Neale, Women’s 4x4 Rounds Out NCAA Qualifiers

Saturday, May 27

Austin, Texas

11:00 AM

University of Washington

NCAA West Regionals

May 27, 2017 | Track & Field

NCAA West Prelim Full Results

By: UW Athletic Communications

AUSTIN, Texas – The Huskies completed their NCAA finals squad with an expected return ticket for Amy-Eloise Neale in the 1,500-meters, as well as a thrilling final surprise as the women's 4x400-meter relay broke their own school record and grabbed the last qualifying spot to nationals to end the three days in Austin on a high note.

Washington will have eight women traveling to Eugene with five entries between them, for the conclusion of the college track season June 7-10 at Hayward Field. Elizabeth Quick and Kristina Owsinski qualified in the pole vault on day one in Austin along with Izzi Batt-Doyle in the 10k, while Laura Anuakpado advanced in the 400-meters on day two. Neale made a second-straight final site trip in the 1,500m today and the 4x400m group of Whitney Diggs, Imani Apostol, Darhian Mills, and Anuakpado rounded out the group.

One day after breaking the school record at 400-meters and getting the 12th spot to Eugene in that event, Anuakpado anchored the relay to a school record 3:35.65 time in the first of three eight-team heats. The Huskies were fifth in their heat, with only the top-three auto advancing, so they had to wait through the next two races to see if their time would hold up.

Going into the third and final heat, the Huskies needed the fourth-place team to post a slower time than their 3:35.65, and watching from the opposite end of the homestretch, it clearly was going to be close. Finally, the fourth-place time for San Diego State went up, at 3:36.27, and the Dawgs celebrated and wiped away some happy tears.

Diggs, a senior transfer from Portland State, who led off the relay, said she didn't think she had ever been so happy. "I'm so happy right now, I was praying so hard at the end that we would squeak in at the last spot, and we did. It's my last year, I get to go to Nationals, I get a ring, I'm so happy!"

Apostol, the Seattle product from Holy Names will get to make her NCAA debut as well and said, "I'm extremely happy, I feel like we each held our own and gave it all we got and then we made it, and I'm just so happy and so proud of all of us! I was praying so hard I was crying."

Whitney, Imani, Darhian, and Laura are going to Nationals!!' pic.twitter.com/6gs3IlQSkA
— UW Track (@UWTrack) May 28, 2017

Mills had been hoping to qualify individually in the 400-meter hurdles yesterday, but when that didn't come to pass, she said she knew she had to fight for her team today. "(Volunteer assistant Mark Macdonald) just told me get out, stay with them, if it feels like I'm going too fast then keep going too fast," said Mills. "Obviously in the hurdles I didn't make it to where I wanted to, but to fight for my team and to know that I've got their back and they've got mine, made me want to push it. If I died, I died, but I left it out there for them. Even though twelve is not where you want to be, it made it that much sweeter to wait, and that anticipation made some tears build up.

And for the second straight day, Anuakpado, who was clocked with a 51.56 seconds final 400m split, she got to enjoy another final spot qualifier. "I can't believe it, I really want to cry," she said. "I had to bring it home for our team. We've been dreaming about this all season. I'm grateful, I'm so blessed to be a part of such a great program and be with such great women. I just want to pass out!"

Temperatures were still in the 90s with nearly 50% humidity when Neale came onto the track for the first time to run the 1,500-meter quarterfinals. It was an honest pace, much quicker than the first of the two heats, and Neale moved up into the top half of the 12-woman field on the second lap. Throughout the final lap, Neale continued to be positioned well in the top-four and crossed the line fourth overall in a pack of six women that all advanced on to Eugene. Neale's time of 4:18.82 was less than a half second off the winning time of 4:18.39.

Amy-Eloise is going back to Nationals!! She runs a great race to easily position herself in the top-five to advance. pic.twitter.com/Mz1OiVdvqn
— UW Track (@UWTrack) May 27, 2017

Approximately 80 minutes later, Neale attempted to return to the track and qualify again in the 5,000-meters, but the challenge in the brutal heat and humidity proved too great even for someone as fit as Neale. She dropped back in the pack a few laps in, and then fell back to second to last with a long way to go. But rather than step off the track, Neale exhibited incredible heart and grit to not just finish, but start passing runner after runner late in the race. She climbed all the way back up to 14th in the 24-woman field by the end.

Also in the 5k, freshman Kaitlyn Neal showed her own determination, as she stuck her nose in with the lead pack despite being seeded just 40th out of 48 coming in. Neal was second for much of the race, and was still in a lead pack of six with four laps to go, before running out of gas and dropping back to 11th in 17:10.11.

Senior All-American Katie Knight saw her last track run as a Dawg tonight as she led a few early laps of the 5k but couldn't remain at the front. She finished 21st overall, but does still have a season of cross country remaining should she choose to return. Sophomore Emily Hamlin also made her West Prelims debut and finished 19th in the second heat in 17:22.97.

First up today was junior Casey Burns in his third career West Prelims triple jump appearance. Burns got off to a solid start with a first attempt leap of 51-0 ¼ that had him in 10th-place early, but he was unable to improve on that and gradually got bumped down the rankings to finish 21st. His second jump was 50-8 ¼ and he took a foul on his third.

Junior Gina Flint put the shot today to cap off her inspiring comeback season, but she would have needed a PR today and it didn't come in her three throws. Her best mark was on her third attempt, as she went 50-3 ½ to finish 23rd overall in the field of 48.

The final event of the weekend for the Dawgs was the men's 4x400-meter relay. Running in the second of three heats, the group of Lucas Strong, Jacopo Spanò, Michael Thomas, and Ryan Croson were looking to surprise much like the women, but got mixed up in some traffic on a few exchanges and finished in 3:10.16, good for 21st overall in the region. But with the final three legs returning next year, the group should certainly has a bright future.

Washington Track & Field
NCAA West Preliminary Championships
Day 3 of 3 – May 27, 2017
Austin, Texas – Mike A. Myers Stadium

Men's Results
4x400m Relay (Quarterfinal; heat 2 of 3): Strong/Spanò/Thomas/Croson, 3:10.16.
Triple Jump: 21. Casey Burns, 51-0 ¼.

Women's Results
1,500m (Quarterfinal; heat 2 of 2): 4. Amy-Eloise Neale, 4:18.82 (Advances To Eugene)
5,000m (Semifinal; heat 1 of 2): 11. Kaitlyn Neal, 17:10.11; 21. Katie Knight, 17:49.15; (Semifinal; heat 2 of 2): 14. Amy-Eloise Neale, 17:08.06; 19. Emily Hamlin 17:22.97.
4x400m Relay (Quarterfinal; heat 1 of 3): 5. Diggs/Apostol/Mills/Anuakpado, 3:35.65 (12th overall; Advances To Eugene).
Shot Put: 23. Gina Flint, 50-3 ½.