Collegians Look To Nail Down Their Spot At NCAAs In Season's Final Meet At Dempsey Indoor  

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Crash Kamon photo

A pair of U.S. Olympic team contenders in the women's 800 meters, Nia Akins and Juliette Whittaker, are set to go head to head at the two-day Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational in Seattle this weekend. 

Akins of the Brooks Beasts, the reigning U.S. outdoor champion, was third in last week's USATF Indoor Championships. 

And Whittaker, a sophomore at Stanford and last year's NCAA runner-up at the indoor championships, is looking to ensure she has a return trip to the meet. She currently sits 12th on the NCAA list. 

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The women's 800 is part of the schedule Saturday. McKenna Keegan of Union Athletics, Marlena Preigh and Chloe Foerster of Washington and Kate Jendrezak of UCLA are also in the fast heat. 

On Friday, there is a loaded women's 5,000 meters looking to run an Olympic standard pace. 

Allie Buchalski of the Brooks Beasts, who has the top PR in the field with 14:57.54, will compete in a field that includes Australian Lauren Ryan, Katie Camarena, Regan Yee, Roisin Flanagan of Ireland, WuGa He of China and top collegians Amy Bunnage and Zofia Dudek of Stanford and Kaylee Mitchell of Oregon State.

Emily Lipari will also make her season debut. 

In the elite section of the men's 800 meters, Washington's Nathan Green will face former teammates an On Athletics pros Kieran Lumb and Sam Ellis and Brandon Miller of the Brooks Beasts.

The elite men's mile will see a similar set-up for the Huskies' Joe Waskom, with Sam Prakel of adidas and a trio of Brooks Beasts -- Waleed Suliman, Henry Wynne and Brandon Kidder -- in the field. 

Stanford's Ky Robinson, the NCAA leader in the 3,000 meters, leads the field in that event. 

USC's Johnny Brackins and UCLA's Joel Bengtsson, a transfer from UT-Arlington, and the top entries in the men's 60-meter hurdles. Brackins, second on the NCAA list in the long jump, will also compete in that event.

Oregon's Jadyn Mays, fourth on the NCAA list heading into the weekend, is the top entry in the women's 60 dash. In the men's race, Cal's David Foster, Washington State's Mason Lawyer and USC Travis Williams are all entered. 

The host school will have its attention tuned to the pole vault pit, where four Washington women are hoping to make the NCAA Indoor field: NCAA leader Hana Moll, twin sister Amanda Moll, Nastassja Campbell and Sara Borton. Currently all four are in the top 16. 

Saturday's miles feature deep fields. The women's race includes Marta Pen Freitas of Portugal and the Brooks Beasts, Laura Pellicoro of Portland, NCAA Division 2 record-holder (3,000) Gracie Hyde of Adams State, Washington's Sophie O'Sullivan, Addy Townsend of Canada, Angel Piccirillo of the Brooks Beasts, Oregon's Maddy Elmore and Mia Barnett, and Mitchell. 

The regular men's mile includes a handful of sub-four milers, including Davis Bove and Spencer Pickren of Cal Poly, Ronan McMahon-Staggs and Leo Daschbach of Washington, Garrett MacQuiddy of Cal, and Cole Sprout and Thomas Boyden of Stanford. Miguel Coca of Adams State, the NCAA Division 2 3,000-meter record holder is also entered.

High school standout JaiCieonna Gero-Holt from Emerald Ridge WA is entered in the pentathlon with the goal of scoring 4,000 points, something only two preps have done before: Anna Hall and Kendell Williams. Gero-Holt was second in last weekend's USATF Indoor women's high jump, clearing a new personal best 6-2.50 for No. 4 all-time.