Fay Unleashes Huge Kick To Win Pac-12 10k Title

THIS WEEK IN HUSKY TRACK & FIELD

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WALNUT, Calif. – After stalking the two-time defending 10k champion for 24 laps, Brian Fay finally attacked. And once the Irishman made his move, not even the NCAA cross country champion could keep up. Fay got the second Pac-12 track title of his career, and first in the 10k, in a thrilling upset of Stanford’s Charles Hicks tonight, highlighting a great first day for Washington at the Pac-12 Championships.

 

With two days to go at Hilmer Lodge Stadium, the site of the annual Mt. SAC Relays, Washington racked up 32 points on the men’s side and 16 on the women’s side, leading in both, though with a long way to go. But today was indicative of an all-around consistent team effort that the teams want to continue.

 

The 10,000-meter finals were the first and only track finals tonight, but the battle between Fay and Hicks will be hard to top for the rest of the meet.

Too much Dawg for them.

If you wanted to watch the whole 28:24 ?? Spoiler Alert ??

Brian Fay is the first Husky men’s 10,000-meter @pac12 Champion since 2001. #GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/tgh8OvXUxh

— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) May 13, 2023

 
Fay, who last year won the Pac-12 steeplechase title, stayed up front from the start in a dwindling lead group that finally was reduced to just he and Hicks. As the 25th and final lap began, Fay moved past Hicks and began an all-out sprint for the final 400-meters. He opened up a five meter lead but coming around the final turn, Hicks closed the gap again and got within a step, but Fay had just enough to hold him off for the victory in 28:24.90. Hicks was second in 28:25.12.
 
Fay becomes the first Husky men’s Pac-12 10k champ since 2001, when David Bazzi last won it. Leo Daschbach also earned his first conference points with a seventh-place finish in 29:58.04.
 
The women’s 10k followed to conclude the night, and Husky Andrea Markezich had a stellar second-place run in 33:14.04 to grab some hardware. Markezich went from seventh in the 10k last year to runner-up tonight. Naomi Smith just missed scoring as she was ninth in 33:43.05.
 
Friday Field Finals
The first points of the meet came from a predictable source, as Jayden White earned a top-four finish for the third year in a row in the…