Friday, May 26
Sacramento, CA
All Day
University of Washington
vs
NCAA West Preliminaries
Men's Track Sets New Standard With 13 Qualifiers
May 26, 2023 | Track & Field
NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 24-27 | Sacramento, Calif.
ESPN+ Live Streams: Saturday
Live Results | Complete Schedule PDF | Women's Start Lists
Saturday
1 pm – Women's Discus – Beatrice Asomaning (flight 1), MaKayla Kelby (flight 1), Kaia Tupu-South (flight 1)
5:15 pm – Women's 1500m – Anna Gibson, Sophie O'Sullivan
5:40 pm – Women's Steeplechase – Kayley DeLay
7:05 pm – Women's 800m - Carley Thomas
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Day three out of the four-day NCAA West Prelims was the final day of men's competition, and the Pac-12 Champion Husky men's team did just about all it could have hoped for in sending a strong squad on to Austin. Nine more Huskies earned entries to the NCAA Outdoor Championships today, giving Washington 13 total on the men's side, a record in the current format.
Luck had nothing to do with it for the 13 Dawgs, as UW executed throughout the two days of men's events at Hornet Stadium, starting Wednesday and resuming today. The women will have a number of chances to add to their three qualifiers on the final day of the meet on Saturday.
Today the men saw Elijah Mason advance in the discus, then last year's trio of NCAA 1,500m finalists—Nathan Green, Luke Houser, Joe Waskom—all moved on again. Pac-12 Champions Sam Ellis and Ed Trippas auto-advanced in the 800-meters and steeplechase, respectively. UW put two through in the 400m hurdles, as Cass Elliott was joined by Jonathan Birchman who earned his first trip to nationals. Then Brian Fay closed things out in the 5,000-meters, making yet another NCAA final.
The first Husky up today set the tone, as Elijah Mason needed just one attempt to all but assure himself of a top-12 qualifying spot in the discus. He went 195 on his first attempt, then improved in round two out to 199-4, finishing fifth overall. This was Mason's fourth time successfully handling the Prelims pressure and advancing on to the NCAA Outdoor finals. He'll be going for a fourth First Team All-America honor in Austin.
First up on the track, Washington's NCAA Champion tandem of Joe Waskom and Luke Houser were in the same 1,500-meter quarterfinal heat. It was a slow pace, so the twelve runners were still tightly packed going into the final lap, but Waskom and Houser had their typically strong kicks to get separation, and they were safely within the top-five coming to the finish line. Waskom took second in the heat in 3:49.54 and Houser was right next to him in third in 3:49.60.
Nathan Green then made it three Huskies out of the 12 men heading to Austin in the 1,500-meters for a second-straight season. Green, coming off his Pac-12 Championship two weeks ago, posted another victory today as he won the second quarterfinal heat in 3:38.13, over 10 seconds faster than the times of heat one. But regardless of times, Green is looking confident and sharp heading to his second-straight NCAA Outdoors.
Aidan Ryan wound up 15th overall in the field of 24 with a time of 3:42.02 and was just a few spots shy of also advancing.
More UW Pac-12 Champions continued to keep their seasons rolling, as Ed Trippas was up next in the steeplechase. Needing a top-three finish in his heat of 16 men, Trippas paced himself perfectly and glided over the barriers on his way to a second-place heat finish in 8:31.36. That took .04 seconds off Trippas' own steeple School Record. Fifth last year at Nationals for Princeton, Trippas is looking for a second podium spot in two weeks.
Next up Sam Ellis got the job done in the 800-meters, as the Pac-12 Champ got the third auto-qualifying spot in his heat in an even 1:47.00. The NCAA bronze medalist last year in the 1,500-meters for Princeton, Ellis will look to reach the final at the shorter distance this time around.
Washington had one of the best 400-meter hurdle groups in the country all season, so it was fitting that not just one but two Dawgs broke through to nationals. Cass Elliott, the Pac-12 Champ and School Record-holder, had little trouble securing a third-consecutive bid to NCAAs as he ran 49.57 to take second in his heat with the fourth-fastest time on the day. Joining him will be junior Jonathan Birchman, the only Husky today to earn their first career NCAA appearance. Birchman was well outside the top-three spots halfway through his heat, but he dug in and made a late push to get back in the mix, throwing himself across the finish line to get third in 50.53 and reach Austin.
The final Husky tonight was Brian Fay in the 5k. Focusing just on the 5k rather than the 10k and the 5k as he did at Pac-12s two weeks ago, Fay was fresh tonight and although two runners broke away from the rest of the field early, Fay stayed at the front of the chase pack. Needing a top-five heat finish to move on, Fay had another big final lap to leave nothing to chance, as he came through in second-place in 13:24.71.
Tim Luebbert had a very solid first West Prelims in the triple jump today. The Pac-12 third-place finisher came in seeded just 35th overall but wound up 23rd as he had a best of 50-3 1/4 that was just an inch off his lifetime-best.
Washington Results – NCAA West Preliminaries
Sacramento, Calif. | Hornet Stadium
Day 3 of 4 (Men's Events)
Men's 800m, Quarterfinals
Heat 3 of 3: 3. Sam Ellis, 1:47.00Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Men's 1,500m, Quarterfinals
Heat 1 of 2: 2. Joe Waskom, 3:49.54Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS); 3. Luke Houser, 3:49.60Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Heat 2 of 2: 1. Nathan Green, 3:38.13Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS); 10. Aidan Ryan, 3:42.02
Men's 5,000m, Semifinals
Heat 1 of 2: 2. Brian Fay, 13:24.71Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Men's 400m Hurdles, Quarterfinals
Heat 1 of 3: 2. Cass Elliott, 49.57Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Heat 3 of 3: 3. Jonathan Birchman, 50.53Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase, Quarterfinals
Heat 1 of 3: 2. Ed Trippas, 8:31.36Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Men's Triple Jump (top-12 to NCAAs): 23. Tim Luebbert, 50-3 ¼
Men's Discus (top-12 to NCAAs): 5. Elijah Mason, 199-4 (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Huskies Advancing to NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas (through day three)
Chandler Ault, Men's Javelin
Jonathan Birchman, Men's 400m Hurdles
Sara Borton, Women's Pole Vault
Nastassja Campbell, Women's Pole Vault
Cass Elliott, Men's 400m Hurdles
Sam Ellis, Men's 800-meters
Jacob Englar, Men's Pole Vault
Brian Fay, Men's 5,000-meters
Nathan Green, Men's 1,500-meters
Luke Houser, Men's 1,500-meters
Elijah Mason, Men's Discus
Ed Trippas, Men's Steeplechase
Joe Waskom, Men's 1,500-meters
Jayden White, Men's Hammer
Ida Eikeng, Women's Heptathlon (advances without Prelim competition)
Ollie Thorner, Men's Decathlon (advances without Prelim competition)
May 24-27 | Sacramento, Calif.
ESPN+ Live Streams: Saturday
Live Results | Complete Schedule PDF | Women's Start Lists
Saturday
1 pm – Women's Discus – Beatrice Asomaning (flight 1), MaKayla Kelby (flight 1), Kaia Tupu-South (flight 1)
5:15 pm – Women's 1500m – Anna Gibson, Sophie O'Sullivan
5:40 pm – Women's Steeplechase – Kayley DeLay
7:05 pm – Women's 800m - Carley Thomas
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Day three out of the four-day NCAA West Prelims was the final day of men's competition, and the Pac-12 Champion Husky men's team did just about all it could have hoped for in sending a strong squad on to Austin. Nine more Huskies earned entries to the NCAA Outdoor Championships today, giving Washington 13 total on the men's side, a record in the current format.
Luck had nothing to do with it for the 13 Dawgs, as UW executed throughout the two days of men's events at Hornet Stadium, starting Wednesday and resuming today. The women will have a number of chances to add to their three qualifiers on the final day of the meet on Saturday.
Today the men saw Elijah Mason advance in the discus, then last year's trio of NCAA 1,500m finalists—Nathan Green, Luke Houser, Joe Waskom—all moved on again. Pac-12 Champions Sam Ellis and Ed Trippas auto-advanced in the 800-meters and steeplechase, respectively. UW put two through in the 400m hurdles, as Cass Elliott was joined by Jonathan Birchman who earned his first trip to nationals. Then Brian Fay closed things out in the 5,000-meters, making yet another NCAA final.
The Pac-12 Champ wins the next quarterfinal with the fastest time of the day!
— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) May 27, 2023
Nathan Green ?????? Austin, TX#GoHuskies x #NCAATF | ?? ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/MCk1pKxgwt
The first Husky up today set the tone, as Elijah Mason needed just one attempt to all but assure himself of a top-12 qualifying spot in the discus. He went 195 on his first attempt, then improved in round two out to 199-4, finishing fifth overall. This was Mason's fourth time successfully handling the Prelims pressure and advancing on to the NCAA Outdoor finals. He'll be going for a fourth First Team All-America honor in Austin.
First up on the track, Washington's NCAA Champion tandem of Joe Waskom and Luke Houser were in the same 1,500-meter quarterfinal heat. It was a slow pace, so the twelve runners were still tightly packed going into the final lap, but Waskom and Houser had their typically strong kicks to get separation, and they were safely within the top-five coming to the finish line. Waskom took second in the heat in 3:49.54 and Houser was right next to him in third in 3:49.60.
Nathan Green then made it three Huskies out of the 12 men heading to Austin in the 1,500-meters for a second-straight season. Green, coming off his Pac-12 Championship two weeks ago, posted another victory today as he won the second quarterfinal heat in 3:38.13, over 10 seconds faster than the times of heat one. But regardless of times, Green is looking confident and sharp heading to his second-straight NCAA Outdoors.
Aidan Ryan wound up 15th overall in the field of 24 with a time of 3:42.02 and was just a few spots shy of also advancing.
More UW Pac-12 Champions continued to keep their seasons rolling, as Ed Trippas was up next in the steeplechase. Needing a top-three finish in his heat of 16 men, Trippas paced himself perfectly and glided over the barriers on his way to a second-place heat finish in 8:31.36. That took .04 seconds off Trippas' own steeple School Record. Fifth last year at Nationals for Princeton, Trippas is looking for a second podium spot in two weeks.
Next up Sam Ellis got the job done in the 800-meters, as the Pac-12 Champ got the third auto-qualifying spot in his heat in an even 1:47.00. The NCAA bronze medalist last year in the 1,500-meters for Princeton, Ellis will look to reach the final at the shorter distance this time around.
Washington had one of the best 400-meter hurdle groups in the country all season, so it was fitting that not just one but two Dawgs broke through to nationals. Cass Elliott, the Pac-12 Champ and School Record-holder, had little trouble securing a third-consecutive bid to NCAAs as he ran 49.57 to take second in his heat with the fourth-fastest time on the day. Joining him will be junior Jonathan Birchman, the only Husky today to earn their first career NCAA appearance. Birchman was well outside the top-three spots halfway through his heat, but he dug in and made a late push to get back in the mix, throwing himself across the finish line to get third in 50.53 and reach Austin.
??Birch-Mania??
— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) May 27, 2023
Jonathan Birchman digs deep to get to the line third and earn his FIRST ??? to Nationals!! ??#GoHuskies x #NCAATF | ?? ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/tP1WLSux6V
The final Husky tonight was Brian Fay in the 5k. Focusing just on the 5k rather than the 10k and the 5k as he did at Pac-12s two weeks ago, Fay was fresh tonight and although two runners broke away from the rest of the field early, Fay stayed at the front of the chase pack. Needing a top-five heat finish to move on, Fay had another big final lap to leave nothing to chance, as he came through in second-place in 13:24.71.
Tim Luebbert had a very solid first West Prelims in the triple jump today. The Pac-12 third-place finisher came in seeded just 35th overall but wound up 23rd as he had a best of 50-3 1/4 that was just an inch off his lifetime-best.
Washington Results – NCAA West Preliminaries
Sacramento, Calif. | Hornet Stadium
Day 3 of 4 (Men's Events)
Men's 800m, Quarterfinals
Heat 3 of 3: 3. Sam Ellis, 1:47.00Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Men's 1,500m, Quarterfinals
Heat 1 of 2: 2. Joe Waskom, 3:49.54Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS); 3. Luke Houser, 3:49.60Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Heat 2 of 2: 1. Nathan Green, 3:38.13Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS); 10. Aidan Ryan, 3:42.02
Men's 5,000m, Semifinals
Heat 1 of 2: 2. Brian Fay, 13:24.71Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Men's 400m Hurdles, Quarterfinals
Heat 1 of 3: 2. Cass Elliott, 49.57Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Heat 3 of 3: 3. Jonathan Birchman, 50.53Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase, Quarterfinals
Heat 1 of 3: 2. Ed Trippas, 8:31.36Q (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Men's Triple Jump (top-12 to NCAAs): 23. Tim Luebbert, 50-3 ¼
Men's Discus (top-12 to NCAAs): 5. Elijah Mason, 199-4 (ADVANCES TO NCAAS)
Huskies Advancing to NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas (through day three)
Chandler Ault, Men's Javelin
Jonathan Birchman, Men's 400m Hurdles
Sara Borton, Women's Pole Vault
Nastassja Campbell, Women's Pole Vault
Cass Elliott, Men's 400m Hurdles
Sam Ellis, Men's 800-meters
Jacob Englar, Men's Pole Vault
Brian Fay, Men's 5,000-meters
Nathan Green, Men's 1,500-meters
Luke Houser, Men's 1,500-meters
Elijah Mason, Men's Discus
Ed Trippas, Men's Steeplechase
Joe Waskom, Men's 1,500-meters
Jayden White, Men's Hammer
Ida Eikeng, Women's Heptathlon (advances without Prelim competition)
Ollie Thorner, Men's Decathlon (advances without Prelim competition)
Players Mentioned
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