University of Washington redshirt freshman Colby Gilbert shaved nearly four seconds off the school record in the 3,000-meter run Saturday at the Husky Classic indoor track and field meet at the Dempsey Indoor facility in Seattle.
Gilbert, a Skyview High School graduate and last fall’s Pacific-12 Conference Cross Country Freshman of the Year, placed third in a loaded field in the race.
He moved from the back of the 16-runner field early to the lead group and battling down the stretch, according to gohuskies.com.
Kemoy Campbell of Arkansas, the 2013 NCAA runner-up in the distance, won in 7 minutes, 48.13 seconds. Professional runner Garrett Heath was second.
Gilbert was third in 7:49.25, breaking the school record set in 2011 by Colton Tully-Doyle. With the fourth-fastest time in NCAA Division I season, Gilbert becomes very likely to compete at the national championships, March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark.
“I went out the first few hundred meters and it felt right even though I was in the back,” he told the UW website. “I was hitting 64-second laps on the first three, so I just kept the same pace up until about a kilometer to go, and I just started rolling from there.
“It was awesome, I was coming in wanting to qualify for nationals, and I knew that to do that I’d basically have to break the school record. I thought that was in me, and me and Coach (Greg) Metcalf were talking about running that exact time, but I just went out to compete. That’s pretty much the best track race I’ve ever run.”
Softball
CCC honors Duncan
Oregon Tech senior Jessi Duncan was named the first Cascade Collegiate Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week of the new season. The Prairie High School graduate went 2-0 with 12 strikeouts and two walks in two 8-0 wins.
The Owls beat William Jessup University on Saturday in Redding, Calif., and University of British Columbia at home Tuesday.
Indoor track & field
Another race, another SMU record for Porter
Saint Martin’s University junior Shannon Porter set the school record in the indoor mile Saturday at Washington’s UW Open at Dempsey Indoor.
The Hockinson High School graduate placed ninth in the race with a time of 5 minutes, 6.20 seconds, breaking the school record by more than 2.5 seconds.
Porter broke the school record in the 3,000 meters in her first race after joining the Crusaders.
Indoor track & field
Decker helps relay bid for place at nationals
Seattle Pacific University junior Lynelle Decker and her distance medley relay teammates ran the 10th-fastest time in NCAA Division II this season Friday at Washington’s Husky Classic meet in Seattle.
The Mountain View High School graduate joined Jasmine Johnson, Jessica Rawlins and Anna Patti won their heat and were fifth overall in 11 minutes, 50.92 seconds. Decker runs the 800-meter leg.
Women’s basketball
Ross sets blocks high
Seattle University junior center Taelor Ross had a career-high four blocked shots Saturday in a 70-60 home loss to Texas-Pan American.
Vancouver’s Ross is a graduate of St. Mary’s Academy in Portland.
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