WEEKEND PREVIEW: Molls make Wanda Diamond League debut; NACAC champs, and more...
Here's what's on tap this weekend:
MOLL TWINS MAKE THEIR WANDA DIAMOND LEAGUE DEBUT IN SILESIA...
Washington pole vaulters Hana and Amanda Moll (Paul Merca photo), the reigning NCAA indoor and outdoor champions, are headed to Europe to compete in two of the final three stops in the Wanda Diamond League tour, the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on Friday and Saturday August 15-16 in Silesia, Poland, as well as the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on August 22nd.
The Moll twins will see some familiar faces in Poland, as they'll face fellow Americans Brynn King, Chloe Timberg, and Gabriella Leon, as well as rising stars Marie-Julie Bonnin of France, and Ellen Vekemans of Belgium.
The women's pole vault will be one of three events Friday that will be contested in the Katowice town square.
Also part of Friday's street meet are the women's high jump with Oregon native Emma Gates of the University of Arizona and world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine; and the women's shot put, featuring American record holder and 2025 world leader Chase Jackson, the defending world champion.
In the main portion of the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on Saturday, Washington's NCAA 1500 meter champion Sophie O'Sullivan, who did not run at either the Irish national championships or the London Diamond League meet, where she was entered, is on the start list.
O'Sullivan, the Olympian who already has the world championships standard, will face a field that includes Gudaf Tsegay and Direbe Welteji of Ethiopia. She'll also face Oregon's Klaudia Kazimierska, running in her home country.
After the withdrawals of Dalilah Muhammad and Anna Cockrell, Washington alum Gianna Woodruff was a late addition to the field in the women's 400 hurdles. The multi time world championships competitor faces a field that includes Femke Bol of the Netherlands, Jasmine Jones of the USA, and reigning NCAA champion Savannah Sutherland of Canada.
None of the events contested in Friday's portion of the meet will count for Diamond League points.
Flotrack ($) will stream the meet live in the USA Saturday starting at 6 am, Pacific.
NACAC CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE BAHAMAS...
The NACAC Championships get underway Friday in Freeport in the Bahamas, as athletes compete for individual area championships, and most importantly, world ranking points.
Historically, the NACAC championships have not been a high priority for many top athletes due to the quality of competition, but with the world ranking points offered for placing in the top eight almost comparable to points given at a Diamond League meet, it's giving more athletes who would pass on this meet for a payday on the European circuit second thoughts.
Washington State alum CJ Allen (Paul Merca photo), who did not get into the Silesia Diamond League meet, the final meet before the Diamond League finals on August 27-28 in Zürich, is instead competing at NACAC.
Allen competes at 10:10 local time (7:10 am in Seattle) Friday, with the finals the next day at 6:10 pm local time (3:10 pm in Seattle)
Lake Stevens native Taylor Roe, who finished third at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships in the 10000 and is inside the quota numbers to run at the Tokyo world championships, is not taking any chances and will run the 10000 at NACAC, despite the projected temperatures in the Bahamas in the 80s, the humidity, and the lack of quality women's 10000 meter track races around the world between now and August 24th.
Roe will have to go it alone, as she's the top seed in the race at 30:58.66, and the next fastest of the four entries is just over 33 minutes. Her race is Friday night at 7:45 pm local time (4:45 pm in Seattle).
Bellevue native and Evergreen State assistant coach Katie Burnett is dropping down in distance, as she'll walk the 20k race, in hopes of getting enough world ranking points to qualify for world championships at that distance as well. She's currently inside the quota for the 35k walk as the top American.
Burnett goes at 6:30 am local time (3:30 am in Seattle) Saturday morning.
College Place native Kenneth Rooks, the Olympic silver medalist in the steeplechase and a three-time US national champion, has very little incentive to race this weekend.
That said, he's entered in his specialty, primarily to help his training partner and Indiana alum Daniel Michalski, who finished second at the US nationals, but is not assured of a spot on the plane to Tokyo, after eight runners all dipped under the world championships standard of 8:15.00 last week in Oordegem, Belgium.
Washington alum Aaron Ahl of Canada, who finished second at their national championships is also in the steeplechase field, which will be contested Sunday at 6:15 pm local time (3:15 pm in Seattle).
Another US Olympian, Brandon Miller of the Brooks Beasts, is entered in the men's 800, which, with twelve entries, appears to be a timed final on Saturday night at 6:35 pm local time (3:35 pm in Seattle).
Also in the field is Puerto Rico's John Rivera, who is Miller's teammate on the Brooks Beasts. This has all the makings of Miller helping out Rivera, despite the field perhaps being one of the best in the meet. Among those entered are current Oregon Duck Matti Erickson of Canada, and fellow Canadian Abdullahi Hassan.
Washington's incoming grad transfer Chloe Thomas of Canada is entered in the women's 5000, set for Sunday night at 6:50 pm local time (3:50 pm in Seattle).
FALMOUTH TRACK FESTIVAL...
The Falmouth Track Festival will be contested Friday night at Falmouth High School's track as a prelude to Sunday's running of the ASICS Falmouth Road Race.
The Track Festival will be held for the 29th time and features elite miles for men and women, while the 7-mile road race will celebrate its 53rd edition.
Washington alum Luke Houser, the World Athletics indoor 1500 bronze medalist, is in the field of the men's elite mile, along with Seattle resident Sam Prakel.
In the women's elite mile, Washington alum Eleanor Fulton is in the field, which is led by US Olympians Courtney Frerichs and Allie Wilson.
MEETING VOOR MON IN LEUVEN...
Several members of the Seattle based Brooks Beasts will be competing Saturday at the Meeting Voor Mon in Leuven, Belgium,
In addition, several runners with ties to Washington state are entered in the meet, which will be streamed on the meet's YouTube page starting at 6:00 am Seattle time.
The women's 3000 at 7:30 am Seattle time (4:30 pm local time) features Woodinville native Olivia Markezich (Paul Merca photo), and Washington alum Kayley DeLay of the Brooks Beasts.
Waleed Suliman of the Beasts is in the field for the men's 1500 at 8 am Seattle time (5:00 pm local time).
Isaiah Harris and Brannon Kidder of the Brooks Beasts will contest the men's 800 at 8:55 am Seattle time, along with Washington school record holder Justin O'Toole, who is chasing the world championships standard of 1:44.50 or enough world ranking points to get himself to Tokyo after finishing fourth at the Canadian championships (Canada has a wild card spot, due to Marco Arop winning the world title in 2023).
Twenty minutes later, Washington alum Carley Thomas of Australia, who is in the quota in the women's 800, but is ranked fifth in the country, must run well inside the world championships standard of 1:59.00, and probably under the number 3 Australian time of 1:58.49 to have a realistic shot at being named for Tokyo.
ZAKIYA HILL MOVES ON TO ARIZONA...
The Arizona track and field team's Instagram page announced that Zakiya Hill, another of the athletes who entered the transfer portal after Washington State's decision to go strictly to a distance-based model for its program, will be joining the team.
Hill, who was a freshman last season, was part of the Cougars' winning team in the distance medley relay that won the MPSF conference title.
She was part of the Cougars' 4 x 100 meter relay team that competed at the NCAA West Regional championship meet at College Station, Texas.
Hill joins a number of displaced Cougars at Arizona, including Mason Lawyer, Brooke Lyons, and Parker Duskin. All followed Cougar sprint coach Gabe Mvumvure, who was let go by Washington State.
NOTE: The Wanda Diamond League, NACAC Athletics, the ASICS Falmouth Road Race, the Meeting Voor Mon, and the sports information office of the University of Arizona contributed to this report.
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