More Than 1,000 Milers Set To Race On Newly Resurfaced Dempsey Track; Washington, Stanford Athletes Rev Up Indoor Season

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

John Decker photo

The University of Washington will welcome more than 1,000 milers to its Mile City event on Satuday at the Dempsey Indoor, which will serve as the conclusion to Friday's UW Preview. 

An event surely spawned by the Washington's run of success in the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500 meters has proven to be popular from the outset. 

The top men's heat includes pros Joe Waskom, Sam Prakel and Sam Ellis going up against current Washington standouts Nathan Green, Leo Daschbach and Ronan McMahon-Staggs, and Portland's Matt Strangio. 

WATCH THE WASHINGTON INDOOR PREVIEW LIVE ON RUNNERSPACE (+PLUS Required)

WATCH THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON MILE CITY LIVE ON RUNNERSPACE (+PLUS Required)

Even the second heat is peppered with standouts. Stanford's Lex and Leo Young, Cole Sprout and Thomas Boyden will all be doubling back from Friday night's 3,000 meters. 

That 3,000 is expected to be fast as well, with Craig Nowak assigned to take it out at 4:10 mile pace. 

The UW Preview is the first of three dates on the indoor calendar at the Dempsey, which has been newly resurfaced. 

The women's mile field inlcudes Stanford Olympian Juliette Whittaker, Jenn Randall, former Oklahoma State star Gabija Galvydyte, and Canadians Addy Townsend and Grace Fetherstonhaugh. 

Top high school athletes in the miles include Owen Powell, Josiah Tostenson, Sophia Rodriguez, Chloe Huyler, Elektra Higgins and Cassidy Armstrong. 

Friday's Preview also has some elite fields. 

Sinclaire Johnson and Galvydyte, along with Portland's Laura Pellicoro, are in the women's 1,000 meters. Pellicoro is also listed in the 800 with a field that includes Washington's Amina Maatoug and San Diego State's Lauren Harper. 

Stanford's Roisin Willis is entered in the 600 meters. 

Bec Bennett, an Autralian who competes for Western Washington, is in the women's 400 meters along with top Stanford sprinters Sage Hinton and Addie Pendergast. 

Hinton and Pendergast also lead the field in the women's 200. 

Katie Osika is the top entry in the women's 3,000 meters along with Stanford's Zofia Dudek and recent Stanford graduate Melissa Tanaka. 

Oregon State's Jayla Hooper (weight throw) and Kaia Tupu-South of Washington (shot put) are the top throwers on the women's side. 

Hawaii jumpers Lilian Turban (high jump) and Tara Wyllie (triple jump) have the best marks in those events. 

On the men's side, Alexander Rhodes of Puget Sound, the NCAA D3 runner-up, tops the field in the men's 400. 

Portland's Estanis Ruiz and Washington's Cole Lindhorst, Justin O'Toole and Kyle Reinheimer are entered in the 800. 

High schooler Tayvon Kitchen of Crater OR is racing in the deep men's 3,000 field. 

Sam Liokumovich of Stanford, who was third in last year's Pac-12 Conference Championship meet, is the top entry in the shot put. 

Washington's Prestin Artis, last year's Pac-12 long jump champion, is also set to make his season debut. 

Stanford senior Garrett Brown, who owns a best of 18-3.25 (5.57m), is set to compete in the pole vault for the first time in nearly 10 months.