Slew of Washington affiliated athletes head to New Mexico for USATF Indoor Champs...

A host of athletes with Washington ties are headed south to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the 3-day USA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center that starts Friday with the heptathlon and pentathlon.

Unlike last year’s national indoor track & field championships in Portland where spots for the world championship team were at stake, USATF will contest non-traditional championship meet distances, so instead of the 400, 800, 1500 & 3000, athletes will run the 300, 600, 1000, mile, and two-mile.

Cas Loxsom (left/photo by Paul Merca) of the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts, who set a world record in the 600 at the Penn State National Open in late January, will contest that distance along with Beasts teammate Shaq Walker.

Washington alum Eleanor Fulton, who was named to the first-ever mixed relay team that will be contested at the IAAF world cross country championships in Kampala, Uganda later this month, is entered in the 600, 1000 and mile at the indoor nationals.  In the 600 and 1000, she will be joined by her training partner and Seattle Pacific grad McKayla Fricker.

Also entered in the women’s 1000 are Baylee Mires, Claudia Saunders and Hannah Fields of the Brooks Beasts.  Brannon Kidder of the Brooks Beasts is entered in the men’s 1000.

The men’s mile features Garrett Heath of the Brooks Beasts, while Camas’ Alexa Efraimson is slated to run the women’s mile.  Heath is entered in the men’s 2-mile as well, while Beasts teammate Katie Mackey is in the women’s’ 2-mile.

On the field, Club Northwest’s Levi Keller is entered in the men’s pole vault, while Olympian Andrea Geubelle and WSU alum Blessing Ufodiama are in the women’s triple jump.  Zeb Hoffman is entered in the men's weight throw. Olympic Trials 3rd-placer Katie Burnett rounds out the list of Washington athletes entered in the USA indoor champs, as she’s contesting the 2-mile racewalk.

NBCSN and USATF.tv will provide TV and streaming coverage of the championships.  The list of entries are available here, while the link to live results is available here, as well as the TV schedule.

NACAC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS SLATED FOR SATURDAY IN FLORIDA

Washington State freshman Justin Janke (left/photo courtesy USATF), Sedro-Wooley HS student Kristen Garcia, Lakes HS alum Joe Gray, and Inglemoor HS grad Tansey Lystad will represent Team USA at the NACAC Cross Country Championships at the South County Regional Park in Boca Raton, Florida on Saturday, featuring teams from North America, Central America & the Carribbean.

In addition, incoming University of Washington freshman Shona McCulloch will represent Team Canada at the NACAC championship race.

Garcia and McCulloch will run in the Under-20 women’s 5 kilometer race at 9 am, eastern time, while Janke races in the Under-20 men’s 5k race at 9:40 am.

Lystad runs in the senior women’s 8k race at 10:20 am, while Gray caps off the championship meet in the men’s senior 8k race at 11 am.

Garcia earned her spot on Team USA with a sixth place finish at the USA cross country championships last month in Bend, Oregon. Lystad finished tenth in the senior women’s race.

Janke was eighth in the under-20 men’s race, while Gray was ninth in the senior men’s race.