Indoor track season starts with a bang at Sharon Colyear-Danville meet in Boston...
BOSTON--The Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener lived up to its billing, as BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, the NCAA cross country runner-up, rolled to a collegiate record 14:44.79 in the women's 5000, while Josh Hoey broke the world record in the men's 600 meter run.
There were a whole host of collegiate athletes with Washington ties who made the trip to Boston, fresh off a cross country season, as those from Washington, Washington State and Gonzaga took advantage of their racing fitness to try and get a possible qualifying time for the NCAA indoor championships in March.
With the bevy of fast times run Saturday at the hyper fast Boston University Track and Tennis Center, there's a real possibility that folks may have to run faster than the times set Saturday in order to advance to the national championships, where only the top sixteen move on.
One of the big surprises of the afternoon was the performance of Seattle resident Sam Prakel (Paul Merca photo) in the men's invitational 3000.
Prakel found himself in the lead with less than two laps to go before Northern Arizona's Colin Sahlman and George Couttie passed him on the outside to go 1-2 in 7:36.71 for Sahlman and 7:36.74 for Couttie.
Prakel, who still trains at Washington as part of Husky men's coach Andy Powell's pro group, set a personal best of 7:37.16.
Reuben Reina of Washington was 11th in 7:43.16.
UW alum Joe Waskom was 17th in 7:56.96.
In the women's invitational 5000 that Hedengren of BYU set the collegiate record of 14:44.79, crushing the old record set at this meet last year by Doris Lemngole of Alabama of 14:52.57, Washington's Chloe Thomas (Paul Merca photo) and Gonzaga's Rosina Machu took down some records as well.
Thomas, who last week finished second at the Canadian cross country championships, finished 13th in a UW ultimate record of 15:16.93, well under the old ultimate record set outdoors last year of 15:22.81 by Amina Maatoug.
Machu took down her old school record by crossing the line in 15:21.19, well under her previous best of 15:37.05.
Other highlights from the invitational section:
--In the women's 800, UW frosh Chloe Symon finished fourth in a Canadian under-20 record of 2:04.56;
--The women's mile saw the Huskies' Jenica Swartz finish fourth in 4:35.67;
--In the women's 3000, Washington State's Rosemary Longisa in eighth (8:55.81) and Washington's Chloe Foerster in ninth (8:56.22) both set personal bests;
--While winner and NCAA cross country champion Habtom Samuel didn't get the sub-13 minute 5000 meter race he was looking for, Samuel and Villanova's Marco Langon dueled it out, with Samuel winning in identical times of 13:05.21.
Washington State's Solomon Kipchoge (13:24.30) and Evans Kurui (13:24.79) were eleventh and twelfth in the race.
In the open men's 3000, Tyler Bilyard finished sixth in his Husky debut, running 7:55.80.
Complete results of the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener are available here.
USATF CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP...
In Portland, Washington alum Kayley DeLay of the Brooks Beasts (center/Lance Jording photo) had the highest finish of the day at the USATF Cross Country Championships at the Glendoveer Golf Course.
DeLay was fifth in the women's 2k race, finishing in 6:29.0, as Gracie Morris won in 6:19.4.
It should be noted that unlike the 10k races, only the top two earn selection for next month's World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida.
The men's 10k saw Matt Strangio of the Beasts make his debut as the newest member of the team, as he finished 15th in 30:39.
Parker Wolfe of Swoosh TC won in 29:17.
Former Seattle resident Allie Ostrander, who is sponsored by Seattle based Oiselle, was eighth in 34:35, as Weini Kelati won in 33:46.
NOTE: The sports information office of Boston University, University of Washington, Washington State, Gonzaga, USA Track & Field, and Nike Cross Nationals contributed to this report.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support this site and our sponsors by clicking on the links. You can also support the site by clicking the yellow "Buy Me A Coffee" link below.
Comments