Kenneth Rooks races to his third straight USATF steeplechase title...
EUGENE--College Place HS alum Kenneth Rooks (Paul Merca photo) cruised to his third consecutive USA national title in the men's 3000 meter steeplechase on the penultimate day of the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon Saturday.
Following in the footsteps of BYU legend and former American record holder Henry Marsh some 40 plus years ago, Rooks dropped to the back of the pack after the start to get himself out of traffic.
After four laps of the race, Rooks moved to the front and stayed there, though he had a slight challenge from previously unheralded Daniel Michalski coming off the final barrier.
Rooks, who has the world championship standard, finished in a time of 8:26.58, to Michalski's 8:26.77.
After the race, Rooks said, "The US steeplechase has gone up to another level this year (referring to the fact that six men have the world championships standard of 8:15.00). I was hoping and praying that I'd be ready today, and I was."
Moments after Rooks' race, Kaylee Mitchell, who started her collegiate career at Seattle Pacific before transferring to Oregon State, held off a late charge by Krissy Gear to make her first US national team with a third place finish in the women's steeple.
Mitchell started in the middle of the pack, then made her move with three laps to go as she was part of a three woman breakaway pack consisting of eventual winner Lexy Halliday-Lowry and Angelina Napoleon of North Carolina State.
After coming off the final barrier, Mitchell, who appeared to have the third spot covered, was challenged by Gear, but Mitchell had enough to hold on to third, crossing the line in 9:11.36.
Halladay-Lowry won in 9:09.14, with Napoleon second in 9:10.96.
Woodinville native Olivia Markezich finished fifth in a personal best 9:14.26, beating her previous best of 9:14.67 set last month on this track at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.
The men's 1500 lived up to the hype as perhaps the most competitive event of the entire meet, with defending Olympic champion Cole Hocker, bronze medalist Yared Nuguse, and fifth place finisher Hobbs Kessler all in the field.
Realizing that it would take at least 3:31 to be in position to finish in the top three, recent Washington grad Nathan Green positioned himself in the middle of the pack.
Nuguse, a noted front runner, took the lead from the start, as the field ran in single file, similar to invitational races where pacemakers are employed to ensure a fast race.
Green maintained his spot through 800 meters, which he crossed in 1:55.63. He dropped to eighth at the kilometer mark, but was still in good position.
The NCAA champ gamely tried to hang on, but faded, finishing in 3:33.25 in eighth.
Jonah Koech, better known as an 800 meter runner but unheralded at this distance, won in a personal best 3:30.17, with Ethan Strand, who was the runner-up to Green at the NCAA championships, taking second in a personal best 3:30.25. Hocker, finished third in a season best 3:30.37.
Kessler was fourth in 3:31.12, while Nuguse faded to fifth in 3:31.34.
Former UW volunteer coach Sam Prakel finished ninth in 3:33.70, and last year's NCAA 1500 meter champion for the Huskies, Joe Waskom, was tenth in 3:39.18.
Two time NCAA indoor mile champ and Woodinville native Luke Houser was eleventh in 3:39.44.
On the field, it was a rough outing for UW outdoor school record holder Scott Toney in the mens pole vault.
Toney, who had been battling a slight shoulder injury, needed a third attempt clearance at the opening height of 18-1.25 (5.52m). It ended up being his best on the day, after missing all three attempts at the next height of 18-5.25 (5.62m).
Austin Miller won the event in a mild upset, clearing a lifetime best 19-5 (5.92m).
Egypt Simmons of Eastern Washington and NCAA Division II champion Emy Ntekpere finished eleventh and twelfth in the finals of the women's triple jump.
With her lone fair mark, Simmons jumped 41-7.75 (12.69m) in round two.
Ntekpere had a best of 41-1.5 (12.53m), also in the second round.
Jasmine Moore took the victory with a season best 48-2 (14.68m).
Earlier in the day, Bellevue native Katie Burnett finished third in the women's 20k race walk in 1:40:35.2.
In the men's 20k walk, Vancouver's Daniel Nehnevaj was seventh in 1:45:00.9.
QUALIFYING ACTION...
In the men's 110 hurdles, former Washington State standout from Arlington, Parker Duskin advanced to Sunday's semifinals with a seventh place finish in his heat, running 14.06.
With several athletes not starting the race, everyone who finished advanced to Sunday's semifinals at 12:55 pm.
Olympian and Washington State alum CJ Allen cruised to the finals in the 400 hurdles, finishing second in 49.04. Washington grad Matthew Wilkinson was seventh in his heat in 53.29 and did not advance.
ON TAP SUNDAY...
At high noon, the women's pole vault gets the final day of competition underway, with former Pullman resident Katie Moon, who is already going to Tokyo as a defending champion, the headliner.
Defending NCAA outdoor champion Hana Moll, who was ninth at the world championships in Budapest, looks to make another world championship team, while NCAA indoor champ and twin sister Amanda, who is still the 2025 world leader at 16-1.5 (4.91m) shoots for her first senior national team.
They'll be joined by UW alum Nastassja Campbell, who cleared 15-0 (4.57m) for the first time in her career back in March.
Valery Tobias of the Brooks Beasts, who competed at the world indoor championships in March, looks to get herself in position for a top-three finish in the women's 800 at 1:18 pm.
Six minutes later, her Beasts teammates Brandon Miller and Isaiah Harris look to punch their tickets to Tokyo with a top three finish. Harris, who was on the world championships team in Budapest two years ago, still hasn't run under the world championships standard of 1:44.50, though he was off by 3/100ths in Friday's semifinals.
Miller led all of the qualifiers in Friday's semis, running 1:44.25, but it may take sub-1:43 to go to Tokyo.
Washington State alum and Olympian CJ Allen's path to a return to the world championships may be a tough one, after only running 49.04 in Saturday's semis, as that was only the fifth fastest time of the day, with the top three all dipping under 48 seconds.
The men's 400 hurdles final gets underway at 1:43 pm.
Here's who's competing Sunday with Washington ties:
NOON W PV (final) Amanda Moll
Katie Moon
Hana Moll
Nastassja Campbell
12:55 PM M 110 HH (semifinal) Parker Duskin
1:18 PM W 800 (final) Valery Tobias
1:26 PM M 800 (final) Brandon Miller
Isaiah Harris
1:43 PM M 400H (final) CJ Allen
1:52 PM M 5000 (final) Sam Prakel
James Mwaura
2:31 PM W 5000 (final) Allie Buchalski
Kayley DeLay
2:54 PM M 110 HH (final) Parker Duskin
(pending semis results)
Day 4 of the Toyota USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships will be televised on NBC (KING 5 in Seattle) and Peacock ($) Sunday from 1 to 3 pm Pacific.
The meet will also be streamed on USATF.tv ($) during the non-televised window, along with dedicated field event streams.
NOTE: USA Track & Field, and World Athletics contributed to this report.
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