Colton Johnsen narrowly misses 45-year old WSU indoor school record in 5000m in Boston...

BOSTON--The 2021-22 indoor track and field season is off to an explosive start, and at this rate, who knows what will happen.

A few moments after Wisconsin alum and Australian Olympian Ollie Hoare ran an unheard of December time of 13:09.96 in the first section of the men's 5000 meters at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener hosted by Boston University Saturday, Washington State's Colton Johnsen (#2 in white/Paul Merca photo) finished second in section number two of the 5000m, crossing the line in 13:34.75, just .15 short of the 45-year old school record set by John Ngeno in 1976.

"Colton was amazing today," said WSU track and field head coach Wayne Phipps. "He executed his race plan perfectly and progressed throughout the race."  

"Colton completed the last 400m (of today's race) in just 57 seconds and just missed a 45-year-old record by tenths of a second," Phipps said. "For Colton to run that fast this early in the season sets him up very well for the upcoming season."

Prior to this weekend, Johnsen's personal-record in the 5,000m run came at the 2021 Pac-12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he clocked in at 13:39.54.

Johnsen finished 18th overall in what was an outstanding field of pros and collegians in Boston.

Also running in the second heat was WSU alum Paul Ryan, who finished right behind Johnsen in a time of 13:37.49 in his pro debut competing for adidas. Ryan placed 21st overall.

Washington alum and former NCAA West Regional cross country champ Andrew Jordan was tenth overall, as he ran 13:28.10 in the first heat.

Complete results of the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener are available here.

KIRKLAND NATIVE DILLON MAGGARD & ALLIE BUCHALSKI OF THE BEASTS WINS SOUND RUNNING CROSS CHAMPS AT MT. SAC...

In Walnut, California, Lake Washington HS grad and Olympic Trials qualifier Dillon Maggard won the men's pro race at the Sound Running Cross Champs held on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College Saturday.

Maggard won the pro men's 5.5 mile race in a time of 27:04, taking the title by a comfortable 13 second margin.

In the women's pro race, which was combined with the men's open division, Allie Buchalski of the Brooks Beasts won by a 19-second margin, crossing the line in the 5.5 mile race in 31:54.

Complete results of the Sound Running Cross Champs are available here.

In Cheney, Eastern Washington's Elijah Conley won the heptathlon at the Candy Cane Multis meet at Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse on the EWU campus Saturday.

Conley scored 4342 points to outlast Cooper Cummings of Western Washington, who finished second with 4300 points, and Chris Homen of Eastern Washington at 4262 points.

The Eagles' Margaret Nelson won the pentathlon Saturday, scoring a five event total of 3425 points, with Western Washington's Aliyah Dawkins second with 3237, and McCall DeChenne of Central Washington third with 3120.

Nelson's only win came in the third event, the shot put, where she threw 39-5.75 (12.03m). In every other event, she finished no worse than fourth.

Eastern Washington's release is available here, along with a link in the story to results.

Most of Washington's nine Division I and II schools will have athletes competing at next week's Spokane Invitational at The Podium in downtown Spokane.

NOTE: The sports information office of Washington State University, Eastern Washington, and Sound Running contributed to this report.

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