Washington women place seven in top nine to win Auburn Invitational...
In what perhaps may have been a statement race for the Huskies, the highly touted and second ranked Washington women’s cross country team placed seven runners in the top nine to win the Tiger Invitational cross country meet in Auburn, Alabama.
Canadian freshman Kendra Schaaf led the Husky charge, as the team scored 19 points to win the meet over second place Oregon State (98) and third place Iowa (99) over the 5-kilometer course. Schaaf, the reigning Canadian junior national champion, crossed the line in a time of 15:47, under her track personal best of 16:05. Fellow freshman and Olympic Trials qualifier Christine Babcock finished second in her debut race as a Husky, running 16:02, followed by sophomore Mel Lawrence at 16:05,
Katie Follett and Lauren Saylor finished 6-7 in 16:18, followed by Amanda Miller and Anita Campbell in 8-9 in 16:31 and 16:32.
Ballard High grad Kailey Campbell was 13th in 16:51, while Kenna Patrick was 16th in 16:57. Michelle Turner rounded out the Washington squad, running 17:17 for 25th place.
"I was pleased with my run," said Schaaf post-race. "This course was pretty flat so it was pretty easy and I was able to run a little faster than usual. It brings us one step closer to nationals."
On the men’s side, the Huskies finished second behind host Auburn (31), as they scored 49 points, ahead of third place Iowa’s 72 points.
Over the eight-kilometer course, senior Jeremy Mineau led the Huskies with his fifth place finish in 23:10. Jon Harding and Jake Schmitt finished eighth and ninth in 23:20 and 23:22.
Colton Tully-Doyle was 16th in 23:31, followed by Chris Ahl’s 20th place finish in 23:38.
Alec Bromka was 32nd in 24:00, followed by Jordan Swarthout in 40th in 24:07, then Charlie Williams in 75th in 24:45.
Part of the reason for Washington's visit to Auburn was to honor longtime Tiger coach and consultant Mel Rosen, a National Track & Field Hall of Fame member and the 1992 Olympic coach. Husky coach Greg Metcalf worked with Rosen when he coached the Tigers in 1996-97 before returning to Washington.
"For having coached at Auburn it was great to come back here; we planned this a year in advance," said Metcalf. "Coach Rosen and I are going out to celebrate later; he is one of my favorite people in the world. When I was a young coach going to my first SEC Championship, coach Rosen really helped me out. I still quote him to this day. He did a lot of great things and if it weren't for him a lot of people wouldn't be here today. Naming this event after coach Rosen is fantastic. Auburn is just a wonderful place."
The Huskies will run in two weeks at the Pre-Nationals race in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Notre Dame Invite:
Senior Paul Limpf from Vancouver, the winner of the Sundodger Invitational meet in Seattle two weeks ago, continued his surprising performance this season, finishing sixth at the Notre Dame Invitational Blue race Friday in South Bend, Indiana.
Over an 8-kilometer course, Limpf ran 23:36, four seconds behind winner Samuel Kosgei of Lamar.
Teammate Alex Smyth finished 19th in the race, clocking a time of 24:08.
The Eagles finished 17th with a team score of 439 points.
NOTE: The sports information offices at the University of Washington, Notre Dame, and Auburn University all contributed to this report.
Canadian freshman Kendra Schaaf led the Husky charge, as the team scored 19 points to win the meet over second place Oregon State (98) and third place Iowa (99) over the 5-kilometer course. Schaaf, the reigning Canadian junior national champion, crossed the line in a time of 15:47, under her track personal best of 16:05. Fellow freshman and Olympic Trials qualifier Christine Babcock finished second in her debut race as a Husky, running 16:02, followed by sophomore Mel Lawrence at 16:05,
Katie Follett and Lauren Saylor finished 6-7 in 16:18, followed by Amanda Miller and Anita Campbell in 8-9 in 16:31 and 16:32.
Ballard High grad Kailey Campbell was 13th in 16:51, while Kenna Patrick was 16th in 16:57. Michelle Turner rounded out the Washington squad, running 17:17 for 25th place.
"I was pleased with my run," said Schaaf post-race. "This course was pretty flat so it was pretty easy and I was able to run a little faster than usual. It brings us one step closer to nationals."
On the men’s side, the Huskies finished second behind host Auburn (31), as they scored 49 points, ahead of third place Iowa’s 72 points.
Over the eight-kilometer course, senior Jeremy Mineau led the Huskies with his fifth place finish in 23:10. Jon Harding and Jake Schmitt finished eighth and ninth in 23:20 and 23:22.
Colton Tully-Doyle was 16th in 23:31, followed by Chris Ahl’s 20th place finish in 23:38.
Alec Bromka was 32nd in 24:00, followed by Jordan Swarthout in 40th in 24:07, then Charlie Williams in 75th in 24:45.
Part of the reason for Washington's visit to Auburn was to honor longtime Tiger coach and consultant Mel Rosen, a National Track & Field Hall of Fame member and the 1992 Olympic coach. Husky coach Greg Metcalf worked with Rosen when he coached the Tigers in 1996-97 before returning to Washington.
"For having coached at Auburn it was great to come back here; we planned this a year in advance," said Metcalf. "Coach Rosen and I are going out to celebrate later; he is one of my favorite people in the world. When I was a young coach going to my first SEC Championship, coach Rosen really helped me out. I still quote him to this day. He did a lot of great things and if it weren't for him a lot of people wouldn't be here today. Naming this event after coach Rosen is fantastic. Auburn is just a wonderful place."
The Huskies will run in two weeks at the Pre-Nationals race in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Notre Dame Invite:
Senior Paul Limpf from Vancouver, the winner of the Sundodger Invitational meet in Seattle two weeks ago, continued his surprising performance this season, finishing sixth at the Notre Dame Invitational Blue race Friday in South Bend, Indiana.
Over an 8-kilometer course, Limpf ran 23:36, four seconds behind winner Samuel Kosgei of Lamar.
Teammate Alex Smyth finished 19th in the race, clocking a time of 24:08.
The Eagles finished 17th with a team score of 439 points.
NOTE: The sports information offices at the University of Washington, Notre Dame, and Auburn University all contributed to this report.
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