Harris runs 13:40.92 at Dempsey facility to produce all-time absolute two-year college mark, taking down efforts achieved by Sambu in 2010 and Kiptoo in 2020; Rodriguez of Mercer Island achieves freshman class national girls 5,000 record with 16:52.05 performance 

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

SEATTLE – JaQuavious Harris is no stranger to those who race at the junior college level, but Friday night’s effort in the men’s 5,000 meters has perhaps solidified his legacy as one of the best to ever do it.

Harris, the NJCAA Division 1 national champion in cross country last fall for Salt Lake Community College, put together a junior college all-time, all-conditions best effort of 13 minutes, 40.92 seconds to win the men’s invitational section at the University of Washington Invitational at the Dempsey Indoor Facility.

WATCH LIVE WEBCAST JANUARY 27 OF UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON INVITATIONAL WITH RUNNERSPACE+PLUS 

Harris’ new standard puts him 11 seconds ahead of the previous all-time best of 13:51.59 on a 200-meter banked track set by Stephen Sambu of Rend Lake College in Illinois in 2010. Harris also ran faster than the 13:43.29 performance in 2020 achieved by Wesley Kiptoo of Colby College in Kansas on a 300-meter flat track.

Friday night’s victory is Harris’ third of the season, to go along with wins Jan. 20 in the mile (4:07.40) at the Weber State Invite on Jan. 13 in the 3,000 (8:04.16) at the BYU Indoor Invitational. Both efforts rank among the top two nationally at the junior college level.

Southern Utah’s Isaiah Labra finished second in 13:46.95, with Western Washington’s Kevin McDermott posting the third-fastest time in NCAA Division 2 this season of 13:50.77.

Crater High junior Tayvon Kitchen from Oregon finished 19th overall with the top-ranked prep performance this year of 14:34.89

UC Davis’ Danielle Barrett ran away from Madey Dickson to win the women’s 5,000 in 16:23.58. 

Stanislaus State’s Kaela Dishion took third in 16:28.26, the No. 7 effort this season in Division 2. 

Sophia Rodriguez of Mercer Island High in Washington set a national freshman record with her 16:52.05 effort to place 10th. Rodriguez eclipsed the 2014 standard of 17:08.45 established by Jessica Lawson of Corning High in New York, who went on to be a four-time All-American at Stanford.

Henry Mcluckie, representing Great Britain, clocked 7:47.18 to beat out Canadian steeplechase champion John Gay’s time of 7:48.07 to win the men’s 3,000.

Gonzaga’s Wil Smith lowered his school-record time from 7:53.57 to 7:49.07 to finish third.

Josiah Tostenson of Crater lowered his top prep mark this year in the 3,000 to 8:06.88 to finish 12th.

Canadian outdoor 5,000 champion Briana Scott ran 8:58.86 to win the women’s 3,000, bouncing back in the win column following a third-place effort in the same race Jan. 13 at the UW Preview.

Northwestern’s Ava Earl lowered her personal best by 13 seconds to run 9:05.65.

Emily Wisniewski, third at Nike Cross Nationals from Crescent Valley High in Oregon, ran a U.S. No. 8 time of 9:45.50 to finish 34th.

Jackson Cheung, representing Canada, won the men’s 60 hurdles final in a lifetime-best 7.88.

Washington State’s Micaela De Mello held off Eastern Washington’s Madelyn Knight in the women’s 60 hurdles by a margin of 8.32 to 8.44.

Fresno Pacific’s Shemar Palmer won the men’s 200 in 21.68, with Hawaii’s Alyssa Mae Antolin clocking 24.19 to win the women’s 200 race.

Four men cleared 18 feet, 1.25 inches (5.52m) in the men’s pole vault competition, with Jorge Luna-Estes, representing Mexico, taking the win. Jacob Englar, Nate Richartz and Washington’s Max Manson finished second, third and fourth, respectively.

Washington’s Beatrice Asomaning produced a mark of 70-1 (21.36m) in the women’s weight throw, winning by almost eight feet. 

In his first meet since an All-American finish in the hammer throw in 2022 while attending USC, Cal State Northridge’s Trey Knight achieved an effort of 70-9 (21.58m) to win the men’s weight throw competition by over six feet.

Washington’s Kunle Akinlosotu and Trevontay Smith finished 1-2 for the Huskies in the men’s triple jump, with Akinlosotu taking first with a performance of 50-1.75 (15.28m) and Smith in second at 49-4.50 (15.02m).

UC Santa Barbara’s Kennedy Johnson snuck by Hawaii’s Tara Wylie by three quarters of an inch to capture the women’s triple jump competition at 40-9.75 (12.44m).

Sacramento State’s Miles Grant won the men’s high jump with a clearance of 6-8.75 (2.05m).