This Weekend in Track: Feb. 25-27th
Lots of action scheduled for this weekend as indoor season is wrapping up and outdoor season is starting to ramp up in California for high schoolers. Here are some of the top meets you should be looking out for this weekend on the west coast.
Pac-12 Invitational: 2/25-2/26
UW Dempsey Indoor - Seattle, WA
Where to watch: Runnerspace Live
The inaugural Pac-12 Invitational will be taking place this weekend in place of the MPSF Championships. Although it won’t be counted as an official conference championship, all twelve schools will compete to get their last minute NCAA qualifying times. The NCAA Indoor Championships are set for March 11-12th in Birmingham, Alabama and athletes are looking to have a top 16 time in order to qualify.
Looking at the distance events, the 5000 meters and distance medley relay are scheduled for Friday night and the 800, 1 mile, and 3000 meters will be contested on Saturday. Focusing on the 3k, it’s looking to be an exciting race on both the men’s and women’s side. There are six women listed at 9:05 or faster with Stanford’s Julia Heymach leading the way, so expect to see them try to break that 9 minute barrier. On the men’s side, it’ll be a chase to get under 7:45 with several men from Stanford and Colorado gunning for those last NCAA spots.
We will be at the Pac-12 Invitational on Saturday taking pictures, so stay tuned for free photo downloads!
USATF Indoor Championships: 2/26-27
The Podium - Spokane, WA
Where to watch: CNBC and Peacock from 5-7:00 PST both days, USATF+ for all other events
With the opening on The Podium in Spokane this winter, the Indoor Championships is back in the Pacific Northwest for the first time since 2016 when it was held in Portland preceding the World Championships that were held at the Oregon Convention Center. Eight out of the eleven past championships have been held up at altitude in Albuquerque so we’re excited to see some fast times this year.
So many great distance races are set to take place as athletes are looking to qualify for the World Championships in Serbia. Ajee Wilson is expected to get another USA Championship title in the women’s 800. The women’s 1500 is looking to be an Olympic Trials rematch as Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Cory McGee, and Heather MacLean, the three Olympic qualifiers will be lining up on Saturday. Also look for Josette Norris to be in the mix as she is coming off a 4:20.81 mile personal record from the Millrose Games, finishing just a second behind Purrier St. Pierre. Both are expected to double back on Sunday to run the 3000 where they will face Alicia Monson and Weini Kelati.
In the men’s 800, Bryce Hoppel, Isaiah Harris, and Donavan Brazier are set to run fast times. Up and coming Shane Streich just broke the 1000 meter American record so look for him to try to snag a world qualifier spot as well. In the 1500, former Ducks Cole Hocker and Cooper Teare will be going head to head again after their recent American record mile attempt in Chicago. Also entered are Portland based runners Craig Engels and Josh Thompson. The men’s 3000 includes Cole Hocker, Conner Mantz, Ben Blankenship, Drew Hunter, and Emmanuel Bor.
Buchanan Distance Classic: 2/25
Veterans Memorial Stadium - Clovis, CA
Where to watch: MileSplit
The Buchanan girls cross country team had a dominant season and are looking to continue their dominance this spring on the track. They are hosting the Buchanan Distance Classic where the 800, 1600, and 3200 are set to take off with all of the best central valley teams. Expect to see some fast times for the early season as Sydney Sundgren and Grace Hutchison will be going for under 5:00 pace 1600’s.
Trevor Habberstad Invitational and Distance Carnival: 2/25-26
Canyon High School - Santa Clarita, CA
Although the spotlight has been on the two sets of brothers from Newbury Park, the panthers do have other fast runners entered in the invitational sections of the distance carnival. Tiffany Sax and Morgan Nygren are set to run the 3200 while Aaron Cantu and Hector Martinez are entered in the mile. We’re excited to see what times they run to see how deep Newbury Park really is.
Want us to cover a meet coming up? Contact us here to let us know!