Colin Sahlman Kicks To 1:44.89 PR To Win Men's 800 Meters

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

PHOTO GALLERY by Kim Spir

RESULTS

Twelve days ahead of the USATF Outdoor Championships, distance runners at Saturday's Stumptown Twilight in Portland worked to nudge themselves up performance lists and test fitness. 

BYU's Riley Chamberlain continued to gather steam as she approached the national championship meet. She won the 800 meters in a personal best time of 1:59.75 just a week after a logging a new best of 4:02.23 in the 1,500 at the Sunset Tour. She knocked more than a second off her previous best.

Four of the top five finishers in the women's 800 meters ran personal bests, including second-place finisher Dani Jones of New Balance (2:00.19).

In the men's 800 meters, Colin Sahlman's closing speed was firing on all cylinders as the Northern Arizona standout tracked down Nike's Isaiah Jewett in the homestretch at Lewis & Clark College and ran a time of 1:44.89. Jewett ran 1:45.05 for second. 

Nike Swoosh TC's Thomas Ratcliffe put himself into an ever-growing pool of men's 1,500 meters contenders with a personal best time of 3:33.28. 

Ethan Strand paced the race, primarily for the benefit of former UNC teammate Parker Wolfe, who was cruising and in command on the final lap. But Ratcliffe caught him and so did Benjamin Allen of Empire Elite, who ran 3:33.97. 

Wolfe was third in 3:34.44 and Cal Poly's Chris Caudillo ran a personal best 3:35.65 for fourth. 

Anna Camp-Bennett of Adidas won the women's 1,500 meters in 4:05.38, pulling away from the field on the last lap. Silan Ayyildiz, wearing her Oregon jersey, was second in 4:05.71 and Kaylee Mitchell of Nike Swoosh TC ran a personal best 4:06.39 for third. 

Graduated high school senior Sadie Engelhardt ran a new personal best time of 4:07.78 for eighth place and is No. 5 on the all-time prep list. 

Elise Cranny followed 2,000 meters of pacing before going on her own in the women's 5,000 meters, which she won in 15:06.65.

Alex Slenning stripped 19 seconds off his personal best in the 5,000 meters to win the men's race in 13:35.70. 

Jackson Shorten from Princeton ran a pesonal best 8:27.94 in an impressive demonstration of fitness in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. There were only three men in the race and two that finished.

Allie Ostrander of Oiselle also had to do the work by herself in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. She won by 35 seconds in 9:35.11.