Huskies Reach NCAAs From Two Angles On Friday

Friday, February 28

Seattle, WA

12:00 PM

University of Washington

MPSF Championships

February 28, 2020 | Track & Field

By: UW Athletic Communications

BU Last Chance Meet
Thursday-Friday | Feb. 27-28
BU Track & Tennis Center
Complete Results

SEATTLE – Three more Huskies likely secured their trips to indoor nationals today, one from the friendly confines of the Dempsey and two coming out of Boston. It was perhaps the most exciting and productive day of the season thus far for UW track, which hosted day one of the MPSF Championships with a small group running big times at the BU Last Chance Meet out east.

The Huskies had a school record in Boston, and a school record in Seattle. Freshman Carley Thomas first broke her own 800-meter mark early today in Boston, running 2:02.75, and then Hannah Rusnak capped off a phenomenal day in the Dempsey with her title-winning pentathlon total of 4,190 points, breaking the school record by over two-hundred points.

There was a No. 2 mark in school history in Boston, and a No. 2 mark in Seattle. In Boston, Mick Stanovsek broke his indoor mile PR with a time of 3:57.88 that jumps him to second in UW history and secures his NCAA spot. Then sophomore Aaliyah Wilson flew down the Dempsey straight-away in 7.32 seconds to move to the No. 2 spot in the women's 60-meters.

WHOA!! ??

Aaliyah Wilson just flew to the #??2?? time in school history in the 60-meters??

She runs 7.32 to pass Dominique Lauderdale and Ashley Lodree on the top-10. #GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/FisLC8LGTk
— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) February 29, 2020

Along with Stanovsek and Rusnak, another Husky likely securing an NCAA Indoor bid was junior Allie Schadler in the 3k. Schadler's last 3k was derailed by a fall in her heat, so without any curveballs, she was able to drop a huge 14-second PR today in Boston, running the third-fastest time in school history in 9:00.89. That puts Schadler at 11th on the NCAA list this season.

Then there was an MPSF title and a new MPSF Meet Record for Olivia Gruver in her final Dempsey meet in a Husky uniform. Gruver came in only after all other competitors were knocked out on her runway, and she then secured the win with a first-attempt make at 14-1. She then had a first-attempt clearance of 14-7 1/4 which broke a meet record that had stood since 2006.

And just like that, Olivia Gruver breaks the MPSF Meet Record that had stood for 14 years ??????

Clears 14-7 1/4 and still going!#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/Xv6RQtpxD9
— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) February 28, 2020

The Huskies also got big points at MPSFs today from Angel Nkwonta, who was runner-up in the weight throw at 68-9 1/4. Chase Smith was second in the men's pole vault at 17-7 1/4. Jelani Heath grabbed third in the women's long jump with a mark of 19-3 1/4. Jack Rowe posted the No. 8 time in school history in the 5,000-meters and finished fourth in 13:54.72. And the men's distance medley relay closed things out with a runner-up finish in 9:45.25, comprised of Isaac Green, Cass Elliott, Daniel Maton, and Dustin Nading.

Rusnak's day deserves a breakdown, as she captured her second straight conference title in the multis after she won the 2019 Pac-12 Heptathlon title. Her win is the first ever MPSF title in the pentathlon for a Husky. She also now adds the pentathlon school record to the heptathlon record she set last season. Her previous PR of 3,848 points was set last indoor season, but since then Rusnak made big breakthroughs in multiple events, and it seemed just a matter of time before she blew past that old mark.

She did that today by winning the first four of the five events in the pentathlon. She ran 8.43 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles for a strong start. Next, in the high jump, Rusnak proved that last week's big PR was no fluke, as she raised the bar once again. She had a clutch third-attempt make at 5-8, just the second time she'd ever cleared a bar that high. But she then cleared the next height, 5-9 1/4, on just one attempt, before going out trying 5-10 1/2. Her new 5-9 1/4 PR ranks fourth in school history in the high jump.

On to the shot put, Rusnak got better with each attempt, and took over the lead and earned the win on her third throw, which went 41-2 1/2 for another indoor PR. In the long jump, Rusnak won easily by more than a foot with a new indoor PR of 19-7 which puts her to seventh on the top-10 long jump list. That left the 800-meters, and Rusnak closed out the overall win with a seventh-place finish in 2:30.09.

Her final score of 4,190 was more than 200 points ahead of second-place, and broke Grace Vela's school record of 3,915 that was set back in 2005.

Hannah Rusnak extended her lead in the pentathlon with this third-attempt make at 5-8 that she followed with a new PR of 5-9.25 on her first attempt!#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/PcPFzhSneW
— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) February 28, 2020

The other major time of note in Boston was Katie Rainsberger's run at 1,500-meters, a tune-up of sorts for her trip to NCAA Indoors. Rainsberger came through in 4:12.71, a time faster than she ran all last outdoor season.

Other point scorers at MPSFs included Makenna Barton and Ashleigh Helms in the pole vault. Barton had a third-attempt make at 13-5 1/4 to finish fourth while Helms tied for sixth-place in her first conference meet with a make of 12-7 1/2. On the men's side, freshman Sam Care had a season-best of 16-1 3/4 to grab one point in eighth. In the men's weight throw, junior Connor Jost finished seventh with a best toss of 60-3 1/4.

In addition to her stellar 60-meter dash time that qualified her to Saturday's finals, Aaliyah Wilson also made the 60m hurdles final, getting the final spot there in 8.50 seconds. Khalil Winfrey had a season-best 60-meters time of 6.83 seconds to set him up well for outdoors.

The final day of the MPSF Championships and the Dempsey Indoor season starts tomorrow at 10 a.m.