World shot put leader Payton Otterdahl headlines this weekend's Husky Classic...
It’s not two time US Olympian Kim Conley, who is dropping down to the mile.
It’s not two-time NCAA steeple champ Allie Ostrander from Boise State, who is entered in the 3000 on Friday night.
It’s not Washington alum Izaic Yorks, and his three Brooks Beasts teammates—David Ribich, Henry Wynne, and Brannon Kidder, all of whom are entered in the mile, two weeks after setting a world best in the 4 x 1 mile relay in New York.
It’s not NCAA 1500 meter champ Jessica Hull of Oregon, who was coached last year by current Husky director of track and cross country Maurica Powell.
It’s Payton Otterdahl (above/photo courtesy NDSU Athletics) of North Dakota State University, who is the current world leader in the shot put at 71-0 (21.64m).
Otterdahl is entered in both Friday’s 35-pound weight throw (about 6 pm), where he’s the leading collegiate thrower at 77-8.25 (23.68m), and Saturday’s shot put (about 1:45 pm).
In the men’s shot put, Otterdahl, who leads the world by almost 2 feet (Tomas Stanek of the Czech Republic at 69-5.25/21.16m), goes against four Pac-12 scorers, including Cal’s McKay Johnson and the Huskies’ Jonah Wilson, who has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the indoor season for Washington.
In both events, Otterdahl could potentially threaten the facility record of 70-5.25 (21.47m) in the shot put set by Ryan Whiting of Arizona State in 2008, and 77-5.25 (23.60m) set in 2015 by Conor McCullough of USC.
The appearance by Otterdahl and the other throwers on the NDSU squad making the trip to Seattle marks a bit of a homecoming for Bison throws coach Justin St. Clair, who threw the javelin for the Huskies before transferring to Boise State.
About the distance races—Friday night’s session will feature both the 3000 and 5000 meter races.
Camas native Alexa Efraimson, who has not raced indoors so far this season, is scheduled to go in the women’s 3000 at 7:40 pm against the Huskies’ Katie Rainsberger, along with NCAA champs Allie Ostrander and Jessica Hull, along with 2017 NCAA cross country champ Ednah Kurgat of New Mexico, along with a slew of NCAA All-Americans in several distances and cross country.
In the men’s 3000 at 7:55 pm, Portland alum Woody Kincaid, competing for the Nike Bowerman TC, goes against Garrett Heath of the Brooks Beasts, along with at least a dozen recent All-Americans.
Washington alum and steeple All-American Andrew Gardner is entered in the field, as is current Husky Talon Hull, who two weeks ago, became the seventh man in school history to break 4 minutes in the mile.
At 8:10 pm, the Huskies’ Lilli Burdon and Izzi Batt-Doyle go against Canada’s Regan Yee, Oregon’s Weronika Pyzek, Stanford’s Fiona O’Keeffe and Abbie McNulty, and Boise State’s Clare O’Brien and Emily Venters in the women’s 5000, where it will most likely take at least sub 15:40 to get in position to earn an NCAA qualifying mark (top 16).
Likewise at 8:30 pm, the Huskies’ Tanner Anderson goes against the Colorado duo of Joe Klecker and Colbert native John Dressel, UCLA 10000m All American Robert Brandt, Pac-12 steeple champ Steven Fahy of Stanford, and at least a dozen others who have earned NCAA All-America honors, with 13:45 the target time to have a realistic shot of getting one of the 16 spots for the NCAA championships next month.
As noted at the top, two time US Olympian in the 5000m Kim Conley drops down to the invitational mile Saturday at 3:10 pm, in a race that features Washington alum Eleanor Fulton, former Brooks Beasts Hannah Fields and Savannah Colon, Alaska Anchorage’s Caroline Kurgat, and current Brooks Beast Allie Buchalski.
The men’s miles could potentially threaten the single-meet record of 13 men under 4 minutes set at the 2010 version of this meet, led by UW school record holder, NACAC 1500m champ, and current Brooks Beast Izaic Yorks, who has all three of his teammates from the squad that broke the world best in the 4 x mile relay two weeks ago in New York.
Both men’s and women’s 800 meter races have strong fields entered, led on the women’s side by 2016 French Olympian and Seattle resident Justine Fedronic, and Vancouver’s Lindsey Butterworth, a 2017 Canadian world championships competitor on the women’s side, and Pac-12 scorers Connor Morello and Devan Kirk of the Huskies and Nike Oregon TC’s Harun Abda on the men’s side.
Two time NCAA pole vault champ Olivia Gruver headlines the women’s vault; that said, she is entered as unattached, which appears to mean that she is most likely being redshirted by the Huskies for the indoor season.
British decathlete Tim Duckworth, last year’s NCAA multi-events champ at Kentucky both indoors and outdoors, is entered in several events, including the long jump, where he won a British national title.
The accepted entries and final time schedule for the Husky Classic are available here.
Friday’s session begins at 2pm, while the Saturday portion of the Husky Classic starts at 10 am.
If you can’t make it in person, Flotrack ($) will stream the meet live.
NOTE: The sports information office of North Dakota State University, and the University of Washington contributed to this report. The IAAF and Track & Field News provided statistical information.
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