Vikings maintain position in USTFCCCA D2 men's poll; updates on Kerr & O'Sullivan...
NEW ORLEANS--Western Washington's men's squad (WWU Athletics photo), which was idle over the weekend, maintained its number 14 position in the USTFCCCA Division II coaches poll released Wednesday.
The Vikings swept their own Bill Roe WWU Classic on September 27th, but will send their top runners to Romeoville, Illinois for Saturday's Lewis Crossover against a slew of nationally ranked teams.
At the Lewis Crossover, the Vikings will face off against number 18 Northwest Nazarene, who are coming off a strong performance at the Mike Johnson Classic in Monmouth, Oregon, where they finished second behind number 8 Chico State.
The matchup between the two schools could be a preview of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship meet in two weeks in Billings, Montana. The Vikings have won the last three straight conference titles, while the Nighthawks, who last won the GNAC crown in 2001, look to move up from last year's runner-up finish.
There was a slight change in the national top five men's teams. Colorado School of Mines and Wingate traded places from last week's poll, while the remaining three teams from last week's top five, Adams State, Grand Valley State, and Lee (Tennessee) remained the same.
As has been the case so far this season, no GNAC teams are in the women's national top 30.
The nation's top five women's teams are in order: Colorado School of Mines, Grand Valley State, West Texas A&M, Adams, State, and Cedarville.
JOSH KERR UPDATE...
In the semifinals, Kerr appeared to dive for the line in an effort to win the race over eventual heat winner Niels Laros of the Netherlands and third place finisher Jake Wightman of Great Britain. Kerr apparently got his feet tangled up with another runner in the dash to the finish line, straining his calf.
In the final, Kerr was in the middle of the pack.
"I felt pretty confident going into the final and was just ready to send it, and then with 600m to go in the world final, fully pulled my calf."
Kerr limped through and finished in 4:11.23, and concedes he "definitely did some more damage" in the final 600m.
Subsequent scans determined he suffered a grade two tear of the muscle, according to the article in the BBC.
SOPHIE O'SULLIVAN SIGNS WITH adidas...
Washington's Sophie O'Sullivan (Paul Merca photo) announced on her Instagram account that she has signed with adidas.
O'Sullivan, who had an NIL deal with adidas during her final seasons at the University of Washington, capped off her collegiate career by winning the NCAA 1500 meter title in June, after two straight years of finishing last in the finals.
The Irish standout was injured shortly after the NCAA championships, suffering a stress fracture in her tibia, and missed competing at her national championships. O'Sullivan advanced to the semifinals at worlds, where she finished twelfth in 4:18.18
Here's her Instagram post:
NOTE: The USTFCCCA, BBC and World Athletics contributed to this report.
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