Houser sets Dempsey Record at Mile City, as a facility record 15 men break 4 minutes in the mile...
SEATTLE--If judging by the response of Saturday's Mile City portion of the UW Invitational is any indication, the event within the event looks to become a staple of the US indoor circuit.
Fifteen women's heats and twenty two men's heats of the mile were contested for the community, kids, masters and the elites who came to the Dempsey Indoor to run fast.
Adding to the atmosphere was a live DJ brought in to spin the turntables as the runners ran their 5-plus laps of the 307-meter oval.
The men's mile saw fifteen runners in two invitational heats break four minutes, led by Washington's Luke Houser (Paul Merca photo).
Houser, the senior from Woodinville, took down the one year old Dempsey Indoor record of 3:51.90 set by Joe Waskom, as he ran 3:51.73, the fourth fastest indoors in collegiate history.
Kieran Lumb, who ran the 5000 Friday night in Boston, was the pacesetter for the race along with the Huskies' Eric Gibson.
Houser, Brannon Kidder of the Brooks Beasts, Waskom, UW teammates Nathan Green, Ronan McMahon-Staggs, UW alum Sam Ellis, the Huskies' Leo Daschbach, and Canada's John Gay, all fell in line as Lumb and Gibson did the work before they stepped off the track.
When it came time to race, Houser responded by putting a gap between himself and Kidder, coming across first in 3:51.73 to Kidder's 3:53.09.
Behind Kidder, who ran his seventh career sub-4 minute mile in the Dempsey, and his second this season, the last two NCAA 1500 meter champions, Waskom and Green, were third and fourth in 3:53.64, and 3:53.74.
McMahon-Staggs, who transferred from UCLA, was fifth in 3:54.61, followed by Husky alum Sam Ellis in 3:56.38.
Leo Daschbach of the Huskies, who had broken 4 minutes as a high school student in Arizona, broke 4 for the first time as a Dawg, running 3:58.18, and Canadian steeple Olympian John Gay was eighth in 3:58.50.
In the first invitational section, Matt Strangio of the University of Portland, won in 3:55.53, leading five other runners under 4, including Western Washington alum Mac Franks in third at 3:57.70, Gonzaga's Wil Smith in fourth at 3:58.81, and Rio Olympic 1500 meter champ Matthew Centrowitz in sixth at 3:59.34.
Smith broke his own school record of 3:59.36 set last year at the WSU Open in Spokane.
Other highlights:
--In the women's 1000, US 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz ran the fastest time in the world this season to kick off the Mile City, running 2:34.09 to turn back Oregon alum Jessica Hull's 2:34.71. In doing so, Hiltz broke the US indoor record set by Jen Toomey in 2004. Hull in second, destroyed the Australian indoor record set by Zoe Buckman of 2:39.47 set in 2017, and threatened her country's absolute fastest time of 2:34.63 set by Abby Caldwell last year;
--Hiltz came back to pace Washington's Carley Thomas (Paul Merca photo), as Thomas broke her own school indoor record, running 2:00.95. The mark set a new Dempsey facility record, and gives the senior from Australia the NCAA Division I lead, as well as a spot on the all-time top ten collegiate list;
--In a spirited battle, Washington freshman Hana Moll and 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist Katerina Stefanidi of Greece ended up listed as tying at a meet record 15-2.75 (4.64m). We believe the results are in error, with Moll the winner based on a second attempt make at 15-2.75, with Stefanidi needing three tries.
This gives Moll the world lead among under-20 athletes, and also gives her the overall NCAA Division I and II lead. Going into Saturday, Brynn King of D2 Roberts Wesleyan in New York was the overall collegiate leader at 15-1 (4.60m). Moll also has a spot on the all-time collegiate top ten list at number five.
--Washington State and Rainier Beach HS alum Emmanuel "Ray-Ray" Wells missed the qualifying mark for the USA indoor championships, winning the 60 meter dash in 6.59.
NOTE: The sports information office of the University of Washington contributed to this report.
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