Indoor track goes full tilt with Cougar Classic, UW Preview & Spokane Challenge meets...
The Podium's Spokane Invitational got the ball rolling on the 2022-23 indoor season last month, but Friday and Saturday, the season goes into overdrive with the Cougar Classic on Friday and the Spokane Indoor Challenge Saturday back at the Podium, while on the west side, the UW Indoor Preview Saturday at the Dempsey Indoor marks the first of four collegiate meets hosted by the Huskies this winter.
COUGAR CLASSIC
Friday's Cougar Classic will focus primarily on the sprints and jumps, with teams from Oregon, USC, Idaho, Montana State, Fresno State, and UNLV in the field along with the host Cougars.
The biggest name in the field is Tokyo Olympian in the 4x100 relay pool Micah Williams (Matt Flynn Parker/Oregon Athletics photo) of Oregon.
The 2021 NCAA indoor champion in the 60 meters begins his revenge tour to reclaim the national championship in that event. He went undefeated in the 60 in 2022, only to false start in the prelims at the NCAA championship meet in Birmingham, Alabama.
Williams could potentially face USC's Johnnie Blockburger, who anchored the Trojans to victory in the 4x100 relay at the NCAAs in Eugene. Blockburger is primarily a 400 meter man, and is dropping down in distance to start the 2023 campaign.
The Ducks' Jadyn Mays headlines the women's 60 dash. Mays was 3rd at the NCAAs last year, and helped Oregon take third in the 4x100 relay outdoors.
Washington State's 1-2 punch of Maribel Caicedo and Michaela De Mello take center stage in the 60 hurdles after going 1-2 at the Spokane Invitational last month.
Curtis HS alum Lexi Ellis of the Ducks returns to her home state, where she'll open the season in the long jump instead of the triple jump.
Media partner RunnerSpace.com ($) is offering live streaming coverage of the event.
UW INDOOR PREVIEW
The distance races have historically offered the best opportunities to witness some early season fireworks, and this year's lineup is no exception.
The most notable entry in the meet is 2016 Olympic 1500 meter champion Matthew Centrowitz (Paul Merca photo), who has been fighting injuries since competing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The Oregon alum, who missed the entire 2022 season, is entered in both the 1000 and the mile, both of which are among the highlighted events of the meet.
In the 1000 at 11:50 am, he'll go against the Huskies' reigning NCAA 1500 champ Joe Waskom, along with scorers Sam Ellis and Nathan Green, plus two time world championships team member Johnny Gregorek.
Centro's second half of the 1000/mile double goes at 1:45 pm, where he'll face the Huskies' Kieran Lumb, who won this meet last year in 3:55.53; UW teammate Nathan Green, who is looking to dip under 4 minutes for the first time in his career; Isaiah Harris of the Brooks Beasts, who is moving up in distance; Canadian Olympic steeplechaser John Gay; Stanford All-Americans Ky Robinson & Cole Sprout, both of whom are dropping down in distance.
Since the opening of the Dempsey in 2002, the 4-minute mile barrier's been broken 248 times by 173 different athletes, making it one of the hotbeds in the country.
The men's 3000 is just as loaded, as it features UW volunteer assistant coach Sam Prakel against Lumb, who is attempting a mile/3000 double. Also in the field making his UW debut is former NCAA D3 champ Aidan Ryan from Williams; Henry Wynne of the Brooks Beasts; and Stanford's Devin Hart & Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau.
Washington State's 2022 Pac-12 pole vault champ Jacob Engler makes his Husky debut, as finishes up his athletic eligibility after graduating from WSU.
On the women's side, the mile could be the race to watch, featuring Virginia alum Michaela Meyer of the Nike Union Athletics Club against Oregon alum & UW volunteer coach Alli Cash, with Nia Akins of the Brooks Beasts, former NCAA champ Kaela Edwards, NCAA steeplechase All-American Elise Thorner of New Mexico, and the UW trio of Anna Gibson, Madison Heisterman & Sophie O'Sullivan.
In the 800, Laurie Barton of the Brooks Beasts lines up against world U20 bronze medalist Juliette Whittaker of Stanford, along with Cash and Gibson.
The 3000 features former Foot Locker champ Zofia Dudek of Stanford going up against Seattle resident & Stanford alum Rebecca Mehra, Canadian Olympic steeplechaser Alycia Butterworth, 2017 world championships competitor Sara Vaughn, and NCAA cross country All-Americans Izzy Thornton-Bott of Oregon, and Laura Pellicoro of Portland.
The Huskies' Pac-12 800 meter champ Carley Thomas drops down in distance to 600 meters, where she'll face former NCAA champ Kaela Edwards, while in the 1000, Union AC team members Michaela Meyer and Villanova alum McKenna Keegan are the headliners.
World U20 800 meter champion and Stanford frosh Roisin Willis drops down in distance to the 400.
Dutch Olympian and world championships finalist Jorinde Van Klinken, a transfer from Arizona State, makes her University of Oregon debut in the shot put, where she's the reigning NCAA indoor champ in the event, as well as the discus.
Former SEC champion & All-American Nastassja Campbell from Arkansas makes her Husky debut in the pole vault, along with Tennessee transfer Sarah Borton, who was fourth at the USATF U20 champs in Eugene this past summer. Also, Washington's heptathlon NCAA scorer Ida Eikeng opens her season by competing in the high jump, 60 hurdles, and shot put. UW's NCAA discus qualifier Beatrice Asomaning is entered in the weight throw.
The start list and link to live results for the UW Indoor Preview is available here, along with a link to the time schedule.
Media partner RunnerSpace.com ($) is offering live streaming coverage of the event.
SPOKANE INDOOR CHALLENGE
The Podium hosts the Spokane Indoor Challenge Friday night and all day Saturday, with a limited number of events Friday night after the conclusion of the Cougar Classic, and the rest of the meet on Saturday.
Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, and Central Washington will have a large contingent competing at the meet. Montana, UC Irvine, Stanford, San Jose State, Cal State Northridge, and Boise State are also among the teams in the field, while Washington State will have a small contingent of sprinters.
All six of Eastern Washington's 2022 Big Sky indoor championship scorers-- Zach Klobutcher (pole vault), Savannah Schultz, Hally Ruff and Rosalie Folger-Vent (pole vault), Joe Gauthier (60-meter) and Bobby Say (triple and long jump) are entered in the meet.
Gonzaga's NCAA cross country championship competitors Yacine Guermali and Wil Smith (mile/3000), along with Bryce Cerkowniak & Riley Moore (3000) are entered as well.
Central Washington's multi-events All American Braydon Maier, new school 800m record holder Johan Correa, and conference scorers Lauryn Chandler (60H, LJ, 200) and E'Lexis Hollis (60/200) leads the Wildcats into Spokane.
Like the Cougar Classic and the UW Indoor Preview, media partner RunnerSpace.com ($) is offering live streaming coverage of the event.
As always, all entries for all three meets are subject to change.
OTHER MEETS THIS WEEKEND...
Washington alum Olivia Gruver heads to Reno for the elite section of the National Pole Vault Summit Friday night, while Tokyo Olympian Izzi Batt-Doyle heads to Canberra for Australia's World Cross Country Championships team selection race on Sunday.
NOTE: The sports information offices of Washington State University, the University of Washington, University of Oregon, Central Washington University, Western Washington, Seattle Pacific, the National Pole Vault Summit, Athletics Australia, and the Spokane Sports Commission contributed to this report.
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