Henry Wynne Outlasts Sam Prakel To Win Mile; JaiCieonna Gero-Holt Puts Together No. 2 All-Time Prep Pentathlon; Nathan Green Cruises To School Record In 800 Meters

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Photos courtesy Paul Merca

MEET VIDEOS

Susan Ejore and Henry Wynne highlighted a day filled with meet-record performances Friday at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Qualifier at the Dempsey Indoor Facility in Seattle to kickstart the two-day event. 

Ejore, representing Kenya with Under Armour Dark Sky Distance, ran 14 minutes, 55.35 seconds to win the women’s 5,000 meters over another Under Armour athlete, Lauren Ryan of Australia, in 14:57.67. Both women dipped below the facility record held by Jenny (Barringer) Simpson in 15:01.84 from 2009. 

Under Armour Dark Sky Distance also earned a third-place finish from Canada’s Regan Yee, with Brooks Beasts teammates Allie Buchalski and Kayley Delay finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, in 15:03 and 15:05.96.

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Stanford freshman Amy Bunnage, representing Australia, posted an NCAA Division 1 No. 3 time of 15:11.68 to finish sixth overall.

Following a third-place finish Feb. 17 in the 1,500 at the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, Brooks Beast athlete Henry Wynne bounced back in the win column with a 3:52.62 run in the men’s mile to set a meet record, holding off Adidas’ Sam Prakel in 3:52.65. 

On Athletics’ Kieran Lumb, representing Canada, took down Andrew Wheating’s 800 facility record time of 1:46.36, running 1:46.34 to win the men’s race over former Washington teammate Nathan Green, who ran a school record and NCAA No. 2 time of 1:46.50.

USATF Indoor long jump champion Johnny Brackins Jr. of USC tied the NCAA lead in the men’s 60 hurdles, running a facility and meet-record time of 7.55 in the final.

Oregon’s Aaliyah McCormick won the women’s 60 hurdles in 8.05 over Washington State’s Micaela De Mello in 8.13.

Emerald Ridge WA junior JaiCieonna Gero-Holt became only the third female prep athlete in history to surpass 4,000 points in the women’s pentathlon, scoring 4,104 points to finish fourth overall in the women’s competition. Her point total included personal bests in the 60 hurdles (8.82), shot put (43-8.75) and the 800 (2:36.31). Oregon’s Annika Williams set a meet record with 4,149 points to finish first.

USC’s Travis Williams, a transfer from Albany, held off California’s David Foster in the men’s 60 final by a margin of 6.52 to 6.54 to move to No. 4 on the NCAA season list.

Oregon’s Jadyn Mays and Lily Jones went 1-2 for the Ducks in the women’s 60 final, with Mays winning in 7.11 and Jones in second in 7.28. Both won their respective sections.

USC completed a sweep of the men’s and women’s 200 races as Jassani Carter won the women’s race in a meet record 23.61 and Max Thomas won the men’s race in 21.03.

Oregon’s Silan Ayyildiz, transfer from South Carolina and representing Turkey, outkicked Washington State’s Zenah Cheptoo to win the women’s 3,000 in 8:54.19 to 8:56.15 as the only sub-9 performances of the day.

Stanford’s Cole Sprout ran 7:49.14 to win the men’s 3,000.

Conor Gibson of UCLA ran 14:22.93 to defeat Seattle’s Yonas Sauers in the men’s 5,000.

Washington’s Jayden White shot up to second on the NCAA list in the men’s weight throw with another school record throw of 77 feet, 10 inches (23.73m), beating Rowan Hamilton of California at 73-4 (22.36m).

Beatrice Asomaning completed the weight throw sweep for the Huskies, winning the women’s competition with a throw of 71 feet (21.65m) to extend her own school record. 

Arizona’s Reinaldo Rodrigues jumped 25-7.5 (7.81m) to win the men’s long jump in a meet-record effort.

Stanford’s Tess Stapleton hit a mark of 20-3 (6.17m) to capture the women’s long jump competition.

Washington’s Hana Moll and California’s Skyler Magula won their respective pole vault competitions, with Moll besting the women's field with a clearance at 14-8.25 (4.48m). Magula cleared 18-1.75 (5.53m) on the men’s side.