Washington alum Mel Lawrence wins steeplechase for Team USATF at The Match...
Pasco HS graduate Marisa Howard went to the front early and pushed the pace through the first two kilometers, before ceding the lead to Lawrence.
Spain’s Irene Sanchez tried to go with Lawrence, but Lawrence, who was the NACAC champion in Toronto last year, pulled away to take the win in a final time of 9:33.24, her second best time this season, and just short of her personal best of 9:29.81 set at the Bislett Games in Oslo in June. For winning, she takes home the first place prize of €7000.
Howard faded to sixth in a time of 9:47.67, while Washington State alum Caroline Austin, who made her USA national team debut in Minsk, was eighth in 10:14.43.
In the mixed zone afterwards, Lawrence, who is sponsored by Seattle based Oiselle, said, “I´m so happy to take first place and this is my last race of the season. I´m not going to Doha as my national team has other athletes who are stronger and have better results than me. The atmosphere here is really good, I do like it.”
Courtesy of USA Track & Field, here’s Lawrence talking afterwards to USATF.TV
Brannon Kidder of the Brooks Beasts was a workhorse for Team USATF, finishing fifth in the men’s 800 in 1:47.20, as Amel Tuka of Bosnia & Herzegovina won in 1:46.77.
In the final event, the co-ed mixed medley relay (200-200-400-800), Kidder ran the anchor leg for the number 2 USA team, as they finished third behind Europe in a time of 3:21.47. On his 800 meter leg, Kidder ran 1:47.51.
Former Emerald Ridge HS standout and 2016 US Olympian Hassan Mead finished sixth in the men’s 3000, running 7:59.90, despite doing most of the early work up front. Mead’s Nike Oregon TC Elite teammate and fellow University of Minnesota alum Ben Blankenship won in 7:57.48.
Washington alum Katie Mackey of the Beasts finished eighth in the women’s 1500 after running near the front early, finishing in 4:12.88, as Kate Grace of the Nike Bowerman TC took the win and the nine points for Team USATF in a time of 4:02.49, a personal best and under the Olympic qualifying standard.
In the innovative two-day track & field match pitting Team Europe against Team USATF, the European squad won The Match by a 724.5-601-5 margin, thanks to its strength and depth in the field events.
The meet featured some innovations in the field events to make it friendly to television viewers and fans watching the meet at Dinamo Stadium.
Complete results of The Match are available here.
FRALEY TO BE NAMED JUMPS COACH AT WASHINGTON STATE…
Fraley coached at Tulane the last nine seasons, after coaching at the high school level in Louisiana. Before that, he was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Fresno State, where he worked for his father, Bob.
At Fresno State, Fraley won three NCAA national championships in the pole vault, claiming the 1986 indoor title while winning both the indoor and outdoor titles the following year.
Fraley was a regular on the IAAF Grand Prix circuit as a pro, qualifying for six USATF national teams in his career. He had a career best of 19-0.25 (5.80m), set in 1992.
He is married to Erica Bartolina, who was a member of the 2008 US Olympic team in the pole vault.
Here’s a link to his Tulane University bio.
NOTE: USA Track & Field, European Athletics, and Tulane University contributed to this report.
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