DMR Win, High Marks For Cates Lead Huskies

Friday, February 13

Albuquerque, N.M.

9:30 AM

University of Washington

Don Kirby Elite Invitational

Jenica Swartz leading the field in the women's DMR in the Dempsey

February 13, 2026 | Track & Field

By: UW Athletic Communications

2026 Don Kirby Elite Invitational
Friday-Saturday, Feb. 13-14
Albuquerque, N.M. | ABQ Convention Center

Final Schedule | Heat Sheets
Live Results | Live On Flotrack

SEATTLE – One of the signature events of the indoor season for the Huskies, the distance medley relay, finally made its debut for the women's squad tonight at the Husky Classic. Washington's women's quartet defended home turf, winning with room to spare against a great field with the second-fastest time in the NCAA this season. The victory was just one of many big highlights in the Dempsey tonight as UW's final home meet of the season is halfway through.

While the home season concludes on Saturday, a second pack of Huskies is already on the road this week at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A stunning high jump win from redshirt freshman Teko Cates, and the second-fastest men's 400-meter time in school history from Alex Rhodes were two of the major developments in the southwest.

Husky Classic Day One

The distance medley relay has been a signature for the Huskies on both the men's and women's side for years now, with the women holding the NCAA Record for several years and ranking No. 2 in NCAA history, and the men running the fastest time in world history last year in the Dempsey. The men will wait for another week to run the relay, but the women dove in today against a field that included teams such as Villanova, Stanford, Penn State, Iowa State, Nebraska, Boston College and Utah, all trying to earn NCAA Championship tickets.

Sparks are flying from our DMR ??

It's an @NCAATrackField #?2? performance from Chloe Foerster, Chloe Symon, Jenica Swartz, and Mia Cochran!

They win going away in a time of 10:45.03!#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/Iwk1ug07lu
— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) February 14, 2026

Chloe Foerster led off for the opening 1,200-meter leg and she handed off in a front trio that included Penn State and Stanford. Freshman Chloe Symon then took the lead over her 400-meter leg, and passed to Jenica Swartz who held off several challenges over her 800-meter leg to pass to Mia Cochran for the anchor 1,600-meters. Cochran paced herself well in the lead and built a 20-meter gap for most of the final leg. She crossed in a time of 10:45.03, putting UW at No. 2 in the NCAA this season with the No. 3 mark in school history.

Following the women's DMR, the top two heats of the men's mile wrapped up the night. Husky record-holder and two-time NCAA Champion Nathan Green started his 2026 pro season for adidas with a victory in a PR of 3:50.31. His closest competition was Husky junior Thom Diamond, who broke through tonight with a 3:52.49 mile PR that moves him to No. 6 in the NCAA this season and No. 7 in school history.

Diamond, the Australia native, had run 3:55 miles in each of his last three runs at the distance dating back to 2025, but was rewarded for his consistency with a nearly three-second PR tonight. Diamond also officially finished the 400th sub-four-minute mile in Dempsey history.

Next came Tyler Bilyard with a run of 3:55.06. Freshmen Owen Powell and Josiah Tostenson were just on the other side of the four-minute mark tonight.

Reina hunting his way to a ??:????.???? ??#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/zciQhEf1By
— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) February 14, 2026

Reuben Reina impressed in the top heat of the men's 3,000-meters as he lowered his PR to 7:42.02, improving his No. 4 mark in school history. Reina was the one man in a loaded field who made any headway at chasing down NCAA Cross Country Champion Habtom Samuel of New Mexico, who won in 7:37.44, with Reina in second-place. Nathan Neil ran himself a season-best time of 7:55.12.

In the women's 5,000-meters, with the top section still to come on Saturday, Abby DeVeau grabbed the No. 10 spot in school history in her very first collegiate 5k. DeVeau was fourth in the top heat in 16:02.65. Maeve Stiles was close behind in sixth in 16:05.43, which also would have bettered the previous No. 10 mark, and is her fastest 5k as a Husky.

Josephine Welin led the way in the women's 3k with a PR of 9:15.87. The invitational 3k section will come on Saturday.

Cates, Rhodes and Rhoads Heat Up

Redshirt freshman Teko Cates has yet to put all the pieces in place for a heptathlon or decathlon in his first collegiate season, but some of the individual event performances are standing out just fine on their own.

Two weeks ago Cates won the long jump at the UW Invitational with a mark of 24-5 3/4 that ranked sixth in school history. Then today in Albuquerque, in the first high jump competition of his collegiate career, Cates took the win with a clearance of 7-2 1/4 that ties him for fourth in UW history, and ranks 12th in the NCAA this season. Cates started at 6-6 and proceeded to make 6-8, then 6-9 3/4, 6-11 3/4, then 7-1 and finally on a third attempt, 7-2 1/4.

The big highlight in the sprints today was junior Alex Rhodes, who ran the fastest indoor 400-meters of his career to win the unseeded 400-meters by over half a second, clocking 46.15, which converts to 46.26 due to the altitude in ABQ. That time is the fastest by a Husky in 17 years, and second-fastest in school history, behind the 46.09 record by Jordan Boase from 2009. It moves the NCAA D-III champion to 27th in D-I this season and fourth in the Big Ten.

Current NCAA pole vault leader James Rhoads continued his roll with a fourth consecutive meet where he cleared at least 18-8. Today he went 18-8 3/4 to take second overall. Eli Gault-Crabb made 17-11 for sixth-place.

Also in action in Albuquerque was Ava Washburn, who was 13th in the long jump at 19-4 3/4. Jonathan Frazier ran a time of 48.46 in the 400-meters, and Leland Lieberg made a best of 6-8 in the high jump. Sena Pittman ran 26.20 for 200-meters.