Washington squads enter NCAA regionals ranked number 16...

NEW ORLEANS--With the announcement late last week of the qualifiers and entries into this week's NCAA East and West Preliminary Rounds in Bloomington, Indiana and Fayetteville, Arkansas, the USTFCCCA announced its rankings Monday.

The rankings reflect those athletes who are actually declared and qualified to compete at the regionals in a particular event. In any events that an athlete is qualified, but not declared in, the mark they made in the regular season is thrown out for ranking purposes.

Both Washington squads are ranked sixteenth by the USTFCCCA entering the regionals, with the men dropping two spots from last week, and the women dropping three spots from the post-conference rankings last week.

With the heptathlon and decathlon not contested at the regionals, both Ida Eikeng and Ollie Thorner of Washington were advanced to the national championships in Eugene by virtue of finishing in the top 24 on the national descending order list.

Entering the regionals, Brian Fay (Paul Merca photo) is the top ranked Husky on the men's side, as he is the national leader in the 5000, while Eikeng and Haley Herberg in the 10000 are the top ranked competitors on the women's side, with both ranked at number four.

The pre-regionals national top five men's teams are in order: Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and LSU.

Pac-12 teams in the national top 25 include number 7 Oregon, number 18 USC, number 19 Stanford, and number 22 Arizona State.

The pre-regionals national top five women's teams are in order: Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Florida, and LSU.

Pac-12 women's squads in the national top 25 include: number 9 Oregon, number 12 Colorado, number 15 USC, number 20 Arizona State, number 23 Stanford, and number 24 Cal.

Washington heads to the regionals in Fayetteville with 34 athletes, while Washington State, led by Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Micaela De Mello will have 20 individuals and a relay team.

Gonzaga will send seven runners to regionals, while Eastern Washington will send five athletes.  Seattle University again did not qualify an athlete to the regionals.

The USTFCCCA release is available here.

WEEKEND WRAPUP

In Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, former Renton resident Devon Allen won the 110 hurdles at the Duval County Challenge meet which is part of the American Track League circuit.

Allen easily won in a time of 13.17 with a legal wind of +1.2 meters per second.

Washington State alum CJ Allen won the 400 hurdles in a season best of 49.05.

Results of the Duval County Challenge are available here.

In New York on Friday night, Washington alum Julius Diehr finished sixth in the steeplechase at the Trials of Miles meet at Icahn Stadium, running a personal best of 8:32.02.

Results of the Trials of Miles are available here. 

NOTE: The USTFCCCA contributed to this report.

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