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Dawgs Sweep The Dual

by gohuskies.com
Apr 21, 2021

SEATTLE – The rivalry was renewed and the Huskies came out on top, so the track world is officially returning to normalcy. Washington knocked off Washington State in the 101st installment of the Boeing Apple Cup Series Dual Meet under sunny skies at Husky Outdoor Track, the first collegiate meet at the facility in nearly two years.
 
After a one year hiatus, the Huskies picked up where they left off in one of the longest-running track and field rivalries, with a sweep of the Cougars. The women's team staked itself to a big early lead and cruised to a 95-68 win. The men's meet was much tighter throughout, but the Dawgs clinched it with a 1-2-3 finish in the 3,000-meters, winding up with an 86-77 win.
 
It's the second-straight sweep for the Huskies in the Dual Meet. The men have now won eight of the past 10 with WSU including six in a row in Seattle. The women have also won five of the past six against the Cougars, and four-straight at home.
 
The men's meet was a hard-fought meet," said Head Coach Andy Powell. "There were good battles with Washington State in all event areas. Today a group of seniors and a group of freshmen stepped up. It was certainly a good well-rounded win."

 
Along with the excellent outcome in the final results, the team was grateful to be back competing at home, with select family able to see their Huskies compete in person for the first time in a long time.
 
"A big shout-out to Keith Roberts our groundskeeper, we gave him a standing ovation because that was the best it's ever looked. Thanks to our administrator Erin O'Connell as well who was able to figure out a way to have spectators which was really meaningful for some of our seniors who have family here. Our seniors came forward and were emotional and happy for sure with all they've gone through the last year and a half. It caught me off guard in a good way with the gratitude."
 
The Cougar men actually won 10 of the 19 events, but the Huskies had three event sweeps, in the hammer, the shot put, and the 3,000-meters. The men's throwers had a 27-9 edge that helped the Dawgs come out on top.
 
The women's team won 12 of the 19 events, including every track race from 100-meters up to the 3,000-meters. The women's sprints crew held a 34-21 lead, the throwers outscored WSU by a 25-11 margin, and the distance runners doubled-up WSU, 24-12.
 
"The kids really scrapped all the way around, all event areas," said Director Maurica Powell. "They were tough, they were competitive. The weather was awesome and it was a really good atmosphere with gritty performances. Next week we turn the focus to marks and trying to get good qualifying marks for all areas, but this meet was just about beating the Cougars, and they did that."
 
Sprints
 
In the men's sprints, Kemuel Santana had a pair of three-point finishes in the 100-meters (10.67) and the 200-meters (w21.11) and Devan Kirk grabbed second in the 40-meters in 52.90.
 
Cass Elliott raced the 400-meter hurdles for the first time this season and got a victory in 52.00, just ahead of Julian Body who was second in 52.17 in a key 8-1 event for the Dawgs. Body also was second in the 110m hurdles, breaking 14-seconds in 13.96 though with a 2.2 tailwind. Freshman Jonathan Birchman snagged third in 14.22.

 
Olivia Ribera was a double individual winner for the women, starting with an 11.80 run in the 100-meters and following a big PR in the 200-meters in 23.91, which puts her up in the Husky top-10 list for the first time at No. 6. Lyndsey Lopes had a great time of 24.27 to take third and even in fifth-place Victoria Gersch had a season-best 24.37. Gersch would win the 400-meters in 56.64. Another point came from Jelani Heath, third in the 100m in 12.30.
 
Lopes moved up to No. 3 in school history in the 100m hurdles with a runner-up time of 13.49 seconds, with Hannah Rusnak clocking a big season-best of 14.06 for third. In one of the anticipated head to head battles of the day, senior Darhian Mills topped WSU's Stephanie Cho to win the 400m hurdles in 59.01 seconds.

The women also ran an impressive 4x100-meter relay, their first all season, winning in a time of 45.89 that was just .08 off the Husky top-10 list. Aaliyah Wilson, Ribera, Heath, and Gersch made up the foursome.
 
Distances
 
Washington clinched the men's team win with a big sweep at 3,000-meters. Isaac Green took the win in 8:08.13 followed by Tibebu Proctor in 8:11.94 then Luke Houser in 8:17.73.
 
The first distance event of the day was a great battle, with Julius Diehr taking second in the steeplechase in a big seven-second season-best of 8:46.48 that was just a few tenths off his lifetime-best. Joe Waskom had a huge 18-second PR to take third in 8:48.97 and Sam Affolder had his best Husky race yet in 9:03.96 in fifth.
 
Newly minted New Zealand Olympian Sam Tanner ran his first race of the outdoor season, and grabbed a win at 800-meters in 1:48.63, with freshman Cruz Culpepper taking third in 1:49.23. Senior Dustin Nading ran his first race of the year and made it a victory in a fast 1,500-meters in 3:44.11, with Andrew Jordan taking third in 3:44.60.
 
The one Meet Record of the day came from senior Katie Rainsberger in her final Dual. She led a Husky sweep of the 1,500-meters as Rainsberger, Haley Herberg, and Madison Heisterman rolled to three great times. Rainsberger won in 4:17.63, breaking the mark of 4:18.32 that had stood since 2009, held by All-American Christine Babcock. Herberg took second in a PR of 4:18.65 and Heisterman also PR'd in 4:21.12.
 
Marlena Preigh picked up a victory in the 800-meters in a time of 2:06.94 and Anna Gibson had a PR of 2:07.56 for second.
 
Freshman Naomi Simth was a winner in her first Dual, taking the 3,000-meters in 9:30.93. Camila David-Smith added a point in third in 9:53.59 with Hannah Waskom fourth in 9:55.71.

Jumps
 
All-American Chase Smith was back in action today and won his final Dual Meet with a pole vault clearance of 16-8 ¼. Donald Jones grabbed a point in third at 15-2 ¾.

 
Jaylen Taylor was the triple jump winner at 46-6, while javelin thrower Zach Annanie chipped in a point in third with a best of 40-7.
 
Freshman Lauren Heggen took the women's triple jump in a new PR of 40-11 ¾ and moved up another spot from sixth to fifth on the Husky top-10 list. Hannah Rusnak took second in the long jump at 19-1 ½ and Heggen set a PR for third in that event at 19-0.
 
In the women's pole vault, Makenna Barton cleared 12-9 to score three points in second.
 
Throws
 
One of the day's biggest highlights came from MaKayla Kelby, who had a breakthrough in the women's discus. On her second attempt, Kelby launched the disc 183-feet, 3-inches, a huge PR of 14-feet, and the second-best mark in Washington history, trailing only four-time Olympian Aretha Hill. That throw also shoots Kelby up to a tie for 14th in the NCAA this season. Kelby also had a second-best toss of 177-6.

 
Beatrice Asomaning had a PR of her own in the discus, throwing 163-8, and Ginny Mehl finished a UW sweep at 148-1.
 
The women also swept the shot put, with Kelby getting another win there at 49-10 ½. Multi-eventer Ida Eikeng was second at 42-8 ¼ and javelin thrower Tanya Simora was third at 42-3 ¼.
 
Eikeng won the javelin as well, setting a new PR at 165-5, to finish just ahead of WSU's Kendra Sachse who threw 164-6, while Husky freshman Kathleen Horn was third at 147-11. Simora was fourth with a PR of 146-1.
 
In the men's throws, Jonah Wilson posted big wins in both the discus and shot put. He tossed an outdoor season-best in the shot of 62-4, then won the discus title by eight feet with a best of 189-2. Redshirt freshman Sam Van Peursem was second in the shot put with a best of 59-11 ¾ and freshman Nolan Such completed the shot put sweep with a season-best of 53-5 ¾. Such also took third in the discus with a final throw PR of 164-7.

 
The meet began with a Washington hammer throw sweep led by freshman Jayden White, who threw 206-2 on his first attempt. Connor Jost was just off his PR, going over 200-feet for the second-straight meet, at 201-5, and Van Peursem came in third with a seven-foot personal-best of 194-0.
 
In his first Dual Meet since 2018, Dalton Sugg flew the javelin 209-6 to take second-place. Freshman Brady Gockel competed in his first collegiate meet and took fourth at 190-7.

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