Kejelcha and Rupp make it look easy running world leading time in the 5000m at UW Invite...
SEATTLE—The Nike Oregon Project’s Yomif Kejelcha and Galen Rupp (left/photo by Paul Merca) made it look like a glorified workout as they cruised to an easy 1-2 finish in the men’s 5000 on day one of the UW Invitational Friday evening at the Dempsey Indoor on the campus of the University of Washington.
Kejelcha, who is preparing for a title defense in the men’s 3000 that he won two years ago at the world indoor championships in Portland, and Rupp, the Oregon alum, two time Olympic medalist and Chicago Marathon winner, who is preparing for the Boston Marathon in April, worked together, and alternated the lead, before Kejelcha took the win in a meet record and 2018 world leading time of 13:34.67, with Rupp running alongside in 13:34.78.
The Washington women’s distance medley relay team of Anna Maxwell, Raquel Tjernagel, Hannah Derby and Maddie Meyers won in the second fastest collegiate time of the season, clocking 11:08.83.
Washington freshman Iman Brown from Seattle’s Garfield HS, won the women’s 200 in a school record 23.85, breaking by 3/100ths of a second the previous record set by Kennadi Bouyer last year.
Her time was good enough to take the win in the fifth heat of 23 timed-final heats.
In a multi-event rarity, Hope Bender of UC Santa Barbara and Alyssa Thompson of Arizona tied for the victory in the pentathlon, with both scoring 3884 points.
Right behind the duo was Scout Cai of Seattle Pacific, who scored 3709 points, a mark that’s currently the second best score in NCAA Division II.
After flour events in the men’s heptathlon, Kodiak Landis of Central Washington has an 80 point lead over James Phillips of Concordia/Oregon 2989 to 2909.
Results from day 1 of the UW Invitational are available here.
In Lawrence, Kansas, University Place native and 2016 US Olympian Andrea Geubelle won the triple jump at the Jayhawk Classic, jumping 43-7.25 (13.29m).
Geubelle, who moved back to Kansas to work with her college coach Wayne Pate, said in a text that the objective was to get the USA Indoor qualifying mark and to work on her technique.
In Lubbock, Texas, Jeremy Taiwo stands in fourth place after four events in the heptathlon at the Texas Tech Classic & Combined Events meet.
Taiwo ran 7.22 in the 60 dash, then long jumped 22-7.75 (6.90m), and threw the shot 44-7 (13.95m) before winning the high jump at 7-3.25 (2.22m) to get a four-event total score of 3195 points.
Tyler Adams of Sam Houston State has the lead at the break with 3339 points.
Results of the Texas Tech Classic are available here.
In Boston, Natalija Piliusina of the Seattle based Brooks Beasts won the women’s mile in 4:32.67, a time that pending the results of other meets around the world this weekend, is the third fastest in the world so far this season.
Results of the John Thomas Terrier Classic are available here.
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