Katie Moon wins fourth USATF indoor title, while Isaiah Harris of Brooks Beasts punches ticket to world indoors...
Moon, who had won two USATF indoor titles on the same Albuquerque Convention Center venue, went with the strategy of vaulting as little as possible, after being forced out of the Hauts-de-France meet in Liévin last week with a slight Achilles tendon issue.
The former Pullman resident and volunteer coach at Washington State opened at 15-1 (4.60m), then cleared three straight heights after passing 15-3 (4.65m), including the winning height of 15-9 (4.80m).
The world's number one vaulter will be joined on the US team going to the world indoor championships in Glasgow, Scotland in two weeks by former training partner Sandi Morris, who was second at 15-7 (4.75m).
Mountlake Terrace native Chinne Okoronkwo finished eleventh with a season best 13-11.25 (4.25m).
In the men's 800, Isaiah Harris of the Brooks Beasts finished second behind world outdoor championships teammate Bryce Hoppel. Hoppel ran 1:46.67 for the win, with Harris closing in 1:46.78 for second.
The women's 800 saw a bit of a surprise, as defending national indoor and outdoor champion Nia Akins of the Brooks Beasts, who was fifth between 200 and 600 meters, moved too late and finished third in 2:00.90, as she ran out of room for a late run at winner Allie Wilson (2:00.63) and runner up Addy Wiley (2:00.70).
In the men's 1500, Henry Wynne of the Brooks Beasts was in good position entering the final 300, but could not quite catch second place Hobbs Kessler.
Wynne found himself in fourth place with a lap to go but Kessler found enough room on the inside to hold off Wynne's late charge, running 3:38.76 for the second and final spot to Glasgow, while Wynne had to swing to the outside, finishing third in 3:38.81.
Former University of Oregon standout and Tokyo Olympian Cole Hocker won in a meet record 3:37.51, finding some running room just before the 800 meter mark and running away from the field.
Defending USATF champ and Seattle resident Sam Prakel, who is part of UW coach Andy Powell's pro group, finished fifth in 3:40.04, as he had trouble for most of the race finding room to run in the 12-man field, having to run on the outside.
Washington alum Sam Ellis, who is also part of Powell's pro group, was eighth in 3:41.74.
In the first of three preliminary heats, Rainier Beach HS and Washington State alum Emmanuel "Ray Ray" Wells won his heat in a time of 6.58 to advance to the finals, while Mead HS/Spokane standout Dominick Corley was fifth in 6.66.
The finals saw reigning triple world champion Noah Lyles power to a world leading time of 6.43, just ahead of former world champ and world record holder Christian Coleman's 6.44. Wells, competing in his first USATF indoor finals race, finished fourth in 6.56.
MISCELLANEOUS INDOOR RESULTS...
In South Bend, Indiana, defending NCAA steeplechase All-American and Woodinville native Olivia Markezich ran a scintillating 4:22.31 1600 meter anchor leg to lead Notre Dame to victory in the women's distance medley relay Saturday at the Alex Wilson Invitational hosted by the Irish.
Markezich grabbed the baton with a two-second deficit behind LSU with 5 laps to go on the 320-meter track at the Loftus Sports Center, and led the Irish to victory in a time of 10:44.62, which is the third fastest time in the nation this season. This comes one day after Washington (10:43.39), Providence (10:44.07) and BYU (10:44.67) all broke the previous collegiate record set by Washington of 10:46.62 at the BU Terrier DMR Challenge.
In Flagstaff, Arizona, junior Garret Bernt of Northern Arizona (photo courtesy Northern Arizona Athletics), a 2021 graduate of 1B Stevenson HS, has put himself on the map this indoor season with four meets over 70 feet in the weight throw.
Bernt put himself in the conversation for a top-8 finish after setting a NAU school record 75-2.75 (22.93m) Friday night at the NAU Tune Up meet. The mark was almost three feet beyond his previous personal best of 72-7.75 (22.14m) set last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
As a high schooler at Stevenson, he finished eighth in the discus in the Washington 1B championship. Since the hammer isn't a championship meet event in the state, he finished second in the Washington hammer championship meet in 2021.
Bernt hadn't been a scorer for the Lumberjacks at the Big Sky championships until last spring when he was fifth in the discus, and third in the hammer. He has a personal best in the hammer of 204-5 (62.32m) set at the Desert Heat meet in Tucson.
The junior enters next week's Big Sky Conference championship at The Podium in Spokane as the solid favorite to win the weight throw title.
NOTE: USA Track & Field and the sports information offices of Notre Dame and Northern Arizona contributed to this report.
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