Olivia Markezich goes 8:50.48 at 3000m & Brian Fay sets UW & Irish national record at 5000m in Boston...

BOSTON--On the second day of the 2022-23 collegiate indoor season, runners with Washington ties made a statement at the Sharon Colyear-Danvile Season Opener Saturday at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center.

The fireworks started early in the women's 3000, as Woodinville native Olivia Markezich (Paul Merca photo) of Notre Dame, who finished eighth at the NCAA cross country championships two weeks ago, finished second in the women's 3000, running 8:50.48, 4/100ths behind winner Ceili McCabe of West Virginia.

Those marks are the eighth and ninth fastest times in collegiate history.

Behind those two, former Seattle Pacific All-American Kaylee Mitchell of Oregon State was fifth in the heat in 8:55.10, while UW volunteer assistant coach Alli Cash was eighth in 8:55.71. The Huskies' Anna Gibson was 13th in a personal best 9:08.12.

In the women's mile, Washington's Carley Thomas set a personal best in her fourth place finish, running 4:36.24, the eighth fastest time in school history. 

Alabama's Flomena Asekol won in a time of 4:32.84.

Just ahead of Thomas was Cash, who started her mile/3000 double by running 4:34.87.

In the men's 5000, Washington volunteer assistant Sam Prakel finished sixth in a personal best 13:15.96, obliterating his previous personal best of 13:41.79 set two years ago.

Behind Prakel in eighth was the Huskies' Brian Fay (Paul Merca photo), who ran 13:16.77 to break his old school record of 13:24.00 he set at the Husky Classic.

In the process, Fay, who will be competing for Ireland at next week's European Cross Country Championships in Turin, Italy, broke the Irish national record of 13:25.96 on a legal 200 meter track set by Barry Keane at this meet last year.

Kieran Lumb of the Dawgs was 19th in the heat in 13:39.03. Stanford's Ky Robinson won the race in 13:11.53, which is the third fastest time in collegiate history.

In other heats of the men's 5000, Gonzaga's Yacine Guermali was fourth in heat 3, setting a school record of 13:33.99. The Bulldogs' James Mwaura was tenth in heat 2 in a time of 13:39.39, also under the previous Gonzaga school record.

Williams grad transfer Aidan Ryan of the Huskies broke his previous personal best of 14:01.12 in finishing fourth in heat 5 in 13:49.07.

In the women's 5000, Yale grad transfer and steeplechase All-American Kayley DeLay, competing unattached, was 14th in the first heat, running 16:04.28.  Annie Rodenfels of the Boston Athletic Association won the race in 15:08.22.

Gonzaga's Kristen Garcia was 18th in heat 3 in a time of 16:26.72.

Both Washington and Gonzaga will have athletes competing at next week's Spokane Invitational at The Podium.

The link to complete results is available here.

NOTE: The University of Washington, Gonzaga University, Boston University, USTFCCCA and Athletics Ireland contributed to this report.

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