After a one-year absence, it's the Return of the Mercanator Awards!
Not so fast...2022 means it's time to wrap up the 2021 collegiate and professional track and field season with the return of the annual Mercanator Awards for the top performers and performances of the year.
Last year, the blog covered all but one of the University of Washington’s home indoor and outdoor track & field meets. In addition, the blog travelled to Tucson, Portland, Eugene, Madison, Wisconsin, Sacramento, and Spokane for meets. With the pandemic still in effect, there were no international travels for the blog in 2021.
The global pandemic of 2020 led to the suspension of the Mercanator Awards, but in its stead was the Top Box awards for the best performances of the truncated season.
Before we go into the Mercanators, we'd like to thank the many sports information directors, the media relations folks, coaches, agents, photographers, and others who helped contribute material and information to the web site. Thank you for your help!
And now, the 2021 Mercanators!
Here are the disclaimers: Mercanator Awards are limited to athletes who have affiliations with the state of Washington—either they were born in this state, currently reside in the state or attend(ed) school in the state. Also, not all categories from previous editions were awarded...publisher's decision.
With the World Athletics (formerly IAAF) rankings coming into play, the two numbers next to an athlete's name signifies their world event ranking in 2021, followed by the number of points accumulated. For a thorough explanation on how the World Athletics event rankings work, here's a link. The World Athletics rankings used for the purposes of the Mercanators were released on December 28, 2021, the final Tuesday of the year.
For the purposes of the Mercanators, athletes had to be ranked in the top 100 AND have a score above 1100 points to merit consideration.
WOMEN
Top Performer--MIDDLE DISTANCE (800-steeple):
A record eleven women with ties to the state of Washington were considered for the Mercanator in the middle distances (800-steeplechase).
The eleven women were Nia Akins of the Brooks Beasts (54, 1168), and Latvian Olympian & former WSU volunteer coach Liga Velvere (95, 1137) in the 800; Portuguese Olympian Marta Pen Freitas of the Beasts (36, 1198), UW volunteer coach Alli Cash (71, 1152), UW alum Eleanor Fulton (77, 1144), and Karisa Nelson of the Beasts (100, 1125) in the 1500; and UW Hall of Fame member Mel Lawrence (23, 1237), Pasco native Marisa Howard (24, 1237), recent UW grad Katie Rainsberger (58, 1175), Allie Ostrander of the Beasts (67, 1167), and Woodinville native Olivia Markezich (99, 1132) in the steeplechase.
While UW alum Lawrence and Pasco native Howard have the identical number of world ranking points as 1237, and Lawrence is ranked one spot higher than Howard according to World Athletics, the tie breaker was Howard's 2-0 record against Lawrence in 2021, as Howard finished ahead of Lawrence at the USATF Golden Games at Mt. SAC, and in the finals of the US Olympic Trials.
Howard won't get to defend her Mercanator in 2022, as she will be on maternity leave this season.
Top Performer--DISTANCE (5000-marathon)
Three women were considered for the Mercanator in the distance events (5000m-marathon): Washington alum Amy-Eloise Markovc (24, 1229 in the 5000; 57, 1172 in the 10000); Allie Buchalski of the Brooks Beasts in the 5000 (84, 1129); and Washington alum Izzi Batt-Doyle (47, 1168 in the 5000 & 46, 1179 in the 10000).
Though both Markovc and Batt-Doyle qualified for the Olympics for Great Britain and Australia, respectively, Markovc, who attended Glacier Peak HS in Snohomish before going to the UW, easily gets the nod. She ran a personal best 15:03.22 in Tokyo, and won the European Indoor title at 3000 meters back in March.
Top Performer--HURDLES (100-400 hurdles)
Gianna Woodruff (8, 1353) gets another Mercanator in the hurdles, as the Washington alum keeps getting better.
Woodruff broke the Panamanian national record four times in 2021 in the 400 hurdles, with her fastest being 54.20 at the Nike Prefontaine Classic on August 21st. She also finished seventh in the finals of the Tokyo Olympics after running 54.22 in the semifinals.
Woodruff was ranked number eight in the world by Track & Field News, and was one of two women with Washington ties to get a world ranking by the magazine.
Top Performer--VERTICAL JUMPS (Pole Vault/High Jump)
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| Olympic champ Katie Nageotte (Paul Merca photo) |
Olympic champion Katie Nageotte (1, 1444) gets another Mercanator in the vertical jumps, ahead of Washington alum Olivia Gruver (14, 1250).
Nageotte, the former Pullman resident and WSU volunteer coach, went 4-0 against Gruver in 2021, en route to winning the US Olympic Trials and the Olympic title. Nageotte only suffered two losses and one no-height in a season where she jumped in fifteen meets, and set a personal best of 16-2.75 (4.95m) in winning the Trials.
Katie was ranked number one in the world in the pole vault by Track & Field News, and just missed making the magazine's top ten overall world women's rankings.
Top Performer--THROWS (Shot/Discus/Javelin/Hammer)
In what is Kara Winger's (21, 1155) penultimate season as a professional, the four time US Olympian from Vancouver and the Mercanator Washington Track & Field Athlete of the Decade earns yet another Mercanator as the top performer in the throws, after finishing second at the US Olympic Trials.
Winger threw a best of 201-8 (61.47m) at the Trials in what was a short season for her, after tearing her left ACL at the Iron Wood Throws meet on August 1, 2020.
Top Performer--SPRINTS (100/200/400)
Federal Way HS grad Hannah Cunliffe (25,1238) was the only sprinter considered, as she ran a season best 11.07 in the 100 on April 30th in Jacksonville, the fastest she's run since 2016, where she ran 10.99 at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Cunliffe, who struggled with various injuries over the last few seasons, bowed out after the first round at the US Olympic Trials.
MEN
Top Performer--MIDDLE DISTANCE (800-5000)
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| Josh Kerr (Paul Merca photo) |
To the surprise of absolutely no one, eight athletes with Washington ties received consideration for the Mercanator award in the middle distances, including Brannon Kidder (48, 1187) of the Brooks Beasts in the 800; Beasts teammate Josh Kerr (13, 1293), UW volunteer coach Sam Prakel (26, 1239), Henry Wynne of the Brooks Beasts (39, 1209), UW freshman Sam Tanner (50, 1194), Waleed Suliman (70, 1170) of the Brooks Beasts; Seattle resident Tripp Hurt (95, 1146) in the 1500; and UW alum Jack Rowe (78, 1133) in the 5000.
And to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Josh Kerr of the Brooks Beasts gets the nod for the Mercanator after finishing third in the Olympic 1500 meter final representing Great Britain in a personal best 3:29.05, after winning the British title in late June. By the way, Kerr also ran the fastest 1500 on American soil at the Stumptown Twilight meet in Portland, stopping the clock in 3:31.55.
Kerr's feats also earned him a world number 7 ranking from Track & Field News.
Top Performer--HURDLES (110-400 hurdles)
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| Devon Allen (Paul Merca photo) |
Allen also got under 13 seconds for the first time in his career in the final meet of the year in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14th, running 12.99.
Devon was ranked number 3 in the world by Track & Field News in the 110 hurdles, and number two in the US.
The only other hurdler considered for a Top Performer in 2021 was Washington State alum CJ Allen (30, 1212) in the 400 hurdles. CJ advanced to the semifinals at the US Olympic Trials, but finished the season on a high note, setting a personal best of 48.73 in winning the American Track League meet in Marietta, Georgia on July 9th.
Top Performer--THROWS (Shot/Discus/Hammer/Javelin)
Washington State alum Brock Eager (33, 1158) gets the nod after throwing a personal best of 248-10 (75.84m) at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, and finishing sixth in the finals of the US Olympic Trials.
Honorable Mention--MULTI EVENTS
With the World Athletics ranking rules different for the multi events (two competitions by an athlete in an 18-month active period prior to the date of the rankings--in this case, December 28, 2021, not counting the inactive period between April 6-November 30, 2020), Washington volunteer coach Tim Duckworth (40, 1153) was still ranked, even though his only significant mark was 7447 points in winning the British championship in June.
WHO GETS THE MERCANATOR AS THE STATE'S TOP TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES IN 2021?
Olympic pole vault champion and former Pullman resident Katie Nageotte receives her third Mercanator Award to go along with her 2020 Top Box Award as the outstanding female track and field athlete of 2021.
On the men's side, the Mercanator Award for the outstanding male track and field athletes goes to former Renton resident Devon Allen, and to Josh Kerr of the Brooks Beasts.
For Allen, this marks his fourth Mercanator, while Kerr receives his second Mercanator award as the top track and field athlete from the state of Washington...congratulations, Katie, Devon & Josh!
Before we sign off on 2021, here is the list of all-time Mercanator Award winners.
2021--Devon Allen/Josh Kerr, Katie Nageotte
2020--(Top Box) Katie Nageotte
2019--Josh Kerr, Katie Nageotte
2018--Devon Allen, Katie Nageotte
2017--Devon Allen, Kara Winger
2016--Devon Allen, Andrea Geubelle/Kara Winger
2015--Garrett Heath, Kara Winger
2014--Bernard Lagat, Katie Mackey
2013--none (we forgot)
2012--Bernard Lagat, Ginnie Crawford
2011--Jeshua Anderson
2010--Kara Patterson
2009--by event category
2008--by event category
NOTE: World Athletics & Track & Field News contributed to this report.
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