Brannon Kidder wins 800m at Harry Jerome...
COQUITLAM, British Columbia—After a disappointing performance at the USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships last week where he didn’t make the finals in the men’s 1500, Brannon Kidder (left/photo by Paul Merca) of the Brooks Beasts won the 800 meter run at the Harry Jerome Track Classic Wednesday night at Percy Perry Stadium in the Vancouver suburb.
Kidder took the win in 1:47.36, a 2017 season best.
University of Washington alum Izaic Yorks of the Beasts finished second in the men's 1500, running 3:39.41, as Rorey Hunter of Australia won in 3:39.28.
Auburn/Riverside alum Jordan McNamara was fifth in 3:41.22, while Travis Burkstrand of the Beasts was eighth in 3:41.87.
Washington alum Eleanor Fulton set yet another personal best in the women’s 1500 meters, running 4:10.41 to take fourth, as Sasha Gollish of Canada won in 4:08.56.
The men’s javelin saw another Washington alum, Kyle Nielsen take the victory with a throw of 223-11 (68.26m) as he preps for next week’s Canadian championships in Ottawa.
In the women’s javelin, Western Washington alum Katie Reichert was fifth at 153-1 (46.67m), as Canada’s Liz Gleadle won with a toss of 195-0 (59.44m).
USATF AWARDS 2020 US OLYMPIC TRIALS TO MT. SAC
USA Track & Field announced Wednesday that the 2020 US Olympic Track & Field Trials were awarded to the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, and more specifically, Mt. SAC College.
The meet will be contested over a ten-day period at Hilmer Lodge Stadium, host of the annual Mt. SAC Relays in mid-April.
USATF’s board of directors voted to award the Olympic Trials to Mt. SAC based upon its desire to take the sport’s biggest event to the country’s second-largest media market; the historical strength of the sport in the Los Angeles area; Mt. SAC’s record of hosting elite track events that produce top performances; and a $62 million upgrade to Mt. SAC’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium that will enable the venue to expand to a seating capacity of more than 21,000.
The stadium upgrade currently is slated for completion in 2019. Mt. SAC’s favorable weather and the area’s robust options for transportation and lodging also were cited by the USATF board, which voted 11-2 for Mt. SAC.
TRACKTOWN SUMMER SERIES OPENS IN PALO ALTO THURSDAY
Several athletes with Washington ties will compete in the first of two preliminary meets in the TrackTown Summer Series meet Thursday at Cobb Track & Angell Field on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto.
Seattle Pacific alum McKayla Fricker will contest the women’s 800 as part of the San Francisco Surge, while Tacoma native Marcus Chambers makes his pro debut in the mens’ 400 as a member of the New York Empire.
Camas’ Alexa Efraimson and Hannah Fields of the Brooks Beasts will team up as part of the San Francisco Surge in the women’s 1500.
Nick Symmonds of the Brooks Beasts, who ran his final track race at last week’s USATF Outdoor Championships, is the general manager of the San Francisco Surge franchise, while Washington State alum Bernard Lagat is the general manager of the Portland Pulse franchise.
The TrackTown Summer Series continues Sunday with a meet in the Portland suburb of Gresham at Mt. Hood Community College, before finishing with the final meet in New York on July 6th. The first two meets will be streamed via TrackTown USA’s Facebook page starting at 6:00 pm, Pacific time, while the finals will be aired on ESPN and the ESPNGo app.
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