With few competitions last year, here's the 2020 Top Box Awards...

What a year it's been!

With the 2020 season essentially shut down after the middle of March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was honestly very difficult to evaluate the top track and field performances by Washington state affiliated athletes, with competition very limited, and in many cases, instances of head-to-head competition nearly non existent in the few outdoor meets contested.

In lieu of handing out the annual Mercanator Awards, we've decided to go with the first (and hopefully only) Top Box Award to honor the top performers.

While in my opinion, there is still not yet a perfect way to evaluate performances across a variety of events (i.e. comparing a 70-foot shot put to a 19 foot pole vault or a 3:55 mile) without injecting bias, the World Athletics ranking system was used as the primary way to evaluate the best performances of 2020. You can read the World Athletics explanation of the world rankings by clicking the link.

With many athletes having their outdoor season erased, I've also added an indoor Top Box to honor the top performances of that season.

To be considered for the Top Box, a mark had to be in the top 100 in the world last year and/or be worth at least 1100 points according to the World Athletics criteria.

INDOOR TOP BOX 

Top row: Kidder, Yorks & Wells;
Bottom row: Gruver, Pen Freitas & Ostrander
(photo of Wells courtesy WSU Sports Information;
all others by Paul Merca)

The men occupying the three spots on the Top Box are Brannon Kidder of the Brooks Beasts, Beasts teammate Izaic Yorks, and Washington State's Emmanuel Wells.

Kidder's top performance was a second place finish at the Boston University Last Chance meet on February 27th, where he ran 3:36.51 to finish second behind Josh Thompson of the Nike Bowerman TC's 3:34.77.

Kidder's mark was the seventh fastest time in the world last season, and was worth 1208 points on the World Athletics ranking system.

He only competed in four races, including a second place finish in the mile at the Washington Indoor Preview in the mile, running 3:58.43, and a fourth place finish in the Toyota USATF Indoor champs 1500, running 3:44.69.

Washington alum Izaic Yorks finished third in a separate section of the 1500 meters at the Boston University Last Chance meet, running 3:37.81. That time was the 13th fastest time in the world last year and worth 1188 points.

Emmanuel Wells of Washington State opened some eyes over 60 meters last season with his 6.55 clocking to win the MPSF title at the Dempsey. Even though he ran 6.53 in 2019 at altitude in Albuquerque, his 6.55 was worth 1181 points and was the eighth fastest time in the world.

The women's Top Box performers go to Olivia Gruver of the University of Washington, along with Marta Pen Freitas and Allie Ostrander of the Brooks Beasts.

Gruver finished third at the Toyota USATF Indoor Championships in the pole vault, clearing 15-5 (4.70m) to obtain the Olympic qualifying standard, and break the UW school indoor record for the second time in the season. Her vault was worth 1177 points on the World Athletics scale, and was the eighth best mark in the world in 2020.

Other than her venture to Albuquerque, Gruver's competed in three other meets, all in the friendly confines of Dempsey Indoor. Gruver's shot at winning an NCAA indoor title was ended when the NCAA cancelled the indoor championships one day before the start of the meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marta Pen Freitas of the Brooks Beasts' 4:06.94 to finish third in the top section of the 1500 at the Boston University Last Chance meet earned her a spot on the Top Box. Her time was the 23rd fastest in the world last year, and was worth 1172 points.

Ostrander gets the last spot on the Top Box with her 8:48.94 over 3000 meters to win the Millrose Games in New York, highlighted by a 65 second final 400.  Her time was worth 1166 points, and was the 21st fastest time (all tracks) in the world last year.

OUTDOOR TOP BOX

Top row: MVP Nageotte, Cunliffe, Winger
Bottom row: Allen, Kerr & Riley
(photo of Riley by Mike Scott; all other photos
by Paul Merca)

Our men's Top Box winners are former Renton resident Devon Allen, Josh Kerr of the Brooks Beasts, and Bellingham native Jake Riley.

On the women's side, former Pullman resident Katie Nageotte, Federal Way HS grad Hannah Cunliffe, and Skyview HS/Vancouver alum Kara Winger occupy the three spots on the Top Box.

In one of his two outdoor meets last year, Allen, an Olympic finalist four years ago, ran 13.36 in the 110 hurdles to finish second at the Back to the Track meet on July 25th in Clermont, Florida, outside of Orlando.

That mark was the 12th fastest in the world last year, and was worth 1185 points on the World Athletics scale.

The day before, he ran a 10.35 over 100 meters in the Clermont meet. His season ended with a win at the Drake Blue Oval Showcase in Des Moines, Iowa, where he skimmed the hurdles in 13.54.

Kerr, a finalist in the 1500 at the 2019 world championships in Doha and winner of the 2019 Mercanator Award, got his spot on the Top Box when he won the 1500m at the Big Friendly 3 in Newberg, Oregon.

Kerr ran 3:34.53 to beat Will Paulson and defending US national champ Craig Engles. The mark was briefly the fastest time in the world. After a series of late meets, Kerr's time ended up the 15th best in the world, and was worth 1181 points.

Jake Riley's third place finish in the US Olympic Trials marathon and time of 2:10:02 was good enough to get the final spot on the Top Box, as his mark was worth 1161 points.

The women's pole vault was one of the most competitive events of the 2020 outdoor season, and former Pullman resident Katie Nageotte, last year's Mercanator Award winner, rose up to the challenge.

At the American Track League series meet in Marietta, Georgia, Nageotte, who now lives and trains outside Atlanta under Washington alum and former American record holder Brad Walker, cleared 16-1.75 (4.92m) to take the victory and in the process became the third best performer in American history outdoors behind only American record holder and reigning world indoor champion Sandi Morris at 16-4.75 (5.00m) and 2012 Olympic champion Jenn Suhr at 16-2 (4.93m).

Her jump was the best jump in the world in the 2020 outdoor season, and was worth 1245 points. In her five outdoor meets, she only lost once, and was world ranked number 3 by Track & Field News.

In an event with few high level competitions in 2020, Federal Way HS alum Hannah Cunliffe, who has battled injuries over the last several seasons, ran 11.14 in the 100 to clock the eighth fastest time in the world at the Showdown in OTown on the 4th of July.

The mark was a bit of a breakthrough for Cunliffe, whose time was the fastest she's run since 2017, when she ran 11.11.  

Cunliffe's 11.14 was worth 1169 points.

In her one meet of 2020, Vancouver native Kara Winger won the javelin at the Iron Wood Throws Center Invitational in Rathdrum, Idaho, launching the spear 211-5 (64.44m), and throwing twice over 64 meters (210-0).

The mark was the sixth best in the world last year, and was worth 1160 points. However, it came at a high cost, as she suffered a partial tear of her left ACL, the same one she injured at the 2012 US Olympic Trials.

MOST VALUABLE PERFORMER

This was the easiest to decide--pole vaulter Katie Nageotte gets the nod as the 2020 most valuable performer, based on her world leading 16-1.75 (4.92m).

In addition to her world leading mark, Nageotte had four other meets where she cleared 15-5 (4.70m) or better. In fact, the 15-5 that she cleared to win the first American Track League series meet on July 11th was the best mark by an American at the time, and the third best in the world, and was worth 1177 points.

Before closing the book on 2020, we'd like to thank the various meet directors, sports information directors, coaches, agents, athletes, photographers, and others who helped provide content, tips, and a kick in the rear when needed. Also, special thanks to those who appeared on A Conversation With that we posted here and on our YouTube channel.

Here's to hopefully a complete 2021 track and field season!

NOTE: World Athletics and TFRRS.org provided statistical information for this report.

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