University of Washington Husky Preview
The UW Husky Preview held at the Dempsey Indoor Track in Seattle WA may have been the first tentative efforts for numerous runners for the coming indoor, as well as outdoor campaigns yet it offered some spirited competition on all levels of competition. Although primarily a collegiate meet the Dempsey saw a number of prep runners hand plus a few professionals & at least one elementary athlete. Such was the focus on the sport of track that, although the local newspaper headlined a city enthralled with NFL football, the chat we heard on Saturday was wholly on athletics.
Ian Burgess of Franklin High School in Portland but competing unattached offered probably the top American prep performance of the day, when he ran 8:40.47 for the 3K. Burgess ran near the back of the pack of his section but steadily moved towards the front, as the race progressed. Moving through a pack that consisted mostly of collegiate runners Burgess placed third in his heat with a PR to boot. Korey Krotzer, a junior from Auburn Riverside, also recorded his own pr, when he placed 12th in that same heat with a time of 8:44.88. Korey finished 12th in that heat.
Although listed as event #18 on the program the Women’s 5K actually got the meet rolling with an 8 AM start for the first section. In that race Jessica Vig of Crater High School in southern Oregon impressed, as she also moved through a pack of mostly collegiate runners. She started early in 4th or 5th but soon assumed third place. The thought briefly was that she might be running a bit over her head but Jessica proved that she knew what she was doing, when she took over second place. Another move saw her take over first and hold her for a number of laps but Megan Everetts of Western Oregon shadowed her & drew away at the end of the race. Still Jessica’s time was a fine 10:54.18 and a second place effort early in the season against collegians bodes well for the coming season. Gracie Tostenson, also from Crater, ran 11:38.33 to place 15th in the first heat. Sarah Whybark of Glacier Peak ran in the second heat and garnered 20th with a time of 11:38.33.
Max Runia of Crater represented the preps in section 2 of the mile and he took 4th with a time of 4:25.31. Runia, showing no fear of his elders, bodly took the lead for a time. Dakota Parker of Chehalis HS in Washington placed 11th in that field with a time of 4:31.99 and was the only other prep in the fourteen-man collegiate field. Crater’s Jasmine Andrews placed 4th in her heat of the day, when she ran 2:26.32, and Erin Bergman of St. Mary’s Academy ran 2:29.67 for a PR & 7th in her heat.
The men’s 800 Meters had numerous prep contestants but Sean Keane of White Rock Christian In British Columbia put in a signature performance, when he won the won his heat with a 1:52.89 clocking, which was fourth best over-all time for the meet. Andrew Wordell of North Central HS in Spokane won his heat (#2) in a time of 1:57.09. Heat #1 had four preps competing and Crater’s Hunter Sanders fifth place effort in Section I led the group with a time of 2:08.16. Josh Freeman of Rockford (Wa) finished sixth in 2:09.61 and was followed by Kevin Paulson(7th – 2:13.03)& Kyle Paulson (8th – 2:14.94, both from Kamiakin, followed Freeman across the finish line.
Tierra Crockerill of University Place, Wa. is an Age 9 Record holder and competed in both the long jump 4.04) and 60M (8.97)yesterday. Although she did not have her best day she still topped a number of collegiate performers in the long jump, yet is only ten.
For aficionados the single most anticipated event of the day was the women’s third head of the 3K and it was as good as expected. Shalane Flanagan and Lisa Koll both competed as open runners & went immediately to the front of a field of collegians. Flanagan, an Olympic medalist, essentially worked as a pace-maker as they clicked off 76 second 400 meter times. With Koll, a recent 5K & 10K NCAA champion, in tow the pair zipped through the 800 in a time of 2:23 and then the 1200M in 3:34 on way to a 4:45.5 – 1600M time. The field lagged far behind, when the duo raced through the 2K mark in 5:55, but Flanagan, having done her work for the day, dropped out shortly after that point leaving Koll on her own. Announcer Paul Merca urged the fans to cheer her on & noted that Lisa was on 8:52 pace but Koll was soon forced to pass the stragglers four-wide on the turn as she chased the Dempsey record of 8:53.88. The extra yardage certainly did not help Koll yet she picked up speed as she sped home and finished in 8:53.14 for a field record topping the former mark of Jen Barringer of the University of Colorado in 2009.
English Gardner, running for the University of Oregon, set a new Dempsey record in the 60 Meters with a time of 7.29. Josh Newman added another Dempsey record, but this as a professional, with a time of 6.58 in the Sixty. Scott Roth went 17-5 in the pole vault.
Side-Lights Maddie Meyers & Hannah Cunliffe, who were both on hand yesterday, have accepted invitations to compete in the Brooks PR Invitational. The meet, which hopes to bring in the top preps from around the US, will be held at the Dempsey Center on Sunday February 27.