Historic Huskies Win First Pac-12 Track & Field Title

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WALNUT, Calif. – Nobody better than Brian Fay to get the Huskies over the finish line and into history. With Washington Men’s Track & Field needing 10 points to clinch its first Pac-12 title in program history, Brian Fay went back to the well and pulled away to win the 5,000-meters, just as he did two nights ago in the 10,000-meters.

 

Washington broke Oregon’s 15-year run atop the conference standings, capping a thrilling three days at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. The Huskies did it by winning a school record seven events on the men’s side, including sweeping every distance race from the 800-meters up to the 10k, something done only once before on the men’s side, by Stanford in 2003.

Won the 10k ?
Won the 5k ?

Clinched the first Pac-12 Team Championship in UW history ?

Nobody but Brian we’d want to get us over the finish line.#GoHuskies // #Pac12TF // @NCAATrackField pic.twitter.com/RCwM2UJ5TF

— Washington Track & Field (@UWTrack) May 14, 2023

 
The Huskies held off a major challenge from USC, as the Trojans took a late lead, but UW pushed back ahead with big points in the 400-meter hurdles, then Fay’s win in the 5k and a runner-up pole vault finish from Jacob Englar. Washington wound up winning with 151 points, ahead of USC with 137, and Stanford with 96.

The Husky women’s team also had its best finish in Pac-12 Championships history, finishing alone in third. In 2019, the Huskies tied for third-place, which at the time was their first ever top-three. Today the women had third all to themselves. Oregon won the women’s title with 158.5, USC was second with 127 points, then the Huskies in third with 85.5.

 

After becoming the first Husky ever to win two Pac-12 distance events in the same meet, Fay was stoic for a few seconds, until he spotted his screaming teammates on the nearby fence, and then he charged over and jumped into the arms of thrower Elijah Mason and jumper Prestin Artis, who both had top-four finishes this weekend. It fittingly represented the total team effort that has brought Washington to the top of the heap in Pac-12 Men’s Track & Field.

 

“A long time coming,” said Head Coach Andy Powell on the Pac-12 Networks broadcast. “When we took over five years ago, we told some of the freshmen that this was going to be our goal. Everyone believed it. It’s a super special day for everyone.”

 

“People that come to Washington, they want to be part of something special,” Powell said. “It’s a great academic…