ASU Turns Focus to Outdoor Season
TEMPE - The outdoor season is finally here. Arizona State kicks off the 2021 outdoor season Friday in Tucson with the two-day Willie Williams Classic hosted by the University of Arizona. Field events get going at noon MST Friday with the women's hammer followed by running events at 5:30 p.m. Saturday's events get going at 11:30 a.m. with the triple, with running events starting at 12:05 with the 100m hurdles. Live results are available here.
Sun Devils to keep an eye on include Turner Washington, Jorinde van Klinken, Austin Kratz, Dubem Nwachukwu, Dylan James, and Keira Christie-Galloway.
Turner Washington, the NCAA indoor shot put record holder, is coming off his NCAA indoor championship win last weekend in Arkansas. The Tucson native will compete in the discus this weekend, an event he hasn't competed in since 2018 while he was still a Wildcat. Washington threw 53.36m/175' 1" at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships and holds a PR of 56.50m/185-4 in the event.
Jorinde van Klinken will return to the disc as well. Van Klinken earned bronze in the 2019 European U23 Throwing Cup after throwing the plate 55.86m. She finished third in the shot at the NCAA Indoor Championships last weekend and will look to continue that momentum outdoors.
Austin Kratz will finally make his outdoor debut for the Maroon and Gold after sitting out the 2019 season due to injury and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kratz was highly recruited coming out of high school and will lead off the 4x100 and anchor the 4x400 Saturday.
Dubem Nwachukwu flew under the radar for the better part of the 2021 indoor season but he peaked at 21st nationally in the 400m (46.51). He'll kick off the outdoor season alongside Kratz in the 4x100 and 4x400.
Keira Christie-Galloway is the force to be reckoned with in the 60mH (8.17) and 100mH (13.10). A transfer from Iowa State who holds Team Canada experience, Christie-Galloway won the 100m hurdles at the 2019 Big-12 Outdoor Championships and went on to finish 16th at the NCAA Championships that same year. Earlier that season in February she won the 60mH at the Big-12 Championships (8.17). She'll sprint in the 100mH, 4x100, and 100m this weekend.
Dylan James joined ASU this spring and etched his name into the record books in his first indoor meet, going 15.46m/50-8.75 in the triple jump at Air Forces' Championships at the Peak which ranks ninth all-time at ASU. James was the 2019 U-18 world triple jump No.1, he's the U-18 Australian triple jump national record holder (52'), and he's put up impressive long jump (24'9") distances too.