Final Weekend To Qualify For NCAA Indoor Championships Lures Athletes To Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Without an official conference meet to occupy the weekend, Pac-12 Conference schools will be sending athletes to the Dempsey Indoor in Seattle to try and pluck a few more berths at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships. 

Pac-12 programs and others will becompeting Friday and Saturday at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational. The meet is an opportunity for one more indoor meet experience before transitioning to the outdoor season. 

High quality miles, which have been a theme all winter in Seattle, will once again be among the highlights. 

KEN SHANNON LAST CHANCE INVITATONAL LIVE ON RUNNERSPACE (+PLUS required)

Kaylee Mitchell of Oregon State, Riley Chamberlain of BYU and Sophie O'Sullivan of Washington sit 14th, 15th and 16th on the NCAA list – precariously on the bubble as conference meets go on around the country. All three are slated to compete in order to enhance their chances of making the field. 

Taylor Rohatinsky of BYU (19th), Juliette Whittaker of Stanford (21st), Laura Pellicoro of Portland (24th) and others will try to leapfrog their way into a qualifying berth (top 16). 

Oregon State's Grace Fetherstonhaugh, UCLA's Mia Barnett, Oregon's Maddy Elmore and BYU's Sadie Sargent are all ranked in the top 40. 

In the men's mile, Stanford's Thomas Boyden and BYU's Casey Clinger are 3:57 milers looking to improve their chances of making the cut. 

In the men's 3,000 meters, Stanford runners Charles Hicks and Ky Robinson, plus Clinger, lead a talented group trying to run well under the current cut-off of 7:45. Clinger is currently 12th on the NCAA list. 

Other athletes will be using the competition to tune up. Oregon's Jorinde Van Klinken, already the NCAA record holder in the indoor shot put at 64-2.50 (19.57m), is entered with a chance to incease her best mark.