Brandon Miller takes the win in men's 800 to open Nike Prefontaine Classic...
EUGENE--Before the race, all the talk at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus surrounding the men's 800 meters at the Nike Prefontaine Classic was on teenage phenom Cooper Lutkenhaus, the reigning world indoor champion, fresh off of two straight Wanda Diamond League wins in Stockholm and Oslo.
Apparently, someone forgot about Brandon Miller (Paul Merca file photo) of the Brooks Beasts, who himself was riding a two-meet win streak heading into Eugene, after winning the LA Track Festival on May 23rd at UCLA, and the USATF LA Grand Prix at USC on June 14th.
Early on, it looked like Lutkenhaus was on his way to a third straight win in a Diamond League meet (the men's 800 at Pre was not a Diamond League scoring event), as the teenager tucked behind pacer Lloyd Frilot, who went through 400 in 49.88.
Meanwhile, Miller, a notorious front runner, was towards the back of the pack in about seventh or eighth through the 400.
Miller started working his way towards the front past the 500 meter mark, then at the 600, blew past Lutkenhaus with authority, and put the hammer down on the field, riding it all the way to the victory in a season best 1:43.68.
In the post race interview with NBC, Miller told himself to stay patient.
"I was able to stay patient and pick my spots, and used my kick when I needed to."
Lutkenhaus was second in 1:44.62, and Donovan Brazier was third in 1:44.86.
In the women's pole vault, former Pullman resident and defending world champion Katie Moon finished second with a best of 15-9 (4.80m), as long time friend and rival Sandi Morris took the win at 15-11 (4.85m).
Washington's Hana Moll tied for fourth with a best of 15-5 (4.70m), while twin sister Amanda tied for sixth at 15-1 (4.60m).
In the men's hammer, Ridgefield native Trey Knight finished fifth with a best of 250-11 (76.48m), as defending world and Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg won with a toss of 273-4 (83.33m).
Washington alum Luke Houser was 14th in the men's mile, finishing in 3:59.49. Villanova grad Liam Murphy won in a personal best time of 3:50.49.
Former Husky Wilma Nielsen won the women's 1500 in a season best time of 4:05.60.
The Nike Prefontaine Classic, the ninth stop on the Wanda Diamond League series, resumes Saturday. Coverage begins at 1 pm on Peacock ($) and NBCSN. NBC Sports (KING5 in Seattle) joins the coverage starting at 2 pm Pacific.
NOTE: The Nike Pre Classic and the Wanda Diamond League contributed to this report.
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