Brooks Beasts' Nia Akins runs fastest time of the day in women's 800 at nationals...
Akins ran a controlled 1:59.09 in the third of four heats, winning by over a second over Stanford freshman Juliette Whittaker.
Akins' run set the tone for many of the state's running event athletes competing on the opening day, with none involved in any finals.
In the men's 1500, four runners coached by University of Washington head coach Andy Powell advanced to Saturday's finals.
In the first of three heats, nicknamed the "Heat of Death", 2022 NCAA champ Joe Waskom of the Huskies finished second in 3:33.61, while Johnny Gregorek, who resides in the Boston area, but travels to Seattle for training blocks under Powell, was third in 3:36.95.
In the same heat, current NCAA 1500 champ Nathan Green of the Dawgs was fifth in a personal best 3:37.03, just ahead of former UW volunteer coach and 2016 Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz, who ran 3:37.36.
Both Green and Centrowitz had to sit and watch the outcomes of the next two heats to await their fates.
In the second heat, current UW volunteer coach Sam Prakel won in 3:42.78, and in heat 3, Henry Wynne of the Brooks Beasts was third in 3:39.34.
Green and Centrowitz advanced to Saturday's finals as two of the three time qualifiers, joining Waskom from heat 1, along with Prakel and Wynne.
In the women's 1500, UW alum Anna Gibson, making her pro debut, advanced to Saturday's final as the last time qualifier, running 4:11.98, just behind Laurie Barton of the Brooks Beasts, who ran a personal best 4:10.98.
The men's 800 saw all three Seattle area entries--Derek Holdsworth (1:46.74), Devin Dixon of the Brooks Beasts (1:46.92), and Beasts teammate Isaiah Harris (1:48.13) advance to Friday's semifinals, with Dixon advancing as a time qualifier.
In the women's steeplechase, former Seattle Pacific All-American Kaylee Mitchell of Oregon State (9:38.15), Pasco HS grad Marisa Howard (9:38.19), Woodinville native and reigning NCAA champ Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame (9:49.08), and UW grad Kayley DeLay of the Brooks Beasts (9:49.41) all advanced to Saturday night's finals.
Walla Walla native and NCAA champion Kenneth Rooks of BYU had the fourth fastest time of the afternoon in the men's steeplechase, running 8:24.73 to advance to Saturday night's final.
In the one final involving a Washington athlete, University Place native Lexi Ellis of the University of Oregon finished ninth in the women's triple jump, with a best of 42-6.25 (12.96m).
Friday, Washington State alum CJ Allen runs in the first round of the men's 400 hurdles, along with current Coug Jared McElvey, Washington grad Cass Elliott, and current Husky Jonathan Birchman.
Akins, and Harris, Dixon, & Holdsworth run in the semifinals of the 800s Friday night.
USATF U-20 CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN FRIDAY
In addition to the Toyota USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field, the USATF Under-20 championships begin on Friday.
The U20 championships start Friday at 11 am with the combined events, featuring Emerald Ridge HS rising junior JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, who finished second at the USA U20s in the heptathlon, en route to earning a spot on Team USA at the world U20 championships in Cali, Colombia.
Collegians in the meet with Washington ties include Seattle University's Miguel Rosario in the 100, Maurice Woodring of Western Washington in the 400 hurdles, Natalie Ruzauskas of Eastern Washington in the women's steeple, and Kelso's Erin Tack of Arizona in the women's javelin.
Here's the list of athletes with Washington ties entered in the USATF U-20s:
M 100
Miguel Rosario SeattleU
LeRoy Horton Curtis HS/Alpha Speed Academy
W 100
Braelyn Baker Redmond Sprint Club/Bear Creek
M 200
LeRoy Horton Curtis HS/Alpha Speed Academy
M 400
Jacob Andrews Ready-Set-Go Sprinters/Sehome
Grant Buckmiller GLS Speed/Lake Stevens
M 1500
Gabriel Kary
M 110 H
Andre Korbmacher Ready-Set-Go Sprinters/Squalicum
M 400 H
Maurice Woodring Western Washington
W 400 H
Braelyn Baker Redmond Sprint Club/Bear Creek
W Steeple
Sydney Collier Cascade Striders/Skyline
Natalie Ruzauskas Eastern Washington
W HJ
JaiCieonna Gero-Holt Wash TF Academy/Emerald Ridge
W PV
Ella McRitchie NW PV Academy/Bainbridge
W HT
Adrianna Coleman Seattle Masters/King's
W JT
Erin Tack Arizona/Kelso
W Heptathlon
JaiCieonna Gero-Holt Wash TF Academy/Emerald Ridge
The USATF U20 championships will be streamed on USATF.TV ($).
NOTE: USA Track & Field contributed to this report.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support this site and our sponsors by clicking on the links.
Comments