O'Sullivan and Prakel win feature events at Dublin's Morton Games...
DUBLIN, Ireland--If you're a fan of the 1500 meters and the mile, as well as athletes with Washington ties, you'd love the outcome of Friday night's Morton Games at Morton Stadium.
The final hour of the Morton Games centered around the middle distance races, featuring nine athletes with ties to the University of Washington.
In the penultimate event of the Morton Games, two-time world championships competitor Paris Olympian and Washington alum Sophie O'Sullivan (Paul Merca photo) from Ireland, hung on to win the women's 1500 meter run.
O'Sullivan, last year's NCAA champion in the event, went to the front of the pack, but neither she or the rest of the field tucked in behind the pacer.
O'Sullivan, along with fellow UW alums Amina Maatoug, Chloe Foerster, and current Dawg Julia David-Smith ran pretty much together in a pack.
With 300 to go, O'Sullivan made a decisive move to the front, as Maatoug also made a charge while Foerster, who was on the rail, tried to get herself towards the front.
As they came off the final turn, O'Sullivan turned on the jets, while Maatoug started going backwards.
Meanwhile, both Foerster and David-Smith made a late charge through traffic, but only Foerster could come close to O'Sullivan, with O'Sullivan taking the win in 4:08.26, and Foerster taking second in 4:08.47.
David-Smith was fifth in 4:09.48, while Maatoug was tenth in 4:10.37.
O'Sullivan, who was one of the meet's headliners, was promptly mobbed by young fans who wanted selfies with Sophie, as well as autographs, and even had time to pose for a photo with mother Sonia O'Sullivan (Paul Merca photo), one of the legendary Irish world champions and Olympic medalists.
Seattle resident and former Washington volunteer assistant coach Sam Prakel (Paul Merca photo) won his second career Morton Mile to match his win in 2018, running a meet record 3:50.97, and missing his personal best of 3:50.94 set indoors in 2019.
Prakel, who was a few steps behind the pacemaker through the first 1000 meters, made his move with roughly 250 to go, as he swung to the outside and grabbed the lead, maintaining it all the way to the finish.
All sixteen athletes in the field broke 4 minutes, including current Husky Thomas Diamond, who was ninth in 3:55.40, and UW alum Ronan McMahon-Staggs, who was 12th in 3:55.93.
In other events, Washington alum and Irish Olympian Brian Fay was seventh in the men's 5000, running 13:18.32, and incoming Washington freshman Saoirse Fitzgerald (Paul Merca photo) was sixth in a personal best 2:03.52.
Fitzgerald is one of Ireland's top under-20 athletes and went under the World Athletics qualifying standard of 2:05.50 for the third time this season. Fitzgerald has a strong chance of being named to Ireland's team for next month's world U20 championships in Eugene.
A replay of the meet is available here.
Complete results of the Morton Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, are available here.
AMANDA MOLL TAKES SECOND AT MONACO DIAMOND LEAGUE...
While the majority of the Dawgs on the European tour were in Dublin, twins Amanda and Hana Moll traveled to Monaco for the Herculis EBS Meeting at Stade Louis II Friday night, the tenth stop of the Wanda Diamond League series.
Amanda finished second with a best of 15-5.75 (4.72m), while Hana was seventh at 14-10 (4.52m).
Defending world champion and former Pullman resident Katie Moon was fifth with a best clearance of 15-1.75 (4.62m).
Paris Olympic champion Nina Kennedy won with a persona best of 16-2.75 (4.95m) to take the overall world lead this season. It's also an Oceanian area record as well as an Australian national record.
The Wanda Diamond League moves on to next Saturday's Novuna London Athletics Meet, which is stop number eleven in the fifteen meet series.
paulmerca.blogspot.com will be on the ground in London next week.
TANNER WINS IN LIGNANO WEDNESDAY...
In a result that we missed while we were in transit to Dublin, former Husky Sam Tanner of New Zealand won the men's 1500 at the Meeting Internazional Sport e Solidarieta Wednesday night in Lignano, Italy.
Tanner won the race in a time of 3:34.75. Meanwhile, UW alum Sam Ellis finished fifth in a personal best 3:35.42, while fellow alum Ronan McMahon-Staggs ran a season best 3:38.57 for 12th.
Washington alum Carley Thomas paced the women's 1500.
Highlights of the meet are available here: (1500 at the 9:28 mark)
EVAN JENKINS TRANSFERS TO OREGON...
Washington's Evan Jenkins, who was the Big Ten champion in the 10000 meters in 2025, and a UW Olympic Trials competitor as well as a NCAA qualifier in that event this season, announced on his Instagram page that he is committed to transfer to the University of Oregon.
His impending transfer to Oregon had been rumored for weeks after the NCAA championships, according to persons not authorized to speak about it.
NOTE: The Morton Games, Wanda Diamond League, European Athletics, University of Oregon and the Meeting Internazional Sport e Solidarieta contributed to this report.
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