Kenneth Rooks & Joe Waskom highlight Washingtonians at USATF champs Saturday...
EUGENE--Walla Walla native Kenneth Rooks (Paul Merca photo) of Brigham Young University survived a fall on the second lap of the race and stormed back to win the mens 3000 meter steeplechase to highlight action at day 3 of the Toyota USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Historic Hayward Field.
AS the field passed by the east stands of the storied track and field facility, Rooks, who was in the middle of the pack, lost track of the barrier's position and caught himself in an awkward position that would have caused him to kick the back of the runner in front of him.
He fell over, rolled on the track, then told himself, "I'm gonna get up and start moving forward."
In an ode to BYU alum and former American record holder Henry Marsh, Rooks said that Marsh used to run from the back and picked people off.
The College Place HS alum and reigning NCAA champion was in last for the next two laps, then moved up to ninth with a kilometer to go.
Over his last two laps, he ran 65 and 61 seconds before finishing the final 200 in 29.57 to clock a personal best of 8:16.78.
Rooks did not get to the front until a few steps past the final water jump, when he edged past Bernard Keter, who was near the front for most of the race.
When asked when he felt he had the race won, the BYU junior said, "When I cleared the final barrier," noting that his hurdling technique was better than Keter's.
While Rooks does not currently have the world championship standard of 8:15.00 in hand, he should have enough world ranking points to go to Budapest.
Another Washingtonian who is most likely going to the world championships is University of Washington junior Joe Waskom (Paul Merca photo).
Waskom finished second in the mens 1500 in a personal best 3:35.32 behind Notre Dame alum Yared Nuguse, who won in 3:34.90.
In the same fashion that he did over a year ago when he won the NCAA 1500 meter title on this track, Waskom jumped to the lead with just over 250 to go, and dared the field to catch him.
On the final straight, Waskom controlled the inside lane, forcing Nuguse to swing wide to take the win.
Behind third place finisher Cole Hocker, who ran 3:35.46 was UW volunteer coach Sam Prakel in fourth at 3:35.83, followed by Henry Wynne of the Brooks Beasts in 3:35.99.
NCAA 1500m champ Nathan Green of the Huskies was seventh in a personal best 3:36.29, and 2022 world championship team member Johnny Gregorek was ninth in 3:36.56.
After the race, Waskom was interviewed by NBC's Lewis Johnson and said, "With 250 (meters) to go that's usually the spot I like to go from. I thought just don't look back. I saw Yared come on the home stretch and I was like just go with him. Just go to the line, I think I can still be top-three."
Waskom does not have the world championships standard of 3:34.20, but has until the end of the month to get it. There is a scenario where he can go to Budapest for the world championships based on his world ranking as of August 2nd.
In other action:
--Washington State alum Brock Eager was fourth in the men's hammer with a best of 243-8 (74.28m) in round 2. Unfortunately, Eager, who was in third entering the final three throws, fouled all of his throws in the finals;
--Recent UW grad Anna Gibson, now running for Brooks, ran a personal best 4:09.58 in the women's 1500 to finish tenth;
--Recent grad Cass Elliott came up just one spot shy of making his first USA final in the 400-meter hurdles, as he was ninth overall in 49.44. The last qualifying time was 49.30;
--In the women's steeplechase, NCAA champ and Woodinville native Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame was fourth in a personal best 9:17.93. Pasco native Marisa Howard, who was on maternity leave last season, was fifth in 9:22.73, and former Seattle Pacific standout Kaylee Mitchell was sixth in a personal best 9:24.01.
Washington grad student Kayley DeLay, who signed this week with the Brooks Beasts, was twelfth in 9:43.06;
--Washington State grad CJ Allen had the second fastest time in the men's 400 hurdles semis, winning his heat in 48.51, while in the same heat, recent UW grad Cass Elliott was fifth at 49.44, and missed a time qualifier to Sunday's final by 14/100ths of a second;
--Husky rising senior Chandler Ault wound up seventh overall in the men's javelin with a season best 237-1 (72.26m);
--Former Renton resident Devon Allen was fourth in his heat of the men's 110 hurdles in 13.51, but advanced to the second round Sunday as a time qualifier. Eastern Washington alum Parker Bowden tied for sixth in his heat, running 13.74;
--Bellevue native Katie Burnett was fourth in the women's 20k walk in 1:42.28.86, while in the men's 20k walk, Vancouver native Daniel Nehnevaj was sixth in 1:34:49.
In Sunday's finale, current Husky Nastassja Campbell, UW alum Olivia Gruver, and incoming freshman Hana Moll are in the women's pole vault. Former Husky Jonah Wilson is in the finals of the men's shot put.
CJ Allen goes in the men's 400 hurdles final, while Derek Holdsworth of Seattle and Isaiah Harris of the Brooks Beasts are in the men's 800 finals. Nia Akins of the Brooks Beasts is in the finals of the women's 800.
Sam Prakel, who was fourth in the 1500, will run in the finals of the men's 5000, along with Dillon Maggard of the Brooks Beasts. Beasts teammate Allie Buchalski goes in the women's 5000.
The television window for Sunday's final day of competition starts at 6pm Pacific on CNBC and on Peacock, with events not on the television window streamed on USATF.tv ($) starting at 11:00 am with the U-20 decathlon.
USATF U20 DAY 2 RECAP...
In the USATF Under-20 championships, Emerald Ridge rising junior JaiCieonna Gero-Holt increased her lead to win the national title in the heptathlon with a final score of 5552 points, which is an all time Washington state high school best.
Gero-Holt started the day by leaping 18-2.5 (5.55m) in the long jump, then threw the javelin 142-5 (43.42m), good for another win.
She then finished her day with an eighth place finish in the 800, running 2:31.94.
Ella McRitchie of Bainbridge HS & the NW Pole Vault Academy was second in the women's pole vault with a best of 13-925 (4.20m), losing out on fewer misses to Jaythiyah Muhammad of the San Jose Track Club.
Adrianna Coleman of King's HS was third in the women's hammer with a throw of 177-0 (53.96m).
NOTE: USA Track & Field contributed to this report.
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