Huskies' Batt-Doyle and Gruver earn identical third-place finishes at NCAA championships...

AUSTIN, Texas—Washington senior Izzi Batt-Doyle (left/photo by Ricky Martinez) finished third in the 10000 meters Thursday night at the NCAA Track & Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas.

The native of Adelaide, Australia stayed comfortably in the lead group, which numbered about fourteen, until the 8 kilometer mark, when eventual winner Weini Kelati of New Mexico threw in a 74.8 lap to break away from the group, which had been running between 77 and 80 seconds after the 2000 meter mark.

The Pac-12 champ led a group of four who tried to cover Kelati’s move, with only Oregon’s Carmela Cardana Baez going with Batt-Doyle.

On the final lap, Cardama Baez pulled away from Batt-Doyle and nearly caught Kelati, but Kelati covered the move to win in 33:10.84 to Cardama Baez’ 33:11.56.

Batt-Doyle crossed the line in 33:17.81 in third.  With that finish, she matches the highest finish by a Husky in the NCAA championships, a third by Anita Campbell in 2009.

The Huskies’ Olivia Gruver’s (left/photo by Mike Scott) attempt to become the first three-time winner in the pole vault fell short, as she finished third with a clearance of 14-7.25 (4.45m).

The event was a victim of a two-hour weather delay that affected several field events.

Gruver, a native of Reisterstown, Maryland, started off well, clearing her first three bars on her first attempt, beginning at 13-9.25 (4.20m), and finishing at her final clearance of 14-7.25 (4.45m).

It was at the next bar of 14-9.5 (4.51m) that was the turning point, as she and Virginia’s Bridget Guy all missed three times at that height, leaving San Diego State’s Bonnie Draxler and Arkansas’ Victoria Hoggard to unseat Gruver as NCAA champion.

Hoggard was the only vaulter to clear the winning height of 14-11.5 (4.56m), with Draxler finishing second at 14-9.5 (4.51m).

Mountlake Terrace native Chinne Okoronkwo finished 16th with a clearance of 13-9.25 (4.20m).

Washington’s Onyie Chibuogwu finished 16th in the hammer, throwing a best of 204-6 (62.33m).

In semifinal action, Washington’s Darhian Mills was the winner of the third heat of the 400 hurdles, running 57.43 to advance to Saturday’s finals.

Washington’s Allie Schadler finished ninth in her heat of the 1500 in a time of 4:20.28.

Senior Emily Hamlin was seventh in her heat of the 3000 steeplechase, running 10:11.42.

The meet resumes Friday, as the men return to Mike A. Myers Stadium. Additionally, Pac-12 champ Hannah Rusnak begins competition in the two-day heptathlon.

Below is the schedule of athletes with Washington ties competing:

FRIDAY

Men’s Events, plus heptathlon

12:30 pm – Heptathlon 100m Hurdles – Hannah Rusnak
1:30 pm – Heptathlon High Jump – Hannah Rusnak
3:30 pm – Heptathlon Shot Put – Hannah Rusnak
5:00 pm - High Jump Final - Peyton Fredrickson, Mitch Jacobson
5:05 pm – Discus Final – Elijah Mason, Jonah Wilson
5:40 pm - Triple Jump Final - Keshun McGee
5:41 pm – 1,500m Final – Mick Stanovsek
7:13 pm – Heptathlon 200m – Hannah Rusnak
7:25 pm - 5000 meter Final - John Dressel

SATURDAY

Women’s Events

11:30 am – Heptathlon Long Jump – Hannah Rusnak
12:45 pm – Heptathlon Javelin – Hannah Rusnak
3:40 pm - Triple Jump Final - Lexi Ellis
4:57 pm – 400m Hurdles Final – Darhian Mills
5:13 pm – Heptathlon 800m – Hannah Rusnak

The ESPN family of networks will televise and/or stream the meet. The field events are slated to have individual web streams on ESPN3.

Friday the broadcast starts on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. Pacific. On the final day on Saturday, ESPN2 will carry the track action starting at 3:30 p.m.

The live results and time schedule home page is available here.

In Rome, Vancouver native Kara Winger finished fourth in the javelin at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting Thursday night, the fourth stop in the IAAF Diamond League tour.

Winger threw a season best 207-0 (63.11m) in the first round as she closed in on the 2020 Olympic standard of 210-0 (64.00m).

China’s Huihui Lu, the current world leader, took the victory with a throw of 218-1 (66.47m).

In one of the feature events of the meet, Pullman’s Katie Nageotte finished in a tie for fifth with a 2019 outdoor season best of 15-3.5 (4.66m) as Sweden’s Angelica Bengtsson pulled off a mild upset, winning in a new national record of 15-7.25 (4.76m).

The IAAF Diamond League series moves on to Oslo for the Bislett Games on June 13th.

Complete results of the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting are available here.

NOTE:  The NCAA, the USTFCCCA, the University of Texas, the IAAF, and the sports information office of the University of Washington contributed to this report.