WSU's Solomon Kipchoge makes outdoor season debut in Portland by winning 10000 at Stumptown Twilight...
PORTLAND--Washington State's Solomon Kipchoge (Paul Merca file photo), who last raced back in February at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor meet, did enough to secure a spot in the NCAA First Round meet in Fayetteville by winning the 10000 meter run at the Stumptown Running West Coast Twilight meet at Jesuit HS.
With Washington State, Gonzaga and Seattle University not having a conference championship meet to race in this weekend, those three schools used Saturday night's meet as a last chance to qualify for the NCAA regionals in two weeks or move up on the descending order lists.
Gonzaga's Logan Law took the field out through the first 5000 meters, running about 14:31 before stepping off the track, at which point Kipchoge and WSU teammate Muhammed Ahmed took over the front.
Ahmed and Kipchoge ran consistently 68-69 second 400s for the next 2 kilometers before they dropped it down to 67 seconds per lap for the next 2500 meters.
Knowing that 28:52.45 is currently the number 48 time on the NCAA West descending order list, Kipchoge closed the race by running 62.91 to win the race in 28:40.22.
Ahmed finished second in 28:49.08, which puts him in the mid 40s on the list, which is of course, pending the outcome of other conference championship and last chance meets happening around the country this weekend.
Going into the weekend, Gonzaga freshman Logan Schwartz holds the number 48 mark in the West Region.
Washington State's Rosemary Longisa won the women's 800, running 2:03.53. In the same race, Washington commit Sophie Schoolmeester of Banks HS, the defending Oregon 3A state champion, finished fourth in a personal best 2:07.12.
Seku Sanders of Seattle University won the men's 800 in 1:48.70 to lower his school record by .05, but it will most likely not be enough (pending scratches) to advance him to the NCAA First Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas in two weeks. Sanders needed to run at least sub 1:48.00 to get himself inside the top 48 on the West Regional descending order list.
Yakima native and University of Portland graduate Jonas Price won the top section of the men's 1500 in 3:42.50, just ahead of UW freshman Owen Powell. Powell, who is redshirting this spring ran 3:44.10 to finish in a dead heat for second with Portland's Mark Milner.
The Cougars' Kutoven Stevens won the men's 5000 in 14:11.27, while Faith Kimaiyo won the women's 5000 in 16:21.18. Kylah Madariaga of WSU won the women's 10000 in 35:14.30.
EAGLES FINISH SEVENTH AT BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIPS...
In Gresham, Oregon, the Eastern Washington men and women's track teams earned identical seventh place finishes as the Big Sky Conference championships, hosted by Portland State University, concluded Saturday at Mount Hood Community College.
The men's squad, which finished with 58 points over the course of the competition, put three athletes on the podium, led by Maddy Shekhawat, who finished third in the 110 hurdles in a time of 14.04.
The Eagles also got third place finishes from Cort Gebbers in the discus, and from Dieumerci Migani in the triple jump.
Gebbers threw the discus 177-7 (54.14m), while Migami bounded to a mark of 48-6.5 (14.80m) in the triple jump.
Jordyn Grady finished third in the 400 hurdles, as she ran a time of 59.24.
Eastern finished with a final team score of 53 points, as Montana State won the women's team title with a final score of 181 points.
Northern Arizona won the men's team title decisively with a final score of 171 points.
In San Francisco, Clare Mullin led a 1-4-6 Gonzaga finish in the women's 1500 at the West Coast Last Chance meet Saturday.
Mullin ran 4:21.36, while sisters Maria Taggi was fourth in 4:30.88, and Emma Taggi sixth in 4:34.33.
Ashlinn Aguayo was fourth in the 800 for the Zags, as she ran 2:07.28.
NOTE: The sports information office of Washington State and Gonzaga contributed to this report.
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