Husky men get production from the lesser places to repeat as Pac-12 champions...
BOULDER--After the second day of competition at the final Pac-12 Conference track & field championships at Potts Field on the campus of the University of Colorado on Saturday, the question surrounding the University of Washington men's track team was whether or not the expected charge from USC with several athletes in the sprint events would overtake the Huskies' early lead that was built on the strength of the distance races, plus the pole vault and javelin.
As it turned out, the answer was...almost.
Despite going into the final day of competition with 87 points in hand, and USC expected to make the move in Sunday's finals, despite being in third with 29 points, the Trojans came up just short, and the Huskies got unexpected points from freshman Jonathan Frazier (Paul Merca photo) to finish as the final Pac-12 men's track and field team champions, finishing with 150 to USC's 141.
Washington State was eighth with 64 points.
While their time was nothing to write home about, the mantra of "every point matters" came into play in the first running event of the day, as the Huskies got two points in the 4 x 100 meter relay as a hodge-podge team of sprinter Boden Hanley, hurdler Matthew Wilkinson, javelin thrower Jack Olsen, and distance runner Thom Diamond got the baton around in 46.48 to take seventh in the two-section final.
They got 23 points in the 1500, finishing 2-3-4-5, led by defending champ Nathan Green, who could not overtake Oregon's Elliott Cook, as Cook took the title in 3:54.30 to 3:54.57.
Jonathan Frazier, who very few people thought would even make the finals of both the 110 and 400 hurdles, came through with a fifth place finish, running 14.42, just behind the Washington State duo of John Paredes (14.00) and Parker Duskin (14.34).
USC's Johnny Brackins won the event in 13.52, but the Trojans only scored 11 points, as Di'Niko Bates was eighth.
USC went 1-3 in the 400, while Washington had no qualifiers for the final. The Trojans went 2-3-5 in the 100.
The tide turned in the Huskies' favor in the 400 hurdles, which was won by Washington State's Jared McAlvey, who ran 49.84.
In the process, Frazier set a personal best in finishing an unexpected second in 49.87, while Jonathan Birchman was third, also in a personal best 50.00 to score 14 points, while USC's three entries went 5-7-8 for 7 points.
Washington's Nathan Green & Luke Houser, who doubled back from the 1500, finished 4th and 5th in 1:49.97 and 1:50.40, while USC had no competitors.
USC's Johnnie Blockburger, who won the 400 earlier in the day, doubled back to win the 200 in 20.19, as the Trojans went 1-2.
The triple jump was the one field event final the Huskies scored in, as Trevontay Smith (50-0.75/15.26m) and Kunle Akinlosotu (50-0/15.24m) went 3-4 to score 11 points.
The Huskies clinched the meet in the 5000 meters, as Leo Daschbach finished fifth in 14:20.30, while Evan Jenkins was eighth in 14:27.90. Stanford's Ky Robinson finished of the distance double at 5000 and 10000, winning the race in 14:11.49.
Afterward on the Pac-12 Network broadcast, Washington head coach Andy Powell credited the guys who got the "second, third, fourth, fifth and so on" points for winning the school's second straight conference title.
"It's these guys. It's the people. That's where Washington does a great job. We have a great culture, great coaches ... It's truly something special."
He praised guys like Waskom, Houser, and Green, all of whom are legitimate contenders for spots on the US Olympic team, for being willing to run an off event to help the team out.
In the women's competition, Washington earned a fifth place finish, scoring 69 points, as Oregon repeated as conference champions with 150, just ahead of USC's 136, UCLA's 99, and host Colorado's 80.
Washington State finished eighth with 54 points.
The Huskies got wins from Chloe Foerster in the 1500, who ran 4:16.33, and Hana Moll (Paul Merca photo) in the pole vault.
In the pole vault competition, which was moved to the Colorado indoor football facility a mile away from the track because of a weather delay at the start of the meet, Moll cleared a best of 15-0.25 (4.58m) to hold back the challenge from twin sister Amanda, who cleared a UW best 14-10.25 (4.53m).
2023 Pac-12 co champs Nastassja Campbell was third at 14-4.5 (4.38m), and Sara Borton was fifth at 14-0.5 (4.28m).
In the 100 hurdles, Maribel Caicedo of Washington State, who tied the meet record Saturday, finished second to Jasmine Jones of USC, who ran 12.86 to Caicedo's 12.98.
Cougar teammate Micaela De Mello was third at 13.25.
In the 800, Eastside Catholic grad Kate Jendrezak finished second to Stanford's Roisin Willis, 2:01.00 to 2:02.17.
Jendrezak's mark, which is a personal best, also is a US Olympic Trials qualifying mark.
Washington's Wilma Nielsen was fourth (2:03.53), while the Huskies' Samantha Friborg (2:05.83) and Marlena Preigh (2:07.15) were sixth and seventh.
The Cougars' outstanding freshman Zenah Cheptoo was second in the 5000 at 16:16.72, while Jasneet Nijjar was fourth in the 400, running 52.26.
NOTE: The Pac-12 Conference, and the sports information offices of the University of Colorado, University of Washington, UCLA, and Washington State contributed to this report.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support this site and our sponsors by clicking on the links. You can also support the site by clicking the yellow "Buy Me A Coffee" link below.
Comments