CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND (part 1): Huskies send largest group to NCAA indoors in New Mexico...
Both Husky squads go into the national championships with perhaps the highest expectations in years, as they head into Albuquerque ranked well inside the top ten in the latest USTFCCCA D1 ratings index.
MEN
The Washington men go into the championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center ranked number 2 in the nation, behind Arkansas.
The Dawgs look to top their highest team finish on the men's side, which was sixth in 2016.
While all eyes will be on Washington's six men entered in the mile: Joe Waskom, Brian Fay (Paul Merca photo) , Nathan Green, Luke Houser, Aidan Ryan, and Aaron Ahl, multi event specialist Bruno Comin Pescador gets the ball rolling for the Huskies at 9:30 am local time (8:30 am in Seattle) in the 60 meter dash.
He then moves on to the long jump, and shot put before finishing day 1 with the high jump.
The Spanish standout comes off a huge performance at the Ken Shannon Last Chance meet, where he scored a personal best 6061 points in the heptathlon to move from number 16 on the descending order list to number 5.
The Huskies' Jacob Englar, who qualified for the NCAA outdoor championships last year while at Washington State, goes in the pole vault at 6 pm local time (5 pm in Seattle).
Houser, who was fifth in the outdoor 1500 last year, Green, who was seventh in the 1500 last year, and Ahl, who has qualified for the NCAA Division II championships twice indoors while at Simon Fraser, run in the first preliminary race Friday at 7:00 pm local time (6:00 pm in Seattle) in a heat that includes the top collegiate miler in Anass Essayi of South Carolina & Morocco.
In the mile, the top four finishers in each of the two heats, plus the two fastest time qualifiers advance to the finals on Saturday at 6:00 pm, Seattle time.
The second prelim has NCAA 1500m champ Waskom, All-American at 5000 meters Fay, and former NCAA Division III champ Ryan. The Husky trio are the top three seeded runners in the heat, so they could potentially control the heat from the front, and run fast enough to secure a spot in the finals. With Waskom the projected opening leg in the distance medley relay a little bit over 2 1/2 hours later, energy conservation will be key.
At the same time the milers are in action, Washington's Jayden White, who was fourth in the weight throw last year, looks to improve his placing from 2022, though he enters the meet seeded eleventh.
At 7:45 pm local time (6:45 in Seattle), school record holder Cass Elliott goes in the 800, where he's seeded ninth. He'll run in the second of two prelims, with the top 3 plus in each heat plus two time qualifiers advance to Saturday night's final at 7:30 pm (6:30 pm in Seattle).
Like the milers, energy conservation will play a factor, as Elliott is projected to run the 800 leg in the distance medley relay an hour later.
In that distance medley relay, Washington is seeded second behind collegiate record holder Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State has the advantage on paper, as the Cowboys have no entries in the 400, 800 or mile and can run the same quartet that beat the Huskies at Arkansas several weeks ago.
That said, Washington men's coach Andy Powell has enough depth to sub Waskom and/or Elliott if necessary, depending on what happens in the mile and 800 semis. Kieran Lumb was not entered in the mile, so it is presumed that he will run the 1600 anchor leg in the DMR. Eastern Washington transfer Daniel Gaik, who makes his NCAA championship debut, ran the 400 leg at Arkansas.
Walla Walla native Kenneth Rooks is on the entry list in the DMR for Brigham Young. Rooks was an All-American for the Cougars in the steeplechase last spring.
WOMEN
Maurica Powell's UW women's squad gets rolling early as well, as they look to top the highest finish at the NCAA indoors, which was a tie for eighth in 1988.
Two-time All-American Ida Eikeng begins the first of five events in the pentathlon at 9:50 am (8:50 am in Seattle) with the 60 hurdles, before moving on to the high jump, shot put, long jump, and 800.
At 2 pm local time (1:00 pm in Seattle), Nastassja Campbell and Sara Borton compete in the pole vault. Campbell was eighth in this meet last year while at Arkansas. Borton, who transferred to the UW from Tennessee, makes her first appearance at the NCAA championships.
Two hours later, action gets underway on the track with Anna Gibson of the Huskies and former Seattle Pacific All-American Kaylee Mitchell running in the semis of the mile. Mitchell, who is seeded 15th, runs in the first heat, while Gibson, the fourth seed, runs in the second heat.
Like the men, the top four finishers in each of the two heats, plus the two fastest time qualifiers advance to the finals on Saturday at 3:00 pm, Seattle time.
At 4:45 pm local time (3:45 pm in Seattle), Carley Thomas and Marlena Preigh run in the prelims of the 800. Thomas, who is seeded seventh, goes in heat 1, while Preigh, who is seeded 18th, is in the second heat. The top 3 plus in each heat plus two time qualifiers advance to Saturday afternoon's final at 4:30 pm
Gibson, Thomas and Preigh are all projected to run the distance medley relay to end Friday's session an hour later.
Before the distance medley relay, Washington State's Maribel Caicedo, who is seeded fourth, runs in the second heat of the 60 hurdles. The UTEP transfer makes her first appearance at an NCAA championship meet.
In the distance medley relay, the only fresh leg available from the UW team that set the collegiate record in Boston last month is Sophie O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan wasn't entered in the mile to give the Huskies at least one fresh leg.
Lake Stevens native Taylor Roe, the defending 3000 meter champion from Oklahoma State, and Woodinville native Olivia Markezich from Notre Dame, are entered in the distance medley for their schools. Both are also entered in Saturday's 3000 at 5:00 pm local time (4:00 pm in Seattle).
SATURDAY
In addition to whoever advances from Friday's preliminary heats, Washington's Bruno Comin Pescador comes back for day 2 of the heptathlon starting at 10:30 am local time (9:30 am in Seattle).
University Place native Lexi Ellis of Oregon competes in the triple jump at 3:45 pm local time (2:45 pm in Seattle).
Kaylee Mitchell of Oregon State joins both Roe and Markezich in the 3000 meter finals at 5:00 pm (4:00 pm in Seattle). If she advances from Friday's prelims in the mile, she will have less than an hour to rest.
The same can be said of the Huskies' Brian Fay should he advance to the finals in the mile, which goes Saturday at 7:00 pm local time. He will join Kieran Lumb in the 3000 finals at 8 pm.
The NCAA Division I indoor championship meet will not be shown live on TV, but you can stream all events live online via WatchESPN+ (requires subscription). It will be shown on a delayed basis on ESPNU Sunday night and Monday morning (check listings for air times).
paulmerca.blogspot.com will be on site for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The preview of the NCAA Division II championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia will be posted Thursday.
NOTE: The NCAA, and the sports information offices of the University of New Mexico, University of Washington, and Washington State University contributed to this report.
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