1/31/09 - I-5 Southbound - As the scenery speeds by on the eve of the University of Washington Invitational, I find myself replaying the new highlight reel that replaces the Scherer 3:56 mile and the flying shoe of Andrew Wheating in my head.

Results

Friday night's distance races have annually become a sort of "coming out party" for collegiate distance runners who are ready to strut their stuff after a long hard winter of training.  Former NXN Champ and stud frosh at Stanford, Chris Derrick, led an impressive Stanford group in the men's 5K and easily managed the NCAA Indoors automatic qualifying mark with a 13:43 clocking. 

Not to be outdone, Lindsey Scherf of Oregon ran herself into the track while meeting her automatic qualifying standard with a 15:55 season debut. Five other ladies earned provisional NCAA marks in the race. 

Perhaps one of the biggest events for distance runners during the year between the cross country and outdoor track national championships is the distance medley relay at indoor nationals.  The duel between Oregon and Arkansas this year may serve as the match by which the national championship race will be lit and only Dorian Ulrey can tell you just how fit he is right now. On the women's side, Washington, Stanford, and BYU had a race of their own and all qualified with automatic marks.

With only forty-five minutes of traveling left, my inclination to be extremely thorough and exhaustive will have to be tabled for now.  Suffice to say, Saturday's events had more highlights than will be mentioned here. 

Those spared such injustice are Ashton Eaton's 300-some-odd point personal record in the indoor heptathlon.  He came within two seconds in the 1000 of breaking Trey Hardee's collegiate mark but in the same breath explains that it wouldn't have counted on an oversized track anyway. Olympic high jumper, Sharon Day, set a new facility record in the women's Pentathlon with her mark of 4276.

Browsing through results I come across Jenny Barringer's flogging of a legitimate 3000 meter field where she set a new facility record, Lauren Centrowitz and Alicia Follmar of Stanford earned automatic berths, and (if my eyes aren't so blurred by the oncoming headlights) fourteen others earned provisional marks.  The other half of Dorian Ulrey's weekend blossomed when he kicked down teammate Shawn Forrest and a 7:50 clocking where both earned auto qualifiers in the men's 3000.

The UW Invite, the second of the five-meet series, is a meet where opening statements are made, and the collegiate athletes have their eyes aimed towards Seattle while the season's opening standards are set.  Ladies and gentlemen, 2009 track and field has begun. I'm home.

Kevin Ullman
RunnerSpace.com