World leader Hana Moll keeps the indoor B1G Ten pole vault title in the family...

INDIANAPOLIS--
Competing without twin sister and defending conference champion Amanda, Hana Moll (UW Athletics photo) won her first conference title, leading the Dawgs to a 1-2 finish in the pole vault on the opening day of the B1G Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships Thursday at the Fall Creek Pavilion on the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Amanda was shut down for the remainder of the indoor season after suffering an injury, according to the UW's pre-championship press release.

Nonetheless, the Huskies went into Indy with three strong vaulters in Hana, along with freshman Veronica Vacca and senior Sara Borton.

Borton, who was injured for most of the 2025 season, had a rough start, needing three attempts to clear her opening height of 13-3.5 (4.05m), before bowing out at the next bar of 13-7.25 (4.15m).

Vacca kept herself in contention for a podium finish with a second attempt make at 13-7.25 (4.15m), then three straight first attempt clearances, before needing a second attempt to go over 14-9 (4.50m), which was a personal best.

Hana, the current world leader in the event, opened with a second attempt make at 14-7.25 (4.45m) to assure herself a spot on the podium.

After two straight passes, she then cleared 15-1 (4.60m) to salt away the victory, while Vacca bowed out at that bar.

She then raised the bar to the collegiate record of 16-1.75 (4.92m), one centimeter over Amanda's meet record set last year. Moll had two of three good shots at the bar, but it wasn't to be.

In the post meet interview, Hana revealed that she had tweaked her foot days before the meet, which accounted for her decision to open at 14-7.25 (4.45m).

The 1-2 finish gave the Huskies 18 points off the bat.

Washington's distance medley relay team of Chloe Thomas, Chloe Symon, Mia Cochran, and Chloe Foerster took the victory in the event, clocking a meet and facility record 10:56.18.

Foerster was not originally listed to run in the DMR on the entry list posted Wednesday evening, but was put on the anchor.

Grad transfer Chloe Thomas, who was not on the team that ran 10:45.03 at the Husky Classic, was put on the leadoff leg. She finished in 3:21.31, putting Washington in fourth.

Freshman Chloe Symon ran the 400 leg, clocking 54.48 to maintain their position for Mia Cochran.

Cochran ran her 800 leg in 2:06.28 to move Washington into third behind Penn State and Michigan.

Foerster's leg of 4:34.11 on the 1600 was good enough to overtake Penn State and Michigan to give Washington the victory and the meet record.

Michigan faded to fifth and was overtaken by Minnesota to finish second in 10:57.35, while Penn State was third in 10:57.52.

In the other women's final involving Washington competitors, Puyallup native JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of the University of Illinois finished second in the pentathlon with a score of 4400 points after leading from the second event, while the Huskies' Sofia Coscullela, competing in her first pentathlon of the season, finished fifth with 4117 points. 

Gero-Holt started her day with a time of 8.55 in the 60 hurdles to start the day in eighth. Cosculluela won her heat in a time of 8.53 to put herself in seventh.

Gero-Holt, a US Olympic Trials finalist two years ago in the high jump, won that event with a second attempt clearance at 6-2 (1.88m), while Cosculluela was 13th at 5-4.5 (1.64m).

In the shot put, Gero-Holt won her second event of the day, throwing 44-3.5 (13.50m), while Sofia was eighth with a best of 40-0 (12.19m).

Cosculluela made up some ground in the long jump with a best of 19-5.5 (5.93m), while JaiCieonna was seventh, leaping 19-4.5 (5.90m).

Going into the 800, Gero-Holt still maintained the lead with a 3666-3538 advantage over Illinois teammate Meagan Humphries. Cosculluela clawed her way into fifth with 3295 points.

Humphries ran 2:12.99 to pick up 921 points and get the overall victory with 4459 points. Cosculluela ran 2:20.08 for 822 points, while Gero-Holt finished in a time of 2:26.74 in her weakest event.

With four events completed, Washington and Oregon are tied for the lead with 32 points, while Illinois stands third at 24 points.

B1G TEN MEN'S RECAP...

The Washington men's distance medley relay team of Jamar Distel, Alexander Rhodes, Tyler Bilyard, and Reuben Reina Jr., finished third behind Michigan's 9:38.72 and Oregon's 9:38.85, clocking 9:40.22.

Jamar Distel got the Dawgs off to a solid start, running 3:00.17 to put the Huskies in sixth, and more importantly, stay out of traffic, as Oregon's Tomas Palfrey, who tripped onto the track last week at Arkansas and got the Ducks disqualified for interference, fell during his leg.

NCAA D3 400 champ Alex Rhodes got Washington into contention with the fastest 400 split, running 45.76 to get the Dawgs into second.

Tyler Bilyard maintained the position on the 800 leg, running 1:47.52 to give the baton to Reina.

The anchor leg turned into a very tactical affair, with no one breaking 4 minutes on the 1600.

Reina went to the lead with 500 meters to go, but was out sprinted in the last 200, as he closed with a 4:06.78 1600.

Washington's Evan Jenkins, the conference leader in the 5000, finished sixth in 13:59.56, as Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum won in 13:45.78. More importantly, the Ducks put four runners inside the top eight.

ON TAP FRIDAY...

Washington has five entries in Friday's first round of the men's mile--Thomas Diamond, Tyler Bilyard, Reuben Reina Jr., and freshmen Owen Powell and Josiah Tostenson. Twenty six men have broken 4 minutes in the mile in the conference this season.

Going into championship weekend, number 16 on the national descending order list is 3:53.90.

NCAA D3 champ Alex Rhodes goes for the Huskies in the men's 400. Chloe Foerster and Jenica Swartz go in the first round of the women's 800.

JaiCionna Gero-Holt returns to compete in the high jump.


Media partner RunnerSpace.com ($) and Big Ten Plus ($) will stream the meet starting at 8:30 am Pacific each day.

BIG SKY COMBINED EVENTS...

In Pocatello, Idaho, Pry'nce Millman (EWU Athletics photo) of Eastern Washington stands sixth after the first day of the heptathlon as the Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships opened at the ICCU Dome, hosted by Idaho State University.

Millman's day included a 7.17 in the 60 meter dash. He then long jumped 22-8.5 (6.92m), and threw the shot 36-5.75 (11.12m). He then ended the day with a high jump clearance of 5-8.5 (1.74m) to finish with a first day score of 2748 points.

Tyler Warnick of Weber State goes into the break with the first day lead of 3142 points.

In the pentathlon, it was a rough go for the Eagles' Ella Seelhoff.

After running 9.08 in the 60 hurdles, she failed to clear a height in the high jump.

She continued by throwing the shot 32-2.75 (9.82m), and long jumped 16-11.5 (5.17m).

Seelhoff finished the day with a 2:33.44 clocking to finish with a final score of 2667 points for 13th overall.

Idaho's Hanna Tait won the pentathlon with a final score of 4088 points.

Seelhoff is entered in Friday's high jump.


ESPN Plus ($) will stream the remaining two days of the competition, which begins at 9 am Pacific time.

NOTE: The B1G Ten, Big Sky, and the sports information offices of the University of Illinois, University of Washington, and Eastern Washington University 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