Rainsberger Advances, Jordan Sets Record At Indoors

2021 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Mar. 11-13 | Fayetteville, Ark. | Randal Tyson Center

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Schedule of Huskies Competing
 
Saturday, Mar. 13
4:00 pm PT – Katie Rainsberger, Mile Final
5:00 pm PT – Allie Schadler, 3000m Final

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Senior Katie Rainsberger showed her big meet savvy once again as she easily advanced through to the final of the women's mile today at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The second day of the three day meet also saw the fastest 5,000-meters ever run by a Husky indoors or out, as Andrew Jordan set a UW school record with a ninth-place finish in the men's 5k final at the Randal Tyson Center.
 
Rainsberger, the 11-time All-American, made sure her final indoor nationals would last one day longer as she took second in her semifinal heat today in a time of 4:41.61. She will be running the mile final for the second time, having finished seventh at the most recent NCAA Indoor meet in 2019.

 
Jordan contributed to one of the fastest NCAA 5k races ever, as the top 11 finishers today all set personal-bests, including the senior Husky who ran 13:33.61 to break Colby Gilbert's school record of 13:34.85 that had stood since 2017. It was eleven seconds faster than the time Jordan ran to qualify for today's race, and a career-best indoors or out. Jordan just barely missed the podium today, finishing 0.11 seconds out of eighth-place and he was just four seconds back from second-place.
 
Sophomore Sam Tanner had a heartbreaking outcome in his mile semifinal today. Coming in as one of the favorites, but still making his NCAA Championships debut, Tanner found himself in a slow, tactical section where it was quickly clear that only the top four finishers would advance due to the slower pace than heat one. Tanner was one of the runners attempting to push the pace over the second half of the race but he was never able to fully get clear and shake the field after the slow early laps. Eventually it came down to five men sprinting for four spots, and Tanner got out-leaned at the line by .01 seconds for the last spot to make the final.
 
At 9 a.m. Pacific time this morning, Jonah Wilson got things started for the Huskies in the shot put. After a 59-foot mark and a foul on his first two attempts, Wilson needed a big improvement to get into the top-nine and earn another three attempts, and he came up clutch with a toss of 62-11 ¼ to just get into the ninth spot. But Wilson was unable to move up from there, in spite of another strong sixth round mark of 62-10 ½, he would finish ninth and just one spot from First Team All-America honors. Still, it was a career-best NCAA finish for Wilson and the best by a Husky men's shot putter since 1998.

The final Huskies on the track tonight were the distance medley relay foursome of Kelly Makin, Olivia Ribera, Marlena Preigh, and Madison Heisterman. All making their NCAA Championship debuts, Makin split 3:24.71 on the opening 1200 meter leg and then Ribera ran 55.93 for 400-meters. Preigh had one of the best 800-meter times, splitting 2:06.05, and handing off to Heisterman in seventh. Heisterman clocked a 4:42.78 time in the final 1,600-meters, as the Huskies finished in 11:09.46, good for 10th-place at the time. However it came out well after the race, that one of the Huskies had run consecutive steps inside the track, which was cause for disqualification despite no impediment or protest being filed against the Huskies. 

NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Mar. 11-14 | Fayetteville, Ark. | Randal Tyson Center

Day Two of Three
Men's Mile (Semifinal 2 of 2): 5. Sam Tanner, 4:06.20 (does not advance; Second Team All-American); Women's Mile (Semifinal 1 of 2): 2. Katie Rainsberger, 4:41.61 (advances to final); Men's 5,000m (Final): 9. Andrew Jordan, 13:33.61 (School Record; Second Team All-American); Women's Distance Medley Relay (Final): DQ. Makin/Ribera/Preigh/Heisterman, 11:09.46 (10th before DQ for running on inside line); Men's Shot Put (Final): 9. Jonah Wilson, 62-11 1/4
 
Day One of Three
 
Men's Weight Throw: 10. Jayden White, 69-6 ¾ (Second Team All-American)