All five Washington D1 school competing this weekend in final tuneup before conference champs...
With two weeks to go before the Division I schools in the state head to either their conference championship meets or to last chance qualifying meets in the case of Washington State, Gonzaga, and Seattle University before the NCAA West Regional meet at the end of the month, all five Washington D1 schools are in action this weekend.
All four Washington Division II schools are off with the start of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship meet Monday in Ellensburg.
The Gonzaga women and both Washington State squads are off to Stanford for Friday night's Payton Jordan Invitational at Cobb Track & Angell Field on the Stanford University campus.
According to the list of accepted entries, Washington State's Solomon Kipchoge (Paul Merca file photo) is expected to make his outdoor season debut, as he's entered in the 5000 meters, which on paper is one of the featured events of the meet, featuring the likes of US Olympian at 1500m Hobbs Kessler, along with Iowa State's Robin Kwemoi Bera and Rodgers Kiplimo, Arkansas' Ernest Cheruiyot, Canada's Jean-Simon Desgagnes, and North Carolina alum Ethan Strand.
Kipchoge is curiously also entered in the 10000, so apparently, Washington State is hedging its bets on what he'll event he'll race Friday night.
Washington State's Evans Kurui is entered in the 1500, after running the mile in last week's Cougar Classic. Washington alum Leo Daschbach is also entered in that race.
After running the fastest collegiate time this season in the 1500 of 4:02.55 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, the Cougars' Rosemary Longisa will drop down in distance to the 800.
Gonzaga's Rosina Machu, Logan Hofstee, and Charlotte Dillon are all entered in the 5000, are are the Cougars' Zenah Cheptoo and Caroline Jepkorir.
Most of Eastern Washington's and Seattle University's group, along with a small contingent of runners from the University of Washington's middle distance group are off to Corvallis for the two-day OSU High Performance Meet that begins Friday, hosted by Oregon State University at the Whyte Track & Field Complex.
Washington only has runners competing in Friday night's distance carnival in the 1500 and steeplechase, while Eastern and SeattleU have athletes competing in most events over the two days.
Washington's sprints and field event group along with some of Eastern Washington's top sprinters and field event athletes are in Tucson for Saturday's Desert Heat Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona at Drachman Stadium.
Perhaps the event of the meet is Saturday afternoon's women's pole vault that features the UW's Moll twins and freshman Veronica Vacca, who go against 2016 Olympic gold medalist and Stanford alum Katerina Stefanidi of Greece, who is coming back after maternity leave.
They'll also face in the field former Washington State vaulters Eva Lowder and Tatum Moku, both of who are competing for Grand Canyon.
Amanda Moll set a short lived outdoor collegiate record in winning the Desert Heat last year, clearing 15-7.25 (4.76m) before sister Hana took it at last year's NCAA championship meet in Eugene clearing 15-8.5 (4.79m).
The Huskies' Jimmy Rhoads and Eli Gault-Crabb are both entered in the men's pole vault. Both UW combined events specialists--Sofia Cosculluela and Tomeko Cates are entered in several events.
Jonathan Frazier is entered in both the 110 and 400 hurdles. In the short hurdles, he'll face former Washington State hurdlers John Paredes and Parker Duskin, while Eastern Washington's Maddy Shekhawat is entered in both hurdles.
NOTE: The sports information offices of Oregon State, Stanford, Arizona, Washington, Gonzaga, Washington State, and Eastern Washington contributed to this report.
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