Dawgs Share Men’s NCAA Entry Lead; Qualify 20 Total

SEATTLE – The Huskies have set a program record with 20 entries at the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships, now just nine days away in Albuquerque. Washington’s No. 2-ranked men’s team is tied with No. 1-ranked Arkansas for the most entries in the men’s championship, with thirteen, while the seventh-ranked Husky women have seven chances to score and contend for NCAA titles.
 

This is the first time UW has ever held the most qualifiers at an NCAA Men’s Track & Field Championship. The men and women will look to convert these chances into top-eight finishes at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Mar. 10-11 and pile up as many points as possible.
 
Remarkably, six of Washington’s entries are in the men’s mile, the most of any team in any event on the men’s side. No other men’s team has more than three entries in any other event. The Dawgs are taking up six of the 16 spots in the men’s mile field. The other 10 entries represent 10 different schools, so no other school will have more than one competitor. Three of the six Dawgs were in the NCAA Outdoor 1,500m final last spring: Joe Waskom, who won the title, and Luke Houser (5th) and Nathan Green (7th).

Those three will look to make their first NCAA Indoor mile finals, and attempting to also make the cut will be Brian Fay, Aidan Ryan, and Aaron Ahl. A seventh Husky could also have qualified for the mile, but Kieran Lumb will be focusing on the 3,000-meters, as well as likely playing a key part on the distance medley relay.

 

The Husky men’s distance medley relay is ranked second nationally with the second-fastest time in world indoor history. That group qualified with Waskom, Daniel Gaik, Cass Elliott, and Lumb. Along with Waskom in the mile and Lumb in the 3k, Cass Elliott also earns his first individual bid in the 800-meters.

 

Brian Fay will also be doubling back on Saturday in the 3,000-meters.

 

It’s not all about the distances as UW has three entries in the field events. Jayden White is making his third-straight appearance in the weight throw field, where he was fourth a year ago. Jacob Englar makes his first appearance in the indoor pole vault final, and Bruno Comin Pescador goes into the heptathlon with the fifth-best score in the NCAA this year, which he just set last weekend at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite, with 6,061 points.

 

The women have the top-seeded DMR after setting the collegiate record earlier this season in Boston. Sophie O’Sullivan, Marlena Preigh, Carley…