Blood Runs Nation’s Top 5,000 Meter Time in Seattle

Blood Runs Nation’s Top 5,000 Meter Time in Seattle
Courtesy: GoDucks.com
Release: 02/12/2010

SEATTLE, Wash. -- Nicole Blood [Saratoga Springs, NY (Royal HS, Simi Valley, CA] ran the fastest indoor 5,000 meter time in the NCAA this indoor season, clocking a school record 15:51.69 in winning the race Friday night in the Husky Classic at the Dempsy Indoor Facility. Meanwhile in Fayetteville, Ark., Jamesha Younblood and Amber Purvis [Hercules, CA (Benicia HS)] broke their own school records at the Tyson Invitational.

Blood’s winning time was also an NCAA Indoor Championships automatic qualifier, one of six NCAA marks recorded by the Ducks on Friday. The senior from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., beat Lindsey Scherf’s year-old mark of 15:55.67.

Jackie Areson of Tennessee was second in 15:53.54 and Bridget Franek of Penn State placed third in 15:56.76 as the first eight finishers finished posted NCAA automatic times.

Among those was Oregon senior Mattie Bridgmon, who set a 5,000 meters all-conditions PR with a seventh place finish in 16:02.48. That time moved her to second on the Oregon indoor list.

Also in the 5,000 in Seattle, junior Bria Wetsch notched an NCAA provisional time with a 16th place finish in 16:36.98. Like Bridgmon, the Chaska, Minn., native also set an all-conditions PR for the 5,000 meters.

In the men’s 5,000, sophomore Luke Puskedra finished eighth in 13:50.87 to record an NCAA provisional mark.

At the Randall Tyson Track Complex where the NCAA Indoor Championships will take place next month, Youngblood sailed to an NCAA automatic mark of 21-6.25. That effort, which was second only to Nike’s Britney Reece (21-9) on Friday, not only shattered her own indoor school record of 21-1.25 set last season, but was also the longest all-conditions long jump in school history. The junior from San Pablo, Calif., also holds the school’s outdoor record at 21-5.5.

Youngblood’s mark from Friday stands as the third best in the NCAA this season.

"Jamesha did some really good things in practice leading up to this meet, so you could see that a big jump was possible," said assistant coach Robert Johnson. "At the same time, it’s a nice reward to finally see all that work in practice pay off with a big mark in a meet like this."

Running in the preliminaries of the 60 meters, Purvis, a sophomore from Hercules, Calif., broke her own school 60 meter record for the second time this season by clocking 7.33 in finishing second in her preliminary heat. The time was .01 faster than the mark Purvis set two weeks ago at Texas A&M. She had the fifth-fastest preliminary time overall Friday and was tops among collegians.

Junior Mandy White also notched a PR in the 60, running 7.47 in a third-place showing in her heat. That mark ranks second all-time at Oregon.

"Mandy White had the performance of the day," said Johnson. "That was a big PR and just off an NCAA mark."

In other action in Fayetteville, senior Ashton Eaton just missed his PR in the 60, running 6.79 in a second-place finish in his heat. That was .01 off his best.

Junior Michele Williams set an indoor PR in the 400 meters, running 55.16. The transfer from Adams State was fourth in her heat.

Junior Travis Thompson was second in his heat of the 800 meters in 1:51.70.

Senior Chad Barlow placed third in his heat of the 400 meters, running 47.87.

"It was good for us to compete against some of county’s best on their turf so to speak, and see how we stack up," said Johnson. "I think we accomplished what we wanted to today and hopefully can keep that going tomorrow."

The teams continue competition in Seattle and Fayetteville on Saturday.

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