Joe Waskom Runs Third-Fastest Collegiate Indoor Mile And Leads Purple Wave Under Four-Minute Barrier In Seattle

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Eight members of the Washington men's track and field roster ran under four minutes in the mile together on Friday night at the Washington Indoor Invitational at Dempsey Indoor, and Joe Waskom led the charge with 3:51.90. 

Waskom's time is the third-fastest on the all-time collegiate list and trails only Oregon's Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker, who broke 3:51 together at Arkansas in 2021. 

Waskom, the NCAA Outdoor champion in the 1,500 meters, charged off the final turn of Dempsey's oversized 307-meter flat track and outkicked Brian Fay (3:52.03) and his other teammates as the top five ran the fastest miles in school history. 

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Fay's time matched Morgan Beadlescomb of Michigan State for No. 5 on the all-time collegiate list. 

Waskom and Fay surpassed the Dempsey Indoor record held by Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia (3:52.61).

Nathan Green, who broke four minutes for the first time two weeks ago, drove down to 3:52.76 to take third. 

Kieran Lumb, who went into the weekend with a nation's leading 3,000 meters, edged out graduate transfer Sam Ellis for fourth, 3:53.83 to 3:53.84. 

Luke Houser was sixth in 3:55.98. Aaron Ahl was seventh in 3:57.94. And Aidan Ryan was eighth in 3:59.55. 

With seven of the eight currently eligible for the indoor season, it's the most sub-four miles by a single school in a single race in NCAA history. Ellis ran unattached but has eligibility for the spring outdoor season. 

The previous Washington mile record was 3:53.89 by Izaic Yorks in 2016.

A pair of A-list pacers, Johnny Gregorek and Sam Prakel, took the group through 440 yards in 56.3 seconds and they went through the half mile in 1:56.8. 

The Oregon women put together a distance medley time of 11:04.73, with Madison Elmore on the anchor, that stands as No. 8 in the NCAA after Friday night. The top seven times all came out of the Razorback Invitational at Arkansas.

High school junior JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, a U.S. U20 team member last summer, won the women's high jump with 5-9.25 (1.76m). That's US#2.

Oregon's men also won the DMR in 9:43.27, anchored by Elliott Cook, good for No. 6 on the NCAA list. 

The Washington Indoor Invitational concludes on Saturday and is available on RunnerSpace.