BURNING UP THE TRACK

from GoHuskies May 2022

DOWN THE LINE

Irishman BRIAN FAY and Husky men’s track team draw national attention this year — again

MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

The competition is having a hard time keeping up with Brian Fay on the track. The University of Washington record book is having a hard keeping up with him, too. Fay, a senior from Dublin, Ireland, has had his feet in not one, not two, but four school records from mid-February through late April. Two of those happened on indoor ovals. The other two have been set at outdoor venues — with the meaty part of the outdoor schedule still to come.

While working on his master’s degree in history, Fay has been a master of the distance races for the Huskies during the winter and spring.

Already with multiple significant accomplishments back home before he came to the UW, Fay gave Husky fans a preview of what was to come during last fall’s cross country season. In leading Washington to a 13th-place team finish at the NCAA Championships, Fay placed 38th individually, thereby earning All- American honors.

Leading up to his race on that national stage in Tallahassee, Fla., Fay was the first Husky across the finish line at the Pacific-12 Conference meet (ninth overall) and was sixth overall (No.2 for UW) at the West Regionals.

But it has been on the track where Fay really has taken off.

Racing the 5,000 meters at the Husky Classic on the Dempsey Indoor oval, Fay completed his 16- plus laps in 13 minutes, 24 seconds flat. That was the first of his aforementioned four school records.

The following week at the Arkansas Qualifier, Fay teamed with Luke Houser, Anthony Smith, and Cass Elliott for a time of 9 minutes, 21.10 seconds in the 4,000-meter distance medley relay, with Fay running the 1,600-meter anchor leg. Not only did that smash the school standard of 9:27.19, it was the fourth-fastest time in NCAA history and the fifth-fastest time ever in the world.

Following a sixth-place finish in the 5,000 at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Fay immediately got into record-setting mode on outdoor surfaces.

At the Raleigh Relays on March 25 in North Carolina, he ran a faster 10,000 meters than any Husky ever had, stopping the watch in 28 minutes, 22.31 seconds. That was nine seconds speedier than the previous record 28:31.59 set just last April by current UW teammate Tibebu Proctor.

But Fay had some very fast company in that same 10K with teammate Kieran Lumb. While he couldn’t beat Fay, he was able to beat Proctor’s previous standard as well, coming across in 28:25.93.

Setting a record — or two or three — is one thing. Setting a record in dramatic fashion is something else altogether, and that’s precisely what Fay did in the 5,000 on April 14, under the lights at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif.

Trailing Morgan Beadlescomb of Michigan State by at least 30 meters on the last lap, Fay stormed from behind, passed Beadlescomb down the homestretch and won in 13:16.52 — No. 1 on the Washington all-time list, No. 6 in NCAA history, and No. 5 in Ireland athletics history.

Just as Fay and Lumb had recorded the top two 10K times ever in Raleigh, they did the same for the 5K in Azusa, as Lumb clocked 13:23.26. And that wasn’t the only new distance record for the Huskies at the Bryan Clay, as Houser set one in the 1,500 with his 3:37.51.

Throwing A Record-Setting Punch

What Brian Fay has going in the distance races, Jayden White has been doing in the throws.

The sophomore from nearby Everett broke his own school indoor weight throw record twice this winter. The first time was in the Husky Classic with a toss of 73 feet, 11 ¾ inches, giving him the win. That beat his previous UW record of 71-8 ¼ at the 2021 Classic.

Just two weeks later, spinning around the same throwing ring inside Dempsey at the Pac-12 Invitational, White flung the 35-pound steel ball beyond the 74-foot mark for the first time, as it landed at 74-1. He went on to take fourth at NCAA indoors with a mark of 73-6 ¾, thereby becoming the first Husky since 1986 to score in that event at nationals.

White hasn’t slowed down this spring. Specializing in the hammer for the outdoor schedule, he started out with a 213-6 at the Raleigh Relays. Now, he’s up to 227-6 — the second-longest in program history — at the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, California on April 15.

Pushing Toward The Postseason

By the end of April, most of the big invitationals were finished. Those meets deservedly have a certain amount of prestige for the top-caliber competition that they attract. But one thing they don’t have is the special intensity of the annual dual meet against Washington State.

This time, it was in Pullman, and the Huskies hit the century mark, defeating the Cougars, 100-63. That was thanks in large part to winning 13 of the 19 events, with 1-2-3 sweeps of the 800 meters, 3,000 meters, and javelin. Anthony Smith wasn’t in any of those events, but still factored into three victories, taking the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and anchoring the 4-by-100 relay.

While that nice round triple-digit figure was more than enough to help outscore WSU, Washington is hoping to achieve another triple-digit total in early May when it heads to Hayward Field in Eugene for the Pacific-12 Championships.

Last year, the Huskies snared third place in the standings with 114 points — the second-highest total in school history. (The school record is 122 points in 2016.) UW was in the lead after Day 1 and Day 2, only to see Oregon come up big on Day 3 and finish with 185 points. Southern California wound up second with 137.

Athletes who accounted for 70-plus of those 114 points are back. That group includes two-time discus champion Elijah Mason, who won it last spring with a throw of 189 feet, 1 inch.

Other top-three awards podium finishers looking to meet or beat their 2021 performances are Ollie Thorner (second in the decathlon, placing fourth or higher in nine of the 10 events), Joe Waskom (second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:35.71 that ranks No. 3 in Husky history), Jonah Wilson (third in the shot put), and Zach Annanie (third in the javelin).

A Washington newcomer poised to make an impact is Canadian senior Roan Allen, who joined the program just this year after not having competed since 2019 at the University of British Columbia. On April 9, he threw the javelin 246 feet, 2 inches the Triton Invitational in San Diego, immediately putting himself into the No. 3 spot on the UW’s all-time list.

Luke Houser, a sophomore set the school 1,500 meter with a 3:37.51 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 15.