Dawgs Visit Eugene For Pepsi Team Invite

Saturday, April 7

Eugene, OR

All Day

University of Washington

Pepsi Team Invitational

April 05, 2018 | Track & Field

Thirty-Four Huskies Earn MPSF Academic Honors

By: UW Athletic Communications

Pepsi Team Invitational
Eugene, Ore. | Hayward Field
Saturday, Apr. 7

Pac-12 Plus | Live Results | Meet Schedule | Heat Sheets

SEATTLE – Following a one-year hiatus, the Pepsi Team Invitational is back at Oregon's Hayward Field, and the Huskies are returning to compete once again, bringing the full team together for the first time this outdoor season. The Huskies will take on the Ducks along with Washington State and BYU in the four-team scored competition, starting at 11:30 on Saturday and streaming live online on Pac-12 Plus.

The first field events, the men's hammer and women's discus, will start at 11:30, with the women's hammer and men's discus events starting at 1. The first track events will be the steeplechases going off at 2 p.m. and track events will then run until the meet wraps up at approximately 5 p.m.

The Pepsi Team Invite uses a scoring format different than any other on the annual calendar. Only two individuals per team can score in any event, helping make for close competitions. Nine points go to first-place, seven for second, six to third, then 5-4-3-2-1 for remaining places, skipping over any finishers beyond two from one team.

Looking at the Husky entries, starting in the sprints, on the women's side, the Huskies will run freshman Olivia Ribera in the 100-meters and 200-meters, Imani Apostol in the 200-meters, Raquel Tjernagel in the 200-meters and 400-meters, and Carolyn Birkenfeld in the 400-meters. In the 100-meter hurdles, Morganne Hill, Hannah Rusnak, and Darhian Mills will run, and Mills, Hill, Carly Lester, and Hanna Tarleton will all go in the 400-meter hurdles.

In the men's sprints, Jordan Lucas, Khalil Winfrey, Kemuel Santana, and Christian Young will all run the 100-meters and 200-meters. In the 400-meters, four Dawgs will race: Ryan Croson, Michael Thomas, Evan Mafilas, and Jason Palmer. Eric Simpson and Oscar Herrera are scheduled to go in both the high hurdles and intermediate hurdles.

In the distance races, at 800-meters, Hannah Derby and Anna Maxwell will be in the top 800-meter heat, with Mikelle Ackerley in the first heat. Maxwell will also run 1,500-meters along with Amy-Eloise Neale in her outdoor debut and freshman Allie Schadler. In the 3,000-meters, Kaitlyn Neal looks to make her 2018 track debut along with Camila David-Smith, Nikki Zielinski, and Hannah Waskom. Junior Emily Hamlin is schedule to run her first career steeplechase.

For the men, freshman Devan Kirk, coming off a big PR last week, will be joined by Connor Morello in his season debut at 800-meters. The 1,500-meters has All-American Colby Gilbert along with Nate Beamer, Fred Huxham, Nick Laccinole, and Keith Williams. Huxham is entered in the 3k as well, along with Gavin Parpart, Andrew Snyder, and Mahmoud Moussa in what would be his first race since cross country. In the steeplechase, former NCAA Outdoor qualifier Andrew Gardner will go, coming off a 5k PR last week, along with Julius Diehr and freshman Thomas Nobbs.

In the jumps, the women will have Mayson Douglass and Elinor Jones Toutant in the high jump, Annika Dayton, Tori Franzen, and Monica Cohen in the pole vault, Jelani Heath and Hannah Rusnak in the long jump, and Rusnak and Jones Toutant will give the triple jump a shot as well to see if they can pick up some points.

The Huskies will move some pieces around in the men's jumps to try and grab some points with their two scoring slots. Taylor Barnes and Parker Kennedy will take on the high jump, in addition to pole vaulting and long jumping. Blaise Black and Zach Shugart will have just the pole vault on their plates. Jacob Bowler will pole vault as well as triple jump, while Jaylen Taylor will triple jump and long jump.

In the women's throws, Gina Flint and Angel Nkwonta are entered in the shot put, while Flint and Zoe Roberson are in the discus. Katie Wardsworth and Nkwonta will throw the hammer, and Emmy Engle and Daisey Newman will go in the javelin.

The men will have Jose Padilla and Jonah Wilson in the shot put and the discus, Connor Jost in the hammer, and Draven Nevarez and Jacob Wachtendonk in the javelin.