Reinheimer breaks UW school record in 800m; Powell & Tostenson shine in 1500 at Portland Track Fest...
PORTLAND--Many of the fans at Lewis & Clark College's Griswold Stadium came to see whether or not Donovan Brazier, the 2019 world champion was back after three years fighting injuries, including three surgeries on his foot.
Brazier, a former member of the Portland based Union Athletics Club, ended up running 1:43.81, the fifth fastest time in the US this year and a meet record, to highlight Sunday night's Portland Track Festival.
Behind Brazier, Washington senior Kyle Reinheimer (Paul Merca photo), who had the misfortune of finishing one spot out of a berth in the finals at the NCAA championships four days earlier, redeemed himself by becoming the first Husky to crack the 1:46 barrier, running 1:45.73 to finish third.
After going through the 400 in 52.96, the North Carolina transfer closed with a 52.77 to go under his previous best of 1:46.09 set at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April.
Washington's Justin O'Toole was fourth in 1:46.29, while John Rivera of the Brooks Beasts was ninth in 1:47.76.
In the men's 1500, Seattle resident Sam Prakel finished third in the top section of the men's 1500, running a personal best 3:35.28 in a race won by Oklahoma State's Fouad Messaoudi in 3:33.93.
Behind Prakel, Washington alum Sam Ellis also set a personal best of 3:35.40 in fourth, and fellow alum Kieran Lumb was tenth in 3:36.97.
The big story in the top section of the men's 1500 came behind Lumb, as a pair of incoming Huskies ran the number 2 and 3 times by a high schooler.
Mercer Island's Washington 3A 800 and 1600 champ Owen Powell (Paul Merca photo), was 11th, and Crater HS of Oregon's Josiah Tostenson was 12th.
Powell ran 3:36.49, while Tostenson ran 3:36.85, No. 3 all-time. Hobbs Kessler’s national record is still two seconds faster at 3:34.36, but Powell’s and Tostenson’s times are both over a second faster than Simeon Birnbaum’s 3:37.93, which was previously next-best.
“We knew we were super fit,” Tostenson told reporters in the mixed zone, “so that wasn’t the question. We just had to come out here and make it happen. Bless the meet directors for getting us up there in the (fastest) heat and trusting us.”
Some of the other racers apparently weren’t as happy, according to Powell. “Nobody wants to lose to the high schooler,” he said. The incoming Husky freshman was getting boxed out and elbowed much more than he was used to in a high school race.
“Honestly, races like that, they fuel me more,” Powell said. “They give me more energy. They give me more rage and emotion. Not only am I fighting my physical limits, now I’m fighting the people, too.”
Both Powell and Tostenson are crossing their fingers and hoping for an invite to the Prefontaine Classic, most likely in the “B” section mile.
In the women's 5000, former Brooks Beast Jessica McClain (Paul Merca photo), who was just named to the world championships team in the marathon, set a new personal best, running 15:12.57 to finish seventh.
The men's 5000 saw Washington's Acer Iverson finish 11th in a personal best 13:25.68, beating his old best of 13:26.11 set at Harvard. Iverson finished one place ahead of Olympic steeple silver medalist and Walla Walla native Kenneth Rooks' 13:26.65. Rooks' mark was also a personal best.
In the high performance section of the men's 1500, Washington's Rhys Hammond was third in a personal best 3:36.86, while Claire Yerby was second in the women's 1500 in a personal best 4:07.78.
In Saturday's portion of the Portland Track Classic, Parker Stokes of the Brooks Beasts was fifth in the steeplechase in a season best 8:24.96, while Washington alum Aaron Ahl was ninth in 8:31.98.
The men's 10000 saw Seattle Pacific alum Turner Wiley run 28:27.32 to finish sixth, while Gonzaga's Bryce Cerkowniak was 13th in 28:53.00.
TANNER, HOUSER AND WOODRUFF ALL RUN SEASON BESTS AT STOCKHOLM DIAMOND LEAGUE MEET SUNDAY...
At the Wanda Diamond League stop in Stockholm at the Olympic Stadium. former Washington Huskies Sam Tanner and Luke Houser finished eighth and tenth in the men's 1500 Sunday.
Tanner finished eighth in the non-Diamond League scoring event at the Bauhaus Galan, running a season best 3:33.06, just off the qualifying time standard of 3:33.00 for this summer's world championships in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Houser dropped his personal best from the 3:35.24 set at the US Olympic Trials last year down to 3:33.99, almost a second off the world championships standard.
Samuel Pihlstrom of Sweden won in 3:31.53.
It was a solid day for Washington alum Gianna Woodruff. Fresh off a third place finish in the 400 hurdles at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Woodruff ran to another third place finish, running her second straight season best in a time of 53.99.
Femke Bol of the Netherlands won in a meet record 52.11, with Woodruff's training partner Dalilah Muhammad second in 52.91.
The Wanda Diamond League series moves to Paris on the 20th, before it crosses the Atlantic Ocean for the Nike Prefontaine Classic on July 5th.
NOTE: The sports information office of the University of Washington, Portland Track, and the Wanda Diamond League contributed to this report.
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