UW alum Jeremy Taiwo makes return to Dempsey in first multi-event competition since 2013...
One of the biggest indoor track & field meets of the weekend gets underway Friday, as the University of Washington hosts the UW Invitational at the Dempsey Indoor.
As always, a bevy of Olympians and world championships competitors will mix it up with some of the top collegians at the Dempsey.
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| Washington alum Jeremy Taiwo (in red) makes his 2015 season multi-event debut Friday at the Dempsey (Paul Merca photo) |
The multi-events get the two-day meet going at 1pm, with the heptathlon featuring the return of 2013 world championships competitor and University of Washington alum Jeremy Taiwo, who is attempting his first multi-event competition after sitting out the 2014 season with an injury suffered in the Moscow world championships.
Taiwo, the product of Bellevue’s Newport HS and won a Pac-10 outdoor and MPSF indoor title in the multis, will face a field that includes Tom FitzSimons, who was third at last year’s USA outdoors; and the Oregon duo of Mitch Modin and Edmonds/Woodway grad Alec Fellows, along with Notre Dame alum Ted Glasnow, and Arizona grad Keegan Cooke.
Rising multi-event stars Lindsay Lettow, a former NCAA D2 champ from Central Missouri, along with South Alabama alum Lindsay Schwartz are the top seeds in the pentathlon field that includes USC alum Shana Woods, Colorado’s Abrianna Torres, and the multi-event debut of Washington’s Kimberly Stueckle.
Other events happening Friday includes the 200, 5000 and distance medley relays on the track, the men’s and women’s weight throws, and the first flight of the pole vaults.
Saturday, events to watch on the track include: the men’s 60 featuring Olympian Ryan Bailey in a matchup with training partner and Colorado alum Joe Morris; the women’s mile featuring Oiselle’s Lauren Wallace and Laura Carlyle; the men’s mile headlined by the season debut of Olympian Andrew Wheating going against Oregon TC teammate Tom Farrell and Bowerman TC’s Ryan Hill and Andy Bayer; the men’s 3000 with Bowerman TC’s Andrew Bumbalough, German Fernandez and Matt Tegenkamp; the women’s 3000 with Pasco HS alum and NCAA steeple runner-up Marisa Howard of Boise State against Olympian Bridget Franek and Oregon TC’s Alexi Pappas.
On the field, the women’s pole vault features NCAA champ Kaitlin Petrillose of Texas against Pac-12 champ Diamara Planell Cruz of the Huskies, MPSF champ Kristina Owsinski of the UW, and Big Sky champ Courtney Bray of Eastern Washington; Canadian Olympian Mike Mason, a frequent competitor at the Dempsey goes in the men’s high jump; UW alum Norris Frederick in the men’s long jump; Pac-12 champ Jax Thoirs in the men’s pole vault; and NCAA indoor & outdoor champ Ryan Crouser in the men’s shot put.
Most of Washington’s NCAA D1 and 2 schools will have competitors in the meet. A few of the schools sending groups to the Dempsey include Texas, Oregon, Arizona, Washington State, BYU, Utah, Boise State, Oregon State, Portland, Fresno State, and Gonzaga.
NOTE: The University of Washington contributed to this report.
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