World Record Relay: Dawgs Dominate

Friday, February 14

Albuquerque, NM

All Day

University of Washington

Don Kirby Elite Invitational

February 14, 2025 | Track & Field

Full Men's DMR Replay On YouTube Men's DMR Postrace Interview

By: UW Athletic Communications

HUSKY CLASSIC
Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14-15
Dempsey Indoor
Heat Sheets | 200/400 Heat Sheets (updated 2/14) | Accepted Entries (updated 2/13) | Final Schedule | Meet Information
Live Results | Live On Runnerspace

DON KIRBY ELITE INVITATIONAL
Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14-15
Albuquerque, N.M. | Albuquerque Convention Center
Heat Sheets | Final Schedule
Live Results | Live On Flotrack

SEATTLE – The fastest distance medley relay ever run in world history was run today by the University of Washington men. Ronan McMahon-Staggs, Bodi Ligons, Kyle Reinheimer and Nathan Green combined to cover the 4,000-meters in 9:14.10 inside the Dempsey on day one of the Husky Classic. That time bettered the World Record of 9:14.58 set by the Brooks Beasts professional track club outdoors in Eugene in 2024. The Dawgs also smashed the women's DMR School Record today with the No. 4 time in NCAA history.

The DMR is a primarily indoor event, but the Brooks Beasts set their mark outdoors. The different distances in order are 1,200-meters, 400-meters, 800-meters, and 1,600-meters. Washington today blazed around the purple track faster than any team anywhere else in history. UW helped its own cause with a loaded B-team that kept pace with the A-squad until just a couple laps remained in Nathan Green's anchor leg.

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9:14.10 is the fastest distance medley relay ever run. Period.#MileCity x #DMRcity pic.twitter.com/8NUFYMOKe4
— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) February 14, 2025

Unofficial splits were 2:50.52 for McMahon-Staggs on the opener, then 46.86 for the freshman Ligons on the 400-meters. Reinheimer was clocked at 1:46.57, and then Green did the final 1,600-meters in 3:50.15.

UW also bettered the old collegiate best of 9:16.40 set two years ago by Oklahoma State. Washington's School Record of 9:16.65, which already ranked among the fastest in NCAA history, also went down by over two seconds.

Washington going to the top of the NCAA charts was no huge shocker, as UW already boasted the deepest mile group perhaps in NCAA history, with eleven men so far this year running sub-four-minute miles. But to run a World Record still was stunning.

"One of the great performances in Husky Track & Field history," said Head Coach Andy Powell. "Obviously it's not every day that you set a World Record. We had the team and the track to do this here tonight without having to travel around the country to find the right race. Whether it gets ratified or however long it lasts we're going to remember it.

In a class by themselves

?? Ronan McMahon-Staggs
?? Bodi Ligons
?? Kyle Reinheimer
?? Nathan Green

Now own the fastest DMR in world history, breaking the 9:14.58 time held by Brooks Beasts and the old NCAA best of 9:16.40 by Oklahoma State.#GoHuskies x @NCAATrackField pic.twitter.com/dFLjFHiiRL
— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) February 14, 2025

Speaking post-race on Runnerspace, Kyle Reinheimer summed up his season so far and today's 800m leg. "It's been great. The team's awesome, the coaches are awesome. Can't think of a better place to be right now. The plan was to trust myself, work with Justin (O'Toole on the B-squad) and put Nathan in the best position."

Green wasn't concerned with breaking records today. "All that mattered to me was that we got this DMR to qualify to nationals," he said. "This team just really wants it. This team is here for each other, and the other guys we couldn't have done it without them. We're four guys but this was a nine-man effort," said Green, referring to the B-squad as well as opening leg rabbit Rhys Hammond.

The women's DMR followed right after the men and the Huskies shattered their own School Record there as well, as the top five teams in the race all went faster than the previous NCAA Record, coincidentally held by the Huskies from one year ago.

Washington's quartet of Chloe Foerster, Anna Terrell, Claire Yerby, and Amina Maatoug combined for a tremendous time of 10:40.44. That was three seconds faster than UW's NCAA Record, but BYU took the win with the new all-time relay benchmark of 10:37.58.

Cue the highlights! ??

Chloe, Anna, Claire and Amina flying to the new DMR Record of 1?0?:4?0?.4?4?

Three years in a row the Dawgs have shattered this record.#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/lBxed6kjUb
— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) February 14, 2025

This year's Husky Classic mostly featured the distance Dawgs, as the sprinters and jumpers plus thrower Kaia Tupu-South all headed to New Mexico this weekend.

The other big event in the Dempsey today was the 3,000-meters. The men collected six personal-bests over several heats of the 3k. Acer Iverson led the way in sixth-place overall in 7:41.02, going to No. 3 in school history. Evan Jenkins ran 7:46.17 for the No. 7 mark in school history. Also clocking a 3K PR was freshman Nathan Neil (7:49.45 unattached), Jamar Distel (7:51.57), Leo Daschbach (7:53.98), and Isaac Briggs (8:00.83 unattached).

Tyrone Gorze capped the big night off with a 5,000-meters indoor PR of 13:47.37, going to No. 7 in school history.

The Husky Classic will resume on Saturday at 10 a.m. and bring the UW home indoor track season to a close.

Don Kirby Elite Invitational Recap

While the Husky DMRs were working on securing their spots at NCAAs, another group of Dawgs was getting underway at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico in day one of the Don Kirby Elite Invite.

The first Husky in action delivered perhaps the performance of the day, as Scott Toney won the men's pole vault and produced a new indoor PR, going over 18-4 1/2. That moves him up to No. 4 in the NCAA this season, firming up his NCAA Indoor bid, and also improves his No. 3 mark in school history.

Another Husky All-American looking to make a return trip to NCAAs is Prestin Artis. He took second today in the long jump and grabbed another season's-best. His fourth attempt went 25-8 which should move him into a tie for 10th nationally. Tim Luebbert also went a season's-best 23-4 1/2 and Roman Hutchinson jumped 22-10 1/2. In the high jump, Leland Lieberg cleared 6-6.

Danielle Hunter notched another PR in the women's 200-meters, as she finished in 24.03, converting to 24.10 due to the altitude in Albuquerque. That puts her up to third in Husky history indoors. Freshman Mikayla Gardley clocked 24.66. In the 400-meters, Rhonda Newton ran 57.94.

In the 600-meters, Matthew Wilkinson finished seventh overall in 1:22.37. On the women's side, Elle Rutherford was fourth in 1:34.70 and Kapiolani Coleman won her heat and was fifth overall in 1:35.03.