Katie Camarena, Alex Maier Win Miles At Dempsey Indoor As They Build Momentum Toward Nationals

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Zeth Peterka Photos

SEATTLE -- The things Katie Camarena is doing at Portland State are unheard of. 

The transfer from UC Santa Barbara moved north last summer to begin a graduate program at PSU and quickly became the best runner in the school's history. 

She has broken six records at PSU and over two days at the Husky Classic at Washington, she became the first woman in Big Sky Conference history to break nine minutes on the way to third place in the 3,000 meters and then Saturday won mile in 4:32.27 for another conference record. 

Camarena has lowered the indoor mile record at PSU by 19 seconds and given the school a national championship contender. Her time Saturday moves her to No. 3 on the NCAA list. 

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Camarena outkicked Washington's Anna Gibson, British steeplechase Olympian Elizabeth Bird and Arkansas' Lauren Gregory, who were all within a half second. A total of eight athletes ran under 4:35.

"I felt really good throughout and we've been working a lot now in the speed stuff, so coming off the final turn I thought 'I have to move now or I might get caught.' It was pretty close at the end, but we're going pretty fast in practice now," Camarena said. 

Oklahoma State's Alex Maier continued his ascension by winning the men's mile in 3:56.44 and stripping 13 seconds off an old PR. Washington's Luke Houser was second in 3:56.57.

Maier, like Camarena, was doubling back from a strong 5,000 meters the night before. He ran 13:25.79 for fourth place. 

"Coming into today, I didn't know how shot I was going to be," Maier said. "(Ryan) Schoppe, our pacer, was doing a fantastic job, so I got behind him and was feeling good."

Seven men went under four minutes in the mile, including second-section winner Joe Waskom of Washington, who went airborne at the finish line to secure the barrier-breaking time.

But none of the seven moved high enough to secure a path to the NCAA Indoor Championships. Even Maier's time took him to 19th. More than 50 men have run faster than 3:59 in Division 1 already this winter.

Villanova's McKenna Keegan won Saturday's finale, taking the 800 meters in 2:03.48 and separating from a field that incluced BYU's Claire Seymour (2:04.03), USC's Alyssa Brewer (2:04.81), BYU's Meghan Hunter (2:05.03) and Washington's Carley Thomas (2:06.15). 

Washington's Cass Elliott won the men's 800 meters in 1:48.77, slicing nearly a second off his previous best. 

Among Friday's distance running highlights, it was difficult to top the men's 5,000 meters, where Stanford's Ky Robinson was one of five runners to go under the Dempsey record and he won it with 13:21.85. Washington's Brian Fay was second in 13:24.00 and Robinson's teammate, Cole Sprout, was third in 13:24.38.

Northern Arizona's Abdi Nur was the class of the men's 3,000 field, running 7:40.66 to break the Lumberjacks' record, the Big Sky record and the Dempsey track record, producing the fastest time on an oversized track in collegiate indoor history. Colorado's Eduardo "Lalo" Herrera ran 7:42.67 for second. Those two came out of the weekend sitting second and third on the NCAA list, behind Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame. 

Carrie Verdon won the women's 5,000 in 15:33.50 and Colorado's Emily Covert ran 15:35.40 in her debut at the distance and San Francisco's Ruby Smee was third in 15:36.04.

Olympian Val Constien won the women's 3,000 meters in 8:52.19 and pulled Arkansas' Gregory to a time of 8:53.76, good for fifth on the NCAA list. Camarena was third and Oregon State's Grace Fetherstonhaugh broke a school record with 9:01.74 for fourth.

In a matchup of elite distance powers in the women's Distance Medley Relay, BYU anchor Courtney Wayment was able to outkick Oklahoma State's Taylor Roe to win the race in 10:58.37. More importantly, both teams should be comfortably secure for NCAA selection after running the second- and third-fastest times in the country. 

Twin sisters Hana Moll and Amanda Moll of Northwest Pole Vault Club finished 1-2 in the women's pole vault to lead a collection of impressive high school performances at the meet. Hana took three new attempts at a national record height of 14-9.50 (4.51m), but was unable to get over it. She won the competition with her clearance at 14-6.25 (4.43m), the 13th-best performance in Dempsey Indoor history. 

Amanda Moll was second with 4.20m (13-9.25).

On Friday, Emma Gates, a senior from Cascade High in Oregon, achieved a breakthrough in the high jump went she cleared 6 feet to win the women's competition. The clearance was a US#1 for Gates, who has been knocking on the door of a 6-foot clearance for the past two years. 

"Getting over six foot meant so much to me," Gates said. "Six foot has always in my mind been such a barrier, and last year I had so many attempts at it but I could just never seem to quite get there. However, today felt much easier than I expected."

Gates is the 22nd high school girl to clear 6 feet indoors and she moved into a tie for 13th on the all-time prep list. 

Lily Jones of Portland's Roosevelt High took third in the women's 60-meter dash, running a personal-best 7.37 seconds to break her own Oregon indoor best and move to US#5. 

Tyrone Gorze of Crater High in Oregon competed well in Saturday's men's mile but ran out of gas a bit in the final 200 meters and finished with US#7 4:07.99. That broke an Oregon all-time indoor best, his third record of the season that includes previous trips to Dempsey for a 8:11.38 3,000 meters and US#1 14:12.32 5,000. 

Kate Peters of Lake Oswego OR ran No. 8 all-time 9:17.97 for 16th place overall in the women's 3,000. 

USC's Kasaun James moved to No. 6 on the indoor 60-meter list with a winning time of 6.55 seconds. USC's Jasmine Jones won the women's dash in 7.32 seconds. 

USC swept the top four spots in the women's 400 meters, led by Jan'Taijah Ford's meet record 51.96. 

The Trojans also won both 4x400 relays.

Washington's Jayden White launched a new school record in the weight throw and moved to No. 5 in the country with 73-11.75 (22.44m).