Washington Men’s Distance Program Is On The Rise
Washington Men’s Distance Program Is On The Rise
The Pac-12 Outdoor Conference Championships were held this past weekend in Seattle, where the Oregon men and women took home the team titles. At Husky Track
The Pac-12 Outdoor Conference Championships were held this past weekend in Seattle, where the Oregon men and women took home the team titles. At Husky Track, Oregon's women’s sprint crew put on a show, Edward Cheserek returned to form, Devon Allen dominated the hurdles, and Colorado looked strong in the distance events.
But the biggest takeaway from the meet was the success of the Washington men in events from 800m and up.
Washington's men's distance crew scored 60 points to Oregon’s 42 and Colorado’s 40. And even if Cheserek had ran the 5K and scored 10 first-place points, the Huskies still would have come out on top—56 to 50. A year ago, Washington's men scored only 16 points in the distance events. That was fourth behind Colorado (55), Oregon (44), and Stanford (22). This 44-point jump is an impressive feat for the Huskies, especially when you see the individual improvements that made it happen.
“Our men’s distance group is mostly homegrown Washington kids that feed off each other, and they trust and believe and are confident. We’ve never scored that many points in the 10k and 5k in this meet. Our distance group did a great job on both sides. The measuring stick in this conference across the board is incredible; it’s not for the weak of heart. We had lots of wonderful young kids that (came through) for us this weekend.” -Head Coach Greg Metcalf to GoHuskies.com
The PAC-12 only has 10 teams, but the Washington men are pretty deep at the national level, as well. Here's how the Huskies rank among the top 25 NCAA Division 1 athletes:
1,500m
#01 3:37.74 SR Izaic Yorks
#18 3:40.99 SO Colby Gilbert
5,000m
#06 13:35.20 SO Colby Gilbert
#15 13:42.06 SR Aaron Nelson
#22 13:44.39 FR Fred Huxham
10,000m
#07 28:53.70 SR Aaron Nelson
#24 29:09.15 SR Tyler King
3,000m Steeplechase
#08 8:39.58 SR Aaron Nelson
#22 8:44.47 SO Andrew Gardner
Photo Courtesy: GoHuskies.com
Looking ahead, the 2016-2017 Washington distance squad will be a force to be reckoned with on the track and possibly the cross country course, too.
Recent Washington Men XC Finishes
2015: 8th
2014: 20th
2013: Did Not Qualify
2016 Projected Cross Country Top 5:
#1 JR Colby Gilbert (7:49 3K / 13:35 5K)
#2 JR Fred Huxham (13:44 5K)
#3 JR Andrew Gardner (8:44 3K SC / 13:59 5K)
#4 JR Johnathan Stevens (13:57 5K)
#5 SR Blake Nelson (4:00 Mile)
Defending champs Syracuse and Pac-12 rivals Oregon, Colorado, and Stanford will be strong this fall. But don’t be surprised if the Washington Huskies, led by Colby Gilbert and company, land on the podium in 2016.
But the biggest takeaway from the meet was the success of the Washington men in events from 800m and up.
Washington's men's distance crew scored 60 points to Oregon’s 42 and Colorado’s 40. And even if Cheserek had ran the 5K and scored 10 first-place points, the Huskies still would have come out on top—56 to 50. A year ago, Washington's men scored only 16 points in the distance events. That was fourth behind Colorado (55), Oregon (44), and Stanford (22). This 44-point jump is an impressive feat for the Huskies, especially when you see the individual improvements that made it happen.
| Athlete | Event | 2016 Finish | 2015 Finish |
| Izaic Yorks | 1500 | 1st | 1st |
| Aaron Nelson | 3K SC | 1st | 10th |
| Colby Gilbert | 5K | 1st | 11th |
| Aaron Nelson | 5K | 3rd | 12th |
| Tyler King | 10K | 3rd | 15th |
| Izaic Yorks | 800 | 4th | 7th |
| Andrew Gardner | 3K SC | 4th | 11th |
| Derrick Daigre | 800 | 6th | DNC |
| Colby Gilbert | 1500 | 6th | DNC |
| Fred Huxham | 5K | 7th | DNC |
| Andrew Gardner | 5K | 9th | 21st |
“Our men’s distance group is mostly homegrown Washington kids that feed off each other, and they trust and believe and are confident. We’ve never scored that many points in the 10k and 5k in this meet. Our distance group did a great job on both sides. The measuring stick in this conference across the board is incredible; it’s not for the weak of heart. We had lots of wonderful young kids that (came through) for us this weekend.” -Head Coach Greg Metcalf to GoHuskies.com
The PAC-12 only has 10 teams, but the Washington men are pretty deep at the national level, as well. Here's how the Huskies rank among the top 25 NCAA Division 1 athletes:
1,500m
#01 3:37.74 SR Izaic Yorks
#18 3:40.99 SO Colby Gilbert
5,000m
#06 13:35.20 SO Colby Gilbert
#15 13:42.06 SR Aaron Nelson
#22 13:44.39 FR Fred Huxham
10,000m
#07 28:53.70 SR Aaron Nelson
#24 29:09.15 SR Tyler King
3,000m Steeplechase
#08 8:39.58 SR Aaron Nelson
#22 8:44.47 SO Andrew Gardner
Photo Courtesy: GoHuskies.com
Looking ahead, the 2016-2017 Washington distance squad will be a force to be reckoned with on the track and possibly the cross country course, too.
Recent Washington Men XC Finishes
2015: 8th
2014: 20th
2013: Did Not Qualify
2016 Projected Cross Country Top 5:
#1 JR Colby Gilbert (7:49 3K / 13:35 5K)
#2 JR Fred Huxham (13:44 5K)
#3 JR Andrew Gardner (8:44 3K SC / 13:59 5K)
#4 JR Johnathan Stevens (13:57 5K)
#5 SR Blake Nelson (4:00 Mile)
Defending champs Syracuse and Pac-12 rivals Oregon, Colorado, and Stanford will be strong this fall. But don’t be surprised if the Washington Huskies, led by Colby Gilbert and company, land on the podium in 2016.