Huskies set slew of career bests to open outdoor track season

Led by a trio of outstanding freshmen, the Huskies track and field team shone at this weekend’s Stanford Invitational and Texas Relays.

The Washington Huskies are putting the track world on notice.

The Stanford Invitational and Texas Relays kicked off the 2024 NCAA outdoor track and field season Friday, giving Washington’s athletes their first opportunities to showcase their talents on an outdoor track since the Huskies men placed ninth in last year’s championships.

Showcase they did, as eight Huskies took the top collegiate spot in their respective events between Friday and Saturday’s action.

The weekend in the field was highlighted by freshman triple jumper Trevontay Smith, who set a personal best by over a foot en route to a win in the event at the Stanford Invitational. Smith, a Yelm native and two-time Washington 3A state champion in the event, soared 51 feet, 6 1/4 inches on his final jump. The leap made Smith the third best triple jumper in Huskies program history one meet into his outdoor career, and is also the third best mark in the country this year.

Fellow freshman Roman Hutchinson placed ninth with a jump of 47 feet, 10 3/4 inches. Kunle Akinlosotu, a senior from Federal Way, finished sixth in the invitational section with a jump of 49 feet, 6 1/2 inches.

Elsewhere in Palo Alto, hammer thrower Jayden White finished second in the invitational section to unattached thrower Kieran McKeag, formerly of Alabama and Minnesota. White’s throw of 67.33 meters was the best collegiate mark in either the invitational or collegiate sections of the event.

Javelin thrower Saydi Orange also finished atop the podium, as her throw of 49.62 meters beat the rest of the field by over a meter. It was a new personal best for the sophomore out of Renton by two inches. Orange is the fifth-best javelin thrower in program history.

Pole vaulters Hana and Amanda Moll were surprise attendees at Husky football’s pro day on Thursday, the pair arriving as Michael Penix Jr. began his throwing regiment at Dempsey Indoor. The delay in their practice session – the twins were seen waiting for NFL personnel to clear out before vaulting – did not deter Hana from setting a collegiate best in the event in Texas on Saturday.

Moll, who was the first freshman to win an indoor pole vault title with a jump of 15 feet, 1 inch earlier this month, set the Division 1 outdoor pace with a 14 foot, 9 inch jump that made her the third best outdoor vaulter in program history.

A third freshman star emerged for the Huskies on the track on Friday, as redshirt freshman Evan Jenkins destroyed both personal bests and school records on his way to a gold medal placement in the 10,000 meter in Palo Alto.

Jenkins, whose personal best coming into Friday’s race was 29:29.64, outsprinted Wil Smith of Gonzaga at the Stanford invitational to win the event in 28:04.58. The sweetness of such a massive personal best was amplified by a school record: Jenkins’ time beat the Huskies program record by seven seconds.

True freshman Tyrone Gorze finished 19th, behind a runner named Tom Brady for Michigan (no relation), but his 28:22.63 was still good for the fourth-best time in program history.

Elsewhere on the track, 400m hurdler Jonathan Birchman grabbed another gold for Washington, running a 50.61 that’s good for the fourth-best time in the NCAA this year. 1500m runner Chloe Foerster finished second but set a new outdoor best by 4 seconds, making her the sixth-fastest woman in Husky history. In the 5,000m, Leo Daschbach broke his personal best by more than 30 seconds to finish 3rd, in 13:40.06.

In Saturday’s session, Foerster returned to run the 800m, flanked by Wilma Nielsen and Samantha Friborg. The trio finished second, sixth, and eighth, respectively. Foerster broke her personal best by two seconds, crossing the line in 2:03.34, the fourth fastest time in school history. Nielsen’s 2:04.93 was 7th fastest, while Friborg cracked the top ten with a 2:05.69 that places her 9th.

In total, 8 Huskies set career bests in the two days of action, setting the stage for what could be a historic season on Montlake.