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Houser Wins Payton Jordan 1,500m Title

by gohuskies.com
Apr 26, 2024

Penn Relays
Thursday-Saturday, Apr. 25-27
Philadelphia, Pa. | Franklin Field
Event Schedule & Live Results | Live Video
 
Payton Jordan Invitational
Friday, Apr. 26
Stanford, Calif. | Cobb Track & Angell Field
Event Schedule | Live Results | Live Video
 
Fresno State Invitational
Friday-Saturday, Apr. 26-27
Fresno, Calif. | Veterans Memorial Stadium
Event Schedule | Live Results | Live Video

SEATTLE – NCAA Indoor Champ Luke Houser took the win tonight in the 1,500-meters at Stanford's prestigious Payton Jordan Invitational, showing he's rounding into shape once again with the start of the championship season just two weeks away.
 
Houser's win led a great night for the men's distance crew at Stanford, while a women's DMR clocked a great time east at the Penn Relays, and at still a third location, Prestin Artis won the long jump to highlight day one at the Fresno State Invitational.
 
Payton Jordan Invitational
 
Coming off successfully defending his national title in the indoor mile, Luke Houser had just one completed race thus far in the outdoor season, a 1,500-meter time of 3:42.12 from the Bryan Clay Invitational. Houser looked in full control of his talents tonight as he took the lead right before the final lap, and closed in 56.44 seconds over the final 400m to win in 3:39.05, putting him up into the top-10 in the West Region this year.
 
Close behind in third with a season-best was 2022 NCAA Champ, Joe Waskom, in 3:40.34, as he also closed fast in 56.60. All-American Ronan McMahon-Staggs also dropped his season-best down to 3:41.80 with a seventh-place finish. Freshman Thom Diamond went 3:53.36 in an earlier 1,500-meter heat.
 
The last big race of the night for the Huskies was the 5,000-meters, where three Dawgs went under 13:50. Redshirt freshman Evan Jenkins, who set the 10k School Record in his last time on the Stanford track less than a month ago, posted a big PR of 13:38.01 to jump to No. 5 in school history. He was the second collegiate finisher tonight.
 
Leo Daschbach was just a second off the 5k PR he ran at the Stanford Invite, going 13:41.33. Redshirt freshman Jamar Distel broke 13:50 for the first time, going 13:49.19. True freshman Tyrone Gorze finished up in 14:01.74 and redshirt freshman James Crabtree ran 14:06.36.
 
In the steeplechase, Sam Affolder cut four seconds off his season-best and moved up to 15th in the West Region this season, finishing in 8:45.57, just two seconds off his PR. Former Husky Aaron Ahl ('23) was third in a time of 8:29.57 and another former Huskies, Julius Diehr ('21), ran 8:48.27.
 
Penn Relays
 
There was just one race for the Huskies at the storied Penn Relays, but it was a big one, as the Dawgs ran in the distance medley relay Championship of America.
 
In a race that featured two teams that smashed the meet record that had stood since 1988 by over 10 seconds, the Huskies finished a solid fourth overall in the third-fastest DMR time in school history, 10:53.26.
 
Samantha Friborg led off and ran 3:19.11 for 1200-meters, then Anna Terrell split 54.97 seconds for 400-meters. Marlena Preigh took the 800m leg in 2:05.24, and Chloe Foerster anchored the final 1600-meters in 4:33.96.
 
Tomorrow at Franklin Field the women will run in both the 4x1500-meter relay and the 4x800-meter relay.

 
Fresno State Invitational
 
The first events in Fresno were the men's and women's hammer throws. In the women's competition, senior Beatrice Asomaning was just a foot off her lifetime-best set just a week ago, as she threw 196-7 for third-place. Yvonne Colson went 139-10, finishing in 15th.
 
On the men's side, Jayden White was the runner-up with a toss of 215-feet, 4-inches.
 
The men's invitational long jump was also held tonight, with Prestin Artis taking the victory as he continues to round into form. The fifth-place finisher at NCAA Indoors, Artis flew to an outdoor career-best of 25-3 ½ to go to No. 5 in UW history outdoors. Freshman Roman Hutchinson snagged third-place with a jump of 23-6 ¾.

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