Makenna Barton defeats rain & field to defend Pac-12 pole vault crown...
The Washington women are in the lead after three events with 32 points, thanks to a 1-2 finish in the pole vault by defending champion Makenna Barton and Ashleigh Helms (Paul Merca photo), while the men find themselves in third place with 20 points, scoring in the 10000 and the javelin.
The Washington State men are in fifth place with 10 points, thanks to a win by Jacob Englar in the pole vault, while the women are in seventh with 12 points, with javelin thrower Valentina Barrios-Bornacelli picking up eight points with her second place finish.
On what quite frankly was a wet, nasty day in Track Town USA, Barton defended her 2021 conference championship in the pole vault, clearing a very modest 13-2.5 (4.03m) to take the victory.
Barton, who had struggled with injuries after a strong start to the indoor season, didn't begin her outdoor campaign until the dual meet against Washington State on April 22nd, where she no-heighted.
At the Fresno State Invitational the following weekend, there was no indication that she would even be in position to defend her conference championship, as she finished fourth with a height of 12-5.5 (3.80m), well below her personal best of 13-9.25 (4.20m), set in winning the Pac-12 title last year in Los Angeles.
The wet conditions affected numerous competitors, most notably Pac-12 Invitational indoor champ Katie Daily of Arizona, and Arizona State's Sevanna Hanson, who were the pre-meet favorites, as both no-heighted.
Barton needed a third attempt clearance at 12-10.75 (3.93m) to become one of four to advance to the next height of 13-2.5 (4.03m).
At that height, Barton cleared on her first attempt, while teammate Ashleigh Helms, along with Katerina Adamiec of UCLA and Amari Turner of Cal could not navigate the height.
Helms got second place on fewer misses at the previous height of 12-10.75 (3.93m).
In the men's pole vault, the Cougars' Jacob Englar needed a third attempt clearance at the opening height of 16-1.25 (4.91m) to advance to 16-5.25 (5.01m).
Englar cemented the win with two consecutive first-attempt clearances at 16-5.25 (5.01m) and the ultimate winning height of 16-9.25 (5.11m).
The men's 10000 saw the Huskies' Kieran Lumb break the school record in a second place finish behind defending champion Charles Hicks of Stanford, as Hicks ran 28:11.17, while Lumb ran 28:11.49, eclipsing teammate Bryan Fay's old record of 28:22.31 set earlier this season.
Tibebu Proctor, who held the school record at the beginning of the outdoor season, finished eighth in 28:49.77.
The Huskies' Haley Herberg led for 23 of 25 laps of the women's 10000, running a personal best 32:34.67 in finishing fourth.
UW's cross country All-American Allie Schadler was fifth in 32:56.80, and Andrea Markezich was seventh in 33:42.18.
In the women's javelin, WSU's Valentina Barrios-Bornacelli was second with a sixth round toss of 165-0 (50.31m), as Virginia Miller of Stanford won at 178-6 (54.42m).
The Huskies' Roan Allen finished second in the men's javelin with a throw of 223-5 (68.11m), while teammate Zach Annanie was sixth at 210-11 (64.30m).
In the combined events, 2019 conference heptathlon champion Hannah Rusnak of UW stands sixth at 3231 points, and WSU's Peyton Teevens is tenth at 2973 at the break.
The decathlon has the Huskies' Jamie Schluter positioned in fourth at 3514 points, while 2021 conference runner-up Ollie Thorner is eighth with 3057 points, despite a no-height in the high jump.
Complete day one results from the Pac-12 championships are available here.
GNAC HIGHLIGHTS...
In Ellensburg, Western Washington's Mac Franks and Jeret Gillingham finished 1-2 in the 3000 steeplechase to highlight the first day of competition at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships hosted by Central Washington University.
Franks won in 9:00.76, while Gillingham finished in the runner-up position in 9:07.43.
Ethan Sterkel won the long jump at 23-11 (7.29m) to give the Vikings another ten points for the victory.
After seven events, the Vikings hold a 92-65 lead over Northwest Nazarene. Saint Martin's is tied for fourth with 19 points, while Central Washington is tied for seventh at 16, and Seattle Pacific is ninth with 7 points.
In the women's competition, Western Washington's Ila Davis won the 3000 steeplechase in 10:31.55, while Seattle Pacific's Annika Esvelt won the 10000 in 36:32.30.
Central Washington's Avery Fisk won the discus, spinning the platter 142-7 (43.47m).
Western Washington stands second after eight events with 66 points, while Central Washington is fifth with 32 points, Seattle Pacific sixth at 31, and Saint Martin's ninth at 7 points.
Results of day 1 of the GNAC Championships are available here.
NOTE: The sports information office of the University of Washington, Washington State, and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference contributed to this report.
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