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Dozen Dawgs Make Cut For NCAA Outdoors

May 29, 2021

Complete Results

Huskies advancing to NCAA Outdoors in Eugene
Men
Cass Elliott, 400m Hurdles
Isaac Green, 5000m
Elijah Mason, Discus
Sam Tanner, 1500m
Jonah Wilson, Shot Put
Jayden White, Hammer
 
Women
Ida Eikeng, Heptathlon
Madison Heisterman, 1500m
Haley Herberg, 5000m and 10,000m
Lyndsey Lopes, Heptathlon
Darhian Mills, 400m Hurdles
Katie Rainsberger, 3000m Steeplechase

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Washington doubled its NCAA Outdoor qualifiers on the final day of the NCAA West Preliminary Championships hosted by Texas A&M, as six more Huskies made the top-12 cut to bring UW's total qualifiers to an even dozen. One athlete, Haley Herberg, qualified in a second event today, so UW will have 13 entries for its 12 competitors in two weeks in Eugene.
 
Several Huskies lived right on the edge but kept the bubble from bursting. Sam Tanner, Madison Heisterman, and Darhian Mills all grabbed the coveted 12th spots in their events today, surviving and advancing, to the NCAA Championships final site at Oregon's Hayward Field from June 9-12.
 
One Husky moved through with absolutely no drama or suspense and that was senior Katie Rainsberger, who ran away with her heat of the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Rainsberger, who broke the UW school record at Pac-12s in a runner-up finish, led from start to finish and opened up a big late lead to win in 9:47.38 and earn herself a chance at a 13th career All-America honor, and what would be the first in the steeplechase.
 
The 1,500-meter quarterfinals had three UW men and women in each, and both saw one of the three move on to Nationals, both grabbing the 12th and final qualifying spots. On the men's side, Sam Tanner ran a time of 3:39.70 which held up for the last time qualifier, as the NCAA Indoor qualifier will add the Outdoor meet to his experience.
 
Senior Mick Stanovsek ran 3:45.11 and senior Dustin Nading ran 3:45.17 and would not advance. Both are among the 11 sub-four-minute milers in UW history, with Stanovsek an eight-time All-American who will finish third in UW history in both the mile and the 1,500-meters, as well as the 2021 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
 
On the women's side, Madison Heisterman earned her first NCAA individual qualifier as she took sixth in her quarterfinal with a new lifetime-best of 4:14.62, a three-second PR. That got her the last time qualifier to Eugene. One spot behind was Anna Gibson in 4:15.22, who wound up 14th overall to cap a great first outdoor season as a Dawg. Allie Schadler ran 4:19.10 to finish 19th overall.
 
More breaths were collectively held in the last quarterfinal heat of the women's 400-meter hurdles, as senior and school record-holder Darhian Mills was looking to extend her career and return to NCAAs where she was seventh in 2019. Running in lane nine, Mills was out in front of everyone on the stagger but ran her own race perfectly. She fought for every hundredth of a second and it paid off as she got the 12th and final qualifier in 58.20 seconds, her fastest time in two years.
 
The Dawgs will have a women's 400m hurdles semifinalist in Mills, and a men's semifinalist as well, as sophomore Cass Elliott made it through to the final site for the first time in his career. Elliott was just off his PR today in a time of 50.11 seconds, which was the 11th-best overall time to punch his ticket. Senior Julian Body was seventh in the third quarterfinal in 52.18 to place 20th.
 
The final Husky qualifiers came from the 5,000-meters. On the men's side, Isaac Green ran a phenomenal race in a stacked field, running in the lead pack and then knowing when to make his move. He had plenty left for a big sprint finish to take third overall in 13:52.40 and make his first NCAA Track Championships, indoors or out.
 
Last but certainly not least, Haley Herberg came back from qualifying in the 10k on Thursday, and she showed no fear today in the 5k, as she opened up a big lead on the field early on and led for nearly the entire race. The chasers finally caught Herberg with about 200 meters to go, but she was far from spent and still came across in fourth-place to auto advance in a second event.
 
Schadler doubled back from the 1,500-meters earlier in the day and nearly made it in the 5k, as she placed seventh in her section in 16:09.56, a time that wound up 14th overall, two places short of moving on. Freshman Naomi Smith was also doubling back from the 10k, and she was ninth in her heat and 18th overall in 16:24.01 after coming in ranked 25th.
 
The men's steeplechase featured Joe Waskom and Julius Diehr in the second heat, but both fell off the pace midway through the race and finished out of contention.
 
The meet came to a close with the 4x400-meter relays on the women's side. Washington's quartet of Olivia Ribera, Victoria Gersch, Darhian Mills, and Marlena Preigh finished sixth in their quarterfinal heat in 3:40.14, the fastest time the Huskies have run this season, and good for 20th-place overall after they came in ranked 24th.
 
The only field action today was the women's discus, where MaKayla Kelby wrapped her first outdoor season with a second top-20 finish at Prelims. Kelby was 14th in the shot put on Thursday and took 18th today in the discus, as she had a throw of 173-1 on her second attempt, in-between two fouls. Redshirt freshman Beatrice Asomaning finished 45th overall.
 
Washington Track & Field
NCAA West Preliminary Championships
College Station, Texas | E.B. Cushing Stadium
May 28, 2021 | Day 4 of 4
 
Women's 1500m Quarterfinal
Heat 1 of 2
11. Allie Schadler, 4:19.10
 
Heat 2 of 2
6. Madison Heisterman, 4:14.62 (Advances to Eugene)
7. Anna Gibson, 4:15.22
 
Men's 1500m Quarterfinal
Heat 1 of 2
7. Sam Tanner, 3:39.70 (Advances to Eugene)
 
Heat 2 of 2
9. Mick Stanovsek, 3:45.11
10. Dustin Nading, 3:45.17
 
Women's 5000m Semifinal
Heat 1 of 2
4. Haley Herberg, 15:58.56 (Advances to Eugene)
9. Naomi Smith, 16:24.01
 
Heat 2 of 2
7. Allie Schadler, 16:09.56
 
Men's 5,000m Semifinal
Heat 2 of 2
3. Isaac Green, 13:52.40 (Advances to Eugene)
24. Luke Houser, 15:09.66
 
Women's 400m Hurdles Quarterfinal
Heat 3 of 3
4. Darhian Mills, 58.20 (Advances to Eugene)
 
Men's 400m Hurdles Quarterfinal
Heat 2 of 3
5. Cass Elliott, 50.11 (Advances to Eugene)
 
Heat 3 of 3
7. Julian Body, 52.18
 
Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Quarterfinal
Heat 3 of 3
1. Katie Rainsberger, 9:47.38 (Advances to Eugene)
 
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Quarterfinal
Heat 2 of 3
14. Joe Waskom, 9:15.85
15. Julius Diehr, 9:15.86
 
Women's 4x400m Relay Quarterfinal
Heat 3 of 3
6. Ribera/Gersch/Mills/Preigh, 3:40.14
 
Women's Discus
18. MaKayla Kelby, 173-1
45. Beatrice Asomaning, 123-0