Nkwonta Gets On NCAA Cusp With Newest Record

Friday, February 21

Seattle, WA

2:00 PM

University of Washington

Last Chance College Elite Meet

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

February 21, 2020 | Track & Field

By: UW Athletic Communications

Complete Results in PDF

SEATTLE – Angel Nkwonta is a ruthless editor of her own work. She rewrote her own school record in the weight throw for the third time tonight, and moved to within literally one centimeter of the coveted top-16 nationally. Nkwonta's latest record toss was the highlight but the Husky throwers had an excellent group showing at tonight's Last Chance College Elite Meet in the Dempsey.

The smallest meet of the season had many Huskies resting for next weekend's MPSF Championships, but the throwers were out in full force and produced five out of the eight new Top-10 marks that the Dawgs posted today.

Nkwonta has now added more than six feet to her weight throw PR since she entered the year with a best of 63-0 1/4. She broke a 11-year-old school record in the first meet of the year, going 66-0 1/4, then extended that to 68-3 at the UW Invitational. Today on her fourth round throw, she threw 69-8 1/4, going well beyond the 21-meters mark that she'd had as a goal.

Here's Angel Nkwonta's new record throw of 69-8.25 and her waiting to see the measurement come up ??????#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/bOZfmTIHt6
— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) February 22, 2020

The metric mark of 21.24 ranks Nkwonta 17th on the NCAA descending order list, one centimeter behind 16th-place with another week of competition to go before the top-16 make the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Nkwonta would come back and add a PR in the shot put as well, as she threw 50-11 1/2 to move up one spot to No. 5 in school history. That's right behind redshirt freshman Makayla Kelby who won the shot put with a two-inch PR of 51-4 1/4 as she improved her No. 4 mark in school history.

Freshman Beatrice Asomaning also had a weight throw PR to go from No. 10 up to No. 6 all-time with a toss of 53-6 1/2. The fifth new Top-10 mark by a thrower was in the men's weight, where sophomore Elijah Mason went 65-2 1/4 on his first attempt to strengthen his No. 4 mark in school history.

In the sprints, sophomore Aaliyah Wilson had a major PR in the 60m hurdles, cutting nearly two-tenths off her previous best with a victory in 8.35 seconds. That bumps her from No. 7 up to No. 3 in school history and was the fastest by a Dawg since Ashley Lodree in 2007. Wilson also came back and won the 200-meters in a PR of 24.86.

A big ???????????????? ???????????? for Aaliyah Wilson in the 60m hurdles! She goes 8.35 seconds, the new #?3? time in school history!!#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/G3I2Y54wco
— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) February 22, 2020

Senior Khalil Winfrey posted a season-best 60-meter dash time of 6.85 seconds to take second while Evan Mafilas won the 400-meters in 48.54.

Freshman Daniel Maton got himself his first Top-10 mark as he won the 800-meters in a PR of 1:49.75, grabbing the No. 10 spot and joining Mick Stanovsek and Cass Elliott as new entries to the 800-meter top-10 list this indoor season. Devan Kirk was second and got himself a season-best of 1:50.44.

The men's mile run saw a pair of sub-four times with freshman Luke Houser coming in third and just missing out, but still lowering his PR once again. Houser crossed in 4:00.61. One of UW's incoming recruits, Leo Dashbach, took second in the first heat in 4:05.96. Senior Tanner Anderson also dropped down in distance and got himself a mile PR in 4:07.78.

Junior Shona McCulloch dropped a massive 12 seconds off her career-best mile time today as she finished third behind a pair of pro runners with a time of 4:43.87. Haley Herberg was seventh in 4:48.04.

The final new Top-10 mark of the day came in the women's high jump. Hannah Rusnak already ranked in the UW indoor top-10 in the 200-meters, 60-meter hurdles, long jump, and pentathlon, but she got into the high jump Top-10 today with a big PR make of 5-8 3/4.

Competing unattached, Lyndsey Lopes made 5-7 in the high jump and long jumped 18-3 1/4. She also threw 34-10 1/2 in the shot put while Rusnak threw 38-8 3/4.

Junior Jelani Heath had a new indoor personal-best to win the long jump today as she went 19-4 1/4, her best mark since 2018.

Senior Chase Smith took three good attempts at 18-1 but didn't quite get it today. He cleared 17-6 1/2 for the win. Ashleigh Helms was fourth in the women's pole vault at 12-6 1/4.

Bryce Fausset had a 6-7 high jump while Sam Richmond won the long jump with a season-best mark of 23-0 3/4. Junior Jaylen Taylor had another solid triple jump win at 49-1 3/4.

JDL DMR Invite

Washington ran a men's DMR team at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina this evening, but the pace didn't reach the expectations of the strong field assembled. The Husky quartet of Sam Ritz, Cass Elliott, Mick Stanovsek, and Dustin Nading took fourth in the invite section in 9:43.45 but will need a faster time to make it to nationals.