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A busy Saturday with Marathon Trials, and meets in Nebraska, Spokane & New Mexico...

This Saturday marked probably the busiest day in quite a while, with four major meets/races around the country covered.  Without further ado, here we go:

FORMER BROOKS BEAST JESSICA McCLAIN FINISHES FOURTH AT US OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS...


In Orlando, former Seattle resident and Brooks Beasts member Jessica McClain (Mike Scott photo) made a late charge over the last six miles to finish fourth at the US Olympic Team Trials-Marathon Saturday morning.

The 2014 Stanford All-American, Pac-12 champion at 10000 meters, and member of the Brooks Beasts until the end of the 2018 season, started the race in the back of the lead group, staying in 13th position through the half-marathon mark, which she crossed in 1:12:38, 56 seconds behind the lead pack of five runners.

At 18 miles, McClain moved two positions to 11th, but was 67 seconds behind the lead pack.

She reached the top ten mark just before the 21 mile mark, seven seconds behind University of Washington alum Lindsay Flanagan before overtaking Flanagan in the next mile.

In a span of two miles, she closed the gap on seventh place to 17 seconds. In the 25th mile, she ran 5:35 to move to sixth, but was 50 seconds behind eventual third place finisher Dakotah Lindwurm.

McClain closed to within 26 seconds in mile 26, but the closest she got to Lindwurm was at the finish, where she crossed the line in a personal best 2:25:26, 15 seconds behind Lindwurm.

Former Stanford standout Fiona O'Keeffe, competing in her first ever marathon, won the race in an Olympic Trials record 2:22:10, 32 seconds ahead of Emily Sisson's 2:22:42.

The former Jessica Tonn, who currently is an unsponsored athlete, moved back to her home state of Arizona after her stint with the Brooks Beasts, then got married in late 2021. For her efforts, she'll receive $25,000 for finishing fourth.

Washington alum Lindsay Flanagan, who left her home in Boulder in December to train in Australia in anticipation of a hot-weather race in Orlando, finished eighth in 2:26:25. Flanagan collects $11,000 for placing eighth.

University of Washington grad student Amelia Keyser-Gibson was 69th in 2:40:35, while Eastern Washington alum Sarah Reiter was 80th in 2:42:36. 

McClain, who got under the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:26:50, will be the alternate for Paris, assuming either O'Keeffe, Sisson or Lindwurm drop off the team for any reason.

On the men's side, Seattle Pacific alum Turner Wiley was 29th in 2:16:42. Bellingham native and Tokyo Olympian Jake Riley didn't finish, dropping out after the 18 mile mark.

BYU alums Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, both of whom had the World Athletics standard of 2:08:10 for the Olympics, went 1-2 in 2:09:05 & 2:09:06.

Leonard Korir, who finished fourth in the Trials four years ago in Atlanta, finished third in 2:09:57, but must wait until May to find out if he's going to Paris after the Olympic qualifying period closes to see if he is ranked high enough on the World Athletics ranking system to go. Under the US Olympic Trials rules, no runner can chase an Olympic standard of 2:08:10 after the Trials to bump out Korir.

HUSKIES' BRUNO COMIN PESCADOR GETS TO 6000 POINTS IN HEPTATHLON IN NEBRASKA...


In Lincoln, Nebraska, Washington's Bruno Comin Pescador (photo courtesy UW Athletics) finished second overall in the heptathlon at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska.

Comin Pescador, who finished eighth at the NCAA championships in Albuquerque last year, scored exactly 6000 points to finish behind Nebraska's Till Steinforth, who scored 6097 points.

The senior from Spain started the day in second with 3274 points, 178 points behind Steinforth.

Steinforth gained 12 points in winning the 60 hurdles in 7.99 to Comin Pescador's 8.04, which was a lifetime best.

In the pole vault, Comin Pescador made up 30 points by winning the event with a clearance of 16-2.75 (4.95m) to Steinforth's 15-11 (4.85m).

Comin Pescador won the 1000 in 2:41.31, but needed to beat Steinforth by at least 15 seconds to overtake the Cornhusker. Steinforth hung on to finish in 2:47.08, and a final score of 6097 to Comin Pescador's 6000.

Husky teammate Jami Schlueter finished fourth with a final score of 5356 points. He ran  8.27 in the 60 hurdles, pole vaulted 14-11 (4.55m) and finished the day with a time of 2:53.40 in the 1000.

Pending the results of meets around the country this weekend, Comin Pescador is tied for third on the NCAA Division I descending order list, which puts him in a solid position for one of the 16 spots to the NCAA championships next month in Boston.

Other highlights from Nebraska:

--The men's 4 x 400 relay team of Jonathan Birchman, Matthew Wilkinson, Boden Hanley, and Gaik finished second overall to Nebraska, as the Huskies ran a season best of 3:10.96; 

--In the women's invitational pole vault, Rio Olympic champ Katerina Stefanidi of Greece evened the score on UW freshman Hana Moll, as Stefanidi won with a clearance of 15-0 (4.57m), while Moll was third at 14-4 (4.37m), behind Emily Grove's 14-8 (4.47m). 

Moll beat Stefanidi last week in Seattle, with Grove fourth.

Washington's Nastassja Campbell, who was third in Seattle last week, cleared a season best 14-4 (4.37m) to finish fourth on misses behind Moll, while UW freshman Amanda Moll cleared a season best 14-0 (4.27m) to finish seventh and get herself in the top 20 on the NCAA D1 descending order list. This gives the Dawgs a second straight meet with three vaulters over 14 feet; 

--The Dawgs went 3-4-8 in the mens' triple jump, led by Kunle Akinlosotu's 49-9.25 (15.17m), Trevontay Smith in fourth at 48-11.75 (14.93m), and Roman Hutchinson in eighth at 46-6 (14.17m); 

--In the women's shot put, the Huskies' Kaia Tupu-South was fourth in a season best and UW school record 56-2 (17.12m) and got herself in the top 16 on the NCAA D1 descending order list; 

--Lauren Heggen of the Huskies was fifth in the women's triple jump at 39-10 (12.14m); 

--Daniel Gaik was sixth in the men's 200 in a time of 21.71; 

--The UW women's 4 x 400 team of Danielle Hunter, Anna Terrell, Kapiolani Coleman, and Rhonda Newton were sixth in a season best 3:45.18.


RAY RAY WELLS TIES WORLD LEAD IN 60M AT RIVERFRONT INVITATIONAL...

One of the most surprising marks of the Riverfront Invitational at The Podium in Spokane came in the men's 60 meter dash, as Washington State alum Ray Ray Wells tied the world lead, running 6.48 to win the event.

In the process, he towed current Cougar Mason Lawyer to a personal best time of 6.59, which currently puts Lawyer, a sophomore from Boise in a tie for ninth on the NCAA D1 descending order list.

Wells and Lawyer ran the two fastest times in the qualifying, with Wells running 6.64 and Lawyer 6.72.

The finals saw Wells, the Rainier Beach HS alum who is now coached by former NFL running back and UW sprint coach Eric Metcalf, get off to an outstanding start, and maintained the distance over the field to win in a personal best 6.48.

Wells won last week's UW Invitational in 6.59, but was mildly disappointed that he missed the qualifying standard for the USATF indoor championships of 6.58 in Albuquerque in two weeks.

Courtesy of media partner RunnerSpace.com, here is video of Wells' race:


Other highlights:

--Washington State's Micaela De Mello won the women's 60 hurdles in a personal best 8.19;

--Teammate Jasneet Nijjar won her second straight event of the meet, taking the 200 in a personal best 23.54, after winning the 400 Friday in 53.72;

--Gonzaga's Rosina Machu won a mile/3000 double, running 4:44.05 and 9:38.08; 

--The WSU squad of Ethan Willems, Mason Lawyer, Jared McAlvey, and Grant Buckmiller won the men's 4X400m relay in the final event of the weekend in 3:08.62 —the third-fastest time in WSU history.


NEW MEXICO COLLEGIATE CLASSIC RECAP...

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Washington State's Mason Mahacek finished second in the heptathlon behind NCAA decathlon champion Leo Neugebauer of Texas at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic at the Albuquerque Convention Center Saturday.

Mahacek, a grad transfer from the University of Michigan, started the day in third with 3137 points behind Neugebauer's 3643, and WSU teammate Lee Walburn's 3149.

Mahacek started day 2 with a time of 8.49 in the 60 hurdles, while Walburn started strong, running 8.28.

Mahacek came on strong in the pole vault, clearing 16-4.75 (5.00m) to take second, while Walburn finished a disappointing 11th at 14-1.25 (4.30m), well under his best of 15-9 (4.80m).

The Michigan transfer won the 1000m in 2:41.88, to finish with a two-day score of 5762 points, good for a personal best, beating his previous best score of 5531 set in 2022.

Walburn failed to finish, giving him 4764 points for 13th place.

Mahacek's score is currently 13th on the NCAA descending order list.

Valery Tobias of the Seattle based Brooks Beasts won the women's 800 in 2:06.80 Friday night, while 800 meter specialist Brandon Miller of the Beasts was third in the mile in 4:14.34.

Ronald Grueso Mosquera of WSU finished seventh in the men's shot put, throwing a season best 55-9 (16.99m).


NOTE: The sports information offices of the University of Washington, Washington State University, USA Track & Field, University of New Mexico and the University of Nebraska contributed to this report.

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