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Husky pole vaulter Olivia Gruver steals the show at season opening UW Indoor Preview...

SEATTLE--The Dempsey Indoor is a place where the distance races normally take center stage.

For just a few brief moments in the season-opening UW Indoor Preview meet hosted by the University of Washington, the women's pole vault stole the show, as the host Huskies' Olivia Gruver (above/photo by Howard Lao) got a share of the 2020 world lead in winning that event with a clearance of 15-3.5 (4.66m).

Gruver, a two-time NCAA outdoor champion while at Kentucky who only has indoor track eligibility remaining, opened the competition with a first attempt clearance at 13-11.75 (4.26m) to get the win, then made the next bar of 14-5.25 (4.40m) on her second attempt.

She needed three tries to clear 14-11.5 (4.56m) to break Diamara Planell Cruz's indoor school record of 14-7.25 (4.45m), then took two tries to grab a share of the 2020 world indoor leading mark of 15-3.5 (4.66m) that Russia's Angelina Krasnova cleared two days earlier.

That mark also broke the Dempsey Indoor facility record set last year in this same meet by former Pullman resident Katie Nageotte, who made 15-3 (4.65m).

But Gruver wasn't done yet.

Gruver, who set the outdoor collegiate record of 15-6.25 (4.73m) last March at Stanford, took three decent tries at the indoor collegiate record of 15-7 (4.75m), missing all three attempts.

"My first meet back I wasn't expecting anything big … but as long as I qualified for Nationals I was happy with it," said Gruver. "But setting those records so soon, you can't beat that! Jumping (at 4.76-meters) so early in the season feels amazing, it just tells me that everything in my fall training has been working out. Only up from here."

Courtesy KING 5, here's video of Gruver:



Other highlights:

--In the men's mile, 2016 Olympic 1500m finalist Ben Blankenship of Nike OTC Elite won the men's mile in 3:57.67. with 2019 world championships 800m semifinalist Brannon Kidder of the Seattle based Brooks Beasts second in 3:58.43, and the Huskies' Mick Stanovsek third in 3:59.58.

Blankenship and Kidder for the time being, occupies the top two spots on the 2020 world list, while Stanovsek becomes the first collegian to break 4 minutes this season, and holds the fourth fastest time in the world.

As a footnote, Stanovsek's mark was the 200th time that 4 minutes was broken inside the Dempsey since it opened in 2002. As all three have run under 4 minutes at the Dempsey before, the number of different men that have gone under the 4 minute barrier remains at 141.

--Washington alum Eleanor Fulton ran the second fastest time in the world so far this season in taking the victory in 4:34.82, with Allie Ostrander of the Brooks Beasts, the 2019 world championships team member in the steeplechase second in 4:35.94;

--Regan Yee of the Langley Mustangs outside of Vancouver BC took the world lead in the women's 3000, taking the top seven finishers under the previous 2020 world best of 9:02.56 set by Mariana Machado of Portugal.

The Canadian world championships team member in the steeple ran 8:58.25, with Stanford's Ella Donaghu second in 8:58.31, and Washington alum Mel Lawrence third in 8:58.35.

Allie Buchalski of the Brooks Beasts was fourth in 8:59.19, followed by Husky alum Katie Mackey of the Brooks Beasts in fifth at 9:00.15.

Current Husky Katie Rainsberger finished seventh in 9:01.88, the second fastest collegiate time this season behind Donaghu.

Washington State's Colton Johnsen out of the second heat of the men's 3000, was the winner in 8:00.71, over fellow Cougar Paul Ryan, the winner of the first heat in 8:00.72.

Johnsen's time is a collegiate leading mark pending the results of other meets this weekend and is the sixth fastest time in the world so far this season.

Ryan, who only has outdoor eligibility left at Washington State, has the seventh fastest time in the world for the time being this season.

--2012 Olympic long jump champ Brittney Reese finished second in the women's 60 meter dash in 7.38, as Brianna Duncan of Oregon won in 7.27;

--In the men's 1000 meters, University of Washington freshman Sam Tanner from New Zealand ran the fifth fastest time in the world so far this season, as he won the event out of the second heat in 2:21.78, beating Oregon's Cooper Teare, who won the first heat in 2:22.28.

Complete results of the UW Indoor Preview are available here.

In Nampa, Idaho, Washington State's Kreete Verlin highlighted the Cougar performances at the Bronco Invitational at the Jackson's Track at the Ford Idaho Center, hosted by Boise State University.

Verlin, a junior from Estonia, jumped 20-9 (6.32m) to lead a Cougar 1-2-3 finish in the long jump.

Anna Rodgers (19-1.25/5.82m) and Lauren Newman (18-10.5/5.75m) finished second and third behind Verlin.

Verlin's leap is the fourth best by a collegian in Division I so far this season. It's also the fourth best all-time in Washington State women's track and field history as well.

On the men's side,  Emmanuel Wells took home two top spots on the day, winning both the 60-meter dash (6.72), and the 200-meter (21.38). Sam Brixey won the 60m hurdles (7.76) where he posted the fourth best all-time Washington State mark.  Brixey also won the long jump at 22-8.5 (6.92m).

Washington State's release is available here, while the results from the Bronco Invitational are available here.

NOTE:  The sports information office at the University of Washington, Boise State University, and Washington State University contributed to this report. World Athletics and TFRRS.org provided statistical data for this report.
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