56, the fastest time of the two semi-final heats.

Also advancing in that race was Washington senior Amanda Miller, who finished sixth in that heat, running 4:16.68.

In the other heat, Washington’s Katie Follett placed seventh in 4:19.00, while teammate Michelle Turner was one spot behind in 4:20.06.

Washington State freshman Jeshua Anderson won his semi-final in the men’s 400 meter hurdles in 49.51.



In finals contested Thursday involving Washington-affiliated athletes, the Huskies’ Norris Frederick (above/photo by Paul Merca) finished sixth in the men’s long jump, with a mark of 25-6 3/4.

In the men’s 10000 meter run, Michael Kilburg of Portland (O’Dea HS) finished 11th in a time of 29:29.10. Washington’s Jake Schmitt finished 21st in 30:44.12, while Portland’s John Moore (Olympia HS) was one place behind in 30:49.48.

Washington State senior Rickey Moody, who began day two of the decathlon in fourth place, finished eighth with a two-day score of 7477 points.

Fellow Cougar Anna Layman advanced to the finals in the 800 meter run, finishing third in her semi-final in a personal best time of 2:04.03. Marissa Tschida threw 156-7 and did not advance to the finals.

WSU’s 4 x 400 meter relay team of Barry Leavitt, Reny Follett, Justin Woods, and Marlon Murray finished sixth in their heat in 3:09.45, and did not advance.

For the University of Washington, senior Austin Abbott garnered one of the final qualifying positions in the men’s 800 meter finals, finishing third in his heat in a time of 1:48.54.

100 meter hurdler Falesha Ankton finished fifth in her first round heat, in a time of 13.69, and did not advance to the semi-finals.

One Washingtonian we forgot to mention was former Mead High School standout Laef Barnes of UCLA, competing in the men’s 1500. After running with the lead pack early, Barnes faded to 11th, running 3:48.58.

Below is the list of Washington affiliated athletes competing Friday at the NCAA Championships.

Javelin—Jon Jeffreys (WSU)
Pole Vault—Jared O’Connor (UW)
High Jump—Ebba Jungmark (WSU)
High Jump—Norris Frederick (UW)
Discus & Hammer Throw—McKenzie Garberg (WSU)
3000 Steeplechase—Carl Moe (UW)
400 meters—Jordan Boase (UW)
400 hurdles—Jeshua Anderson (WSU)
5000 meters—Mattie Bridgmon (Eastern WA)

Friday’s competition will be shown live on CBS College Sports, beginning at 5 pm, Pacific time. You can also check live results here.