Huskies Host Classic, Visit Albuquerque

Thursday, February 13

Albuquerque, NM

12:00 PM

University of Washington

Don Kirby Invitational

February 12, 2020 | Track & Field

By: UW Athletic Communications

DON KIRBY INVITATIONAL
Thursday-Friday, Feb. 13-14 | ABQ Convention Center
Meet Schedule | Heat Sheets

Live Results | Live Stream ($)

USATF INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
UW Entries on Saturday, Feb. 15 | ABQ Convention Center

Live Results

SEATTLE – The indoor season ramps up again this week as Washington prepares to host one of the best invitationals in the nation, the Husky Classic, in the Dempsey. But the Huskies will be splitting up this week, with a group of sprinters, jumpers, vaulters and throwers heading to Albuquerque for the Don Kirby Invitational. At the same venue in New Mexico, the U.S. Indoor Championships go this weekend, and Husky All-Americans Olivia Gruver and Jonah Wilson will compete there against the nation's best.

The action starts in Albuquerque as the Don Kirby Invitational goes this Thursday and Friday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Friday's Husky Classic begins at 2:30 p.m. with the women's weight throw and the first track events will be at 3 p.m. Along with 60-meter hurdle finals and 200-meter dashes, the invitational 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter races will be run Friday evening, wrapping up at approximately 9 p.m.

Saturday the Husky Classic resumes at 10 a.m. and should finish just after 3:30 p.m.

Saturday will also be competition day for Gruver and Wilson at U.S. Indoors back at the ABQ Convention Center. Gruver is in the women's pole vault scheduled to start at 12:05 p.m. Pacific and Wilson starts the men's shot competition at 12:35 p.m. Pacific.

The Husky Classic will be streamed live on Runnerspace.com while the Don Kirby Invite will be streamed on Flotrack.org. Saturday, the U.S. Indoor Championships will be televised on NBC from 1-3 p.m. Pacific time.

The Husky Classic
Annually one of the marquee meets in the nation for distance events, the Husky Classic will likely fill up the NCAA Indoor fields once again from the mile up to the 5k.

To that end, some of the top programs around the country will send partial squads to Seattle. Notable teams represented in the Dempsey include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Boise State, BYU, California, Colorado, Georgia, Gonzaga, New Mexico, North Dakota State, Northern Arizona, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Portland, Southern Utah, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, Utah, Utah State, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Washington's distance crew will be looking to stand out amongst the crowded fields. The women's 3k will be a big event Friday, featuring Katie Rainsberger, Allie Schadler, Mel Smart, and Shona McCulloch. Haley Herberg will step up to the 5k on Friday along with Kaitlyn Neal, Hannah Waskom, and Kiera Marshall. In the mile runs, the women have Anna Gibson and Erica Schroeder.

The men's mile could set a record for most sub-fours in Dempsey history for one meet. Washington will have seven men in the mile on Saturday: Julius Diehr, Isaac Green, Luke Houser, Dustin Nading, Sam Ritz, Alex Slenning, and Sam Tanner, along with freshman Joe Waskom running unattached and incoming freshman Cruz Culpepper also in the field.

In the 3k, Jack Rowe is back coming off his PR of 7:56.45, along with Diehr, Waskom, and Nick Laccinole running unattached. At 5,000-meters, Tanner Anderson will run as will Tibebu Proctor.

In the mid-distances, Madison Heisterman, Kelly Makin, and Marlena Preigh will race at 800-meters, while freshman 800-meter standout Carley Thomas is dropping down to run a 400-meters on Saturday. Devan Kirk, Daniel Maton, Dustin Nading, and Mick Stanovsek are all entered in the men's 800-meters.

The majority of UW's sprinters and jumpers will be in New Mexico, but a few will stay in Seattle. Unattached multi-event athletes Ida Eikeng and Lyndsey Lopes are in several events apiece, as will men's multis Parker Kennedy and Ollie Thorner. Annika Dayton and Kim Kramers go in the women's pole vault and Sam Care in the men's.

Throwing in the Dempsey will be Ginny Mehl in the shot and weight and Beatrice Asomaning in the weight.

Don Kirby Invitational
Sprinters, jumpers, vaulters and throwers get their first change of scenery of the season Thursday and Friday in New Mexico.

In the sprints, Imani Apostol, Jelani Heath, Olivia Ribera, and Aaliyah Wilson are all entered in the 200-meters. Apostol and Ribera are in the 400-meters, while Wilson and Hannah Rusnak are in the 60-meter hurdles. Heath is also entered in the open 60-meter dash.

The men will have Khalil Winfrey in the 60-meters and Evan Mafilas, Jason Palmer, and Cass Elliott in the 400-meters.

Jelani Heath and Rusnak will go in the women's long jump, while the men will have Sam Richmond and Jaylen Taylor in the long jump and Taylor in the triple. Bryce Fausset will chase a PR in the high jump. In the women's pole vault Ashleigh Helms and Makenna Barton are slated to compete and on the men's side, Chase Smith and Zach Shugart take flight.

Angel Nkwonta and Makayla Kelby are in the top flight of the women's shot put and Nkwonta will see if she can set a weight throw school record for the third meet in a row in the top flight. On the men's side, Elijah Mason and Connor Jost are in the top flight of weight throw