UW's Lyndsey Lopes & Makenna Barton win Pac-12 crowns in LA...

LOS ANGELES--Heptathlete Lyndsey Lopes (Paul Merca photo) and pole vaulter Makenna Barton of the University of Washington each picked up conference titles as day 2 of the Pac-12 Track & Field Championships concluded Saturday night at Loker Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern California.

Lopes, who started the day in third place, won the long jump with a leap of 20-1.75 (6.14m), as first day leader Ida Eikeng of the UW only managed a jump of 17-10.75 (5.45m).

The long jump was the undoing of teammate and defending Pac-12 heptathlon champ Hannah Rusnak, normally a strong jumper, as she fouled all three attempts and garnered no points.

Eikeng, who was fourth in the open javelin Friday night, won the javelin with a throw of 151-9 (46.25m), while Rusnak was third at 136-7/41.63m. Lopes meanwhile finished seventh with a throw of 116-11/35.64m to move into second behind Eikeng at 5085-4899.

Lopes, a graduate transfer from USC, pulled out the win in the climactic 800 meters on her old track, as she ran 2:19.62 for fifth, and stayed close enough behind Stanford's Allie Jones, who ran 2:18.62 to get the overall victory by a final score of 5735-5727.

Eikeng only managed to run 2:36.44 to finish 13th, and saw her overall lead evaporate, as she finished with a final score of 5659 points.

In the final event of the day, Barton picked the right time to set a personal best in the pole vault, as she was in a battle with Arizona State's Tommi Hinthaus and Haley Rayburn.

After needing second attempts to clear 12-11.5/3.95m and 13-3.5/4.05m, Barton needed a third attempt clearance to stay alive at 13-5.25/4.10m, one centimeter below her personal best.

She cleared a new personal best of 13-7.25/4.15m on her second attempt, but was still third behind Hinthaus & Rayburn on misses.

Barton came through to win the conference title with a first attempt make at the winning height of 13-9.25 (4.20m) as Hinthaus & Rayburn couldn't answer.

She tried to become the sixth Husky to clear 14 feet, but was denied. In keeping with the Pac-12's hashtag of #Pac12AfterDark, the stadium lights went out after her first attempt at 14-1.25/4.30m, and it took 20 minutes for the lights to go back on so she could try her two remaining jumps.  Nonetheless, the mark is the eighth best outdoors in school history.

Ollie Thorner of the Huskies finished second in the decathlon with a final score of 7388 points, as Oregon's Max Vollmer won his second straight conference crown with 7638 points. Parker Kennedy replicated his fourth place finish from two years ago, scoring a personal best 6928.

Washington's Joe Waskom had perhaps the most unexpected performance of the day, as the freshman ran 8:35.71 to take second in the steeplechase behind Oregon's Jackson Mestler's 8:35.32. Washington State's Colton Johnsen, the conference leader going into the meet, finished sixth in 8:51.39.

Multi-time All American Katie Rainsberger finished second in the steeple, setting a new school record of 9:3884, as Oregon's Aneta Konieczek won in 9:36.74. Former Seattle Pacific All American Kaylee Mitchell, now competing for Oregon State, was third in 9:48.30.

Other podium finishers on the day Washington State's Mitch Jacobson, who was third in the high jump at 7-1.5 (2.17m), and Washington's Jonah Wilson in the shot put at 64-0.5 (19.52m).

At the end of the second day with eight events completed, Washington remains in the lead in the men's race with 68 points, while Washington State is seventh at 21.5.  In the women's team race, the Huskies are third with 53 points, while the Cougars are eleventh with one point.

Sunday will have finals in the 13 remaining events.  The Pac-12 Network will televise the meet live starting at 3 pm.

Complete day 2 results are available here.

A SLEW RACE IN IRVINE AFTER OLYMPIC TRIALS STANDARDS AT THE TRACK MEET...

Down the road from Los Angeles, a host of pros converged upon Crean Lutheran HS in Irvine for the opening stop of the outdoor American Track League tour, the Sound Running Track Meet.

In Friday night's session, Glacier Peak HS & University of Washington alum Amy-Eloise Markovc missed the Olympic Games standard of 31:25.00 in her debut at 10000 meters, as she finished fifth in 31:25.91.

Presently, only two runners from Great Britain hold the Olympic standard. Markovc, who also just missed the standard in the 5000, is ranked #27 in the world according to the current World Athletics rankings and is the number 3 British athlete in that event.

Her former UW teammate Lindsay Flanagan picked up her US Olympic Trials qualifying mark, as she finished 14th in 32:04.39, under the Trials standard of 32:25.00.

Kirkland native Dillon Maggard, who is already qualified for the Trials at 1500 meters, got his Trials qualifying mark in the 10000, as he ran 27:54.89, just under the 28:00 needed. 

In another section, Gonzaga's James Mwaura finished sixth in a time of 28:27.49.

The nationally televised Saturday morning session saw Federal Way HS grad Hannah Cunliffe finish second in the 100 meters, running 11.20.

Brannon Kidder of the Brooks Beasts was third in the 800, running 1:47.70, while teammate Drew Windle was fifth in 1:48.55. Nia Akins was ninth in the women's 800 in 2:03.71.

Henry Wynne's shot at the Olympic qualifying standard of 3:35.00 at 1500 meters was ended 50 meters into the race, as he tried to avoid several runners who tangled up and went down on the track. He finished in 3:44.00, as defending Olympic champ Matthew Centrowitz won in 3:35.26.

Former Renton resident Devon Allen ran his fastest time in two years, as the 2016 Olympic finalist finished second in the 110 hurdles in 13.26.

The Saturday night session of The Track Meet, organized by former Seattle resident and Brooks sports marketing executive Jesse Williams, saw a slew of Washington affiliated athletes obtain Olympic Trials qualifying marks.

The most significant mark came in the women's 800, as Olympia native Brooke Feldmeier finished fourth in her heat, running 2:02.15.

Washington alum Mel Lawrence, who already has the Olympic standard in the steeplechase, earned an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 5000m, running 15:18.72 to finish 13th. One place behind her was Washington volunteer coach Alli Cash in 15:19.00, as both were under 15:25.00.

In a separate section, Allie Ostrander of the Brooks Beasts, who already owns the Olympic Trials standard in the steeple, 5000 & 10000, improved her 5000m mark, as she ran 15:18.45.

Veteran Garrett Heath of the Brooks Beasts missed the Olympic Trials qualifying standard in the 5000m of 13:25.00, as he ran 13:25.72.

Complete results of The Track Meet are available here.

NOTE: The Pac-12 Conference, and the sports information offices of the University of Washington, Washington State University, Sound Running and the American Track League contributed to this report.

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