WEEKEND WRAPUP: Moll twins sign NIL deal with adidas & on Bowerman Watch list...
We are gearing up for our coverage of the 2025 NCAA Men's and Women's Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia this coming weekend (March 14-16), so we took a few days off.
Here's the roundup of what's happened over the last few days:
MOLLS GET NIL WITH adidas...
In a social media post, Washington pole vaulters Hana (standing) and Amanda Moll (Paul Merca photo) announced that they have picked up a name, image and likeness deal with adidas.
The decision to add the Moll twins to an NIL deal with the German athletic shoe giant was inevitable, given that adidas is the official athletic shoe and apparel sponsor of the UW athletic program.
Amanda Moll has broken the all-time collegiate record in the pole vault in the last two meets, first clearing 16-0 (4.88m) at the Don Kirby Elite meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 15th, then boosting it up two weeks later at the Big Ten Championships in Indianapolis, where she skied 16-1.25 (4.91m).
Meanwhile, sister Hana has been close on Amanda's heels, clearing a personal best 15-9.25 (4.81m) at the Big Tens, and had good misses at 16-1.25 (4.91m).
In a release posted several days ago by the USTFCCCA, both Moll sisters are now on the ten-woman Bowerman Watch list.
This marked Amanda's debut on the Bowerman Watch List, while Hana was on the Watch List last season.
Based on accomplishments during the season, the list is fluid until the conclusion of the NCAA outdoor championship meet in June.
From there, The Bowerman selection committee selects the three finalists for a vote, with the selection as the nation's top male and female collegiate track and field athletes revealed in December at the USTFCCCA convention, which will be held in December in Grapevine, Texas.
WASHINGTON D2 SCHOOLS COMPETE OUTDOORS IN PARKLAND AND ELLENSBURG...
Over the weekend, all four Washington Division II schools were in action outdoors, with the majority over in Parkland for the Pacific Lutheran University Invitational.
Western Washington swept both the men's and women's team titles, coming away with 282 points in the men's, and 211 in the women's meet.
WWU's Bec Bennett moved to the front of the NCAA D2 outdoor list, clocking a nation-leading time of 54.54 in the 400, as she sharpens up for the NCAA indoor championships in Indianapolis.
Other highlights included the Vikings' Maurice Woodring's 52.78 time in the 400 hurdles; Maya Ewing of Seattle Pacific's 10:48.00 in the 3000 steeplechase, which is number one in Division II; Jessica Polkinghorn of Western's 47-10.5 (14.59m) to win the women's shot.
In Ellensburg, Central Washington hosted the Wildcat Opener on their home track Friday and Saturday.
Western Washington freshman Kaden Miller and sophomore Owen Windrope went 1-2 in the eleven-man field in the decathlon.
Miller finished with 5,632 points placing 3rd-or-better in five events. His winning total was highlighted by placing second in the 110m hurdles (15.87), pole vault (3.64m/11-11.25) and 1500m (4:52.14).
Windrope totaled 5,418 points finishing 2nd behind Miller. His two-day performance was highlighted by winning the 1500m (4:36.51).
Central Washington's Carley Huber won the heptathlon with a two-day score of 4313, 311 points better than Western Washington's Nicole Avery.
Huber won the 100 hurdles (15.32) and the 800 (2:23.50), while Avery won the 200 (27.02) and the long jump (17-10.75/5.45m).
Other outstanding marks from the meet came from Centra pole vaulter Lauryn McGough, who won her event at 12-11.5 (3.95m); and triple jumper Emy Ntekpere's winning distance of 40-1.5 (12.23m), as they both tune up for next weekend's NCAA indoors in Indianapolis.
INTERNATIONAL RESULTS...
ĂŽn perhaps one of the rarest results in the era of the sophisticated photo finish camera equipment, former Washington Husky Sam Tanner finished in a dead heat in the finals of the Athletics New Zealand 1500 meter championships in Dunedin, New Zealand on Sunday.
Tanner, a four time New Zealand national champ at this distance and two-time Olympian, finished in an identical time of 3:44.31 with his Waikato Bay club teammate, 15-year old Sam Ruthe.
The timers could not sort out the photo, so they declared it a dead heat.
Courtesy of Athletics New Zealand, here's the race:
In Nagoya, Washington alum Izzi Batt-Doyle finished sixth Sunday at the Nagoya Women's Marathon, clocking 2:23:29, which is the fastest marathon run by an Australian in a women's only race.
Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui won the race in 2:20.40.
One result we missed from last week was that of Washington's Sophie O'Sullivan winning the women's 1500 at the Perth Track Classic in Perth, Australia on March 1st.
O'Sullivan, who has outdoor eligibility remaining at the University of Washington, won the race in a time of 4:06.74
One last result...in Sydney on March 6th, Washington alum Carley Thomas finished fourth in the 800 at the New South Wales Milers series meets, running 2:04.02.
NOTE: The USTFCCCA, Athletics New Zealand, Australian Athletics along with the sports information offices of Western Washington, Seattle Pacific, and Central Washington University contributed to this report.
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