Track & field: Bailey Hertenstein sweeps distance events for CU Buffs with 5K Pac-12 crown

May 12—Bailey Hertenstein had never run a competitive 10K prior to winning the Pac-12 Conference title in the event on Friday.

Therefore, the Colorado senior had never before attempted to back one standout distance performance with another just two days later, as Hertenstein did on Sunday while entered in the 5K final.

Hertenstein reported she could feel the drag a little bit in her legs, but she certainly showed no apparent fatigue. Hertenstein made it a victorious distance double on Sunday, as she blew away the other contenders over the final lap-plus to claim the 5K title on the final day of the Pac-12 outdoor track and field championships at Potts Field.

Senior and Mead High alum Abbey Glynn set a team record in the 400 hurdles and was very nearly awarded the title on a technicality before receiving the second-place medal. Behind Hertenstein and Glynn, CU capped the final Pac-12 event for the entire Colorado athletic department with a fourth-place finish in the women's team standings.

Much like her winning 10K run on Friday, Hertenstein appeared in a comfortable groove while running amid the lead trio for the bulk of the race. With about a lap and a half remaining, Zenah Cheptoo from Washington State attempted to break ahead of the lead trio. Hertenstein responded in dominant fashion, racing past Cheptoo to earn her second conference crown in 16 minutes, 5.83 seconds, finishing nearly 11 full seconds ahead of Cheptoo.

Hertenstein missed the indoor season while recovering from an injury, but should be in prime form when the Buffs begin action in the NCAA West Preliminaries on May 22.

"I wanted to make sure that I didn't take off too soon, because the 10K was still in my legs," Hertenstein said. "I knew if I just sat and waited and was patient, I was hoping that going into the last lap that I would be the only one who had some power there. I got very lucky I guess because I didn't know what the field was going to do."

Glynn, who was able to enjoy a final big-time meet on her home turf, broke her own school record in the 400 hurdles with a time of 55.31 seconds. Glynn briefly was considered the winner as USC's Jasmine Jones, who won with an NCAA season-best time of 53.87, was disqualified for hooking a hurdle, which essentially means letting a leg drag around one of the staggered hurdles rather than over.

After a protest from the Trojans, however, Jones was reinstated as the winner. Still, Glynn will have a chance to build on a personal-best mark as she sets her sights on improving on last year's eighth-place finish at the NCAA finals.

"I saw (Jones) way out in front of me, but I stayed confident in myself and just kept running my own race," Glynn said. "I kind of built off my prelim. I just had to go in with a plan, but also know I just had to be confident in myself and make decisions early on in my race. And I did it. I ran my best race I've ever run before, so I can't be upset with anything."

Among other highlights on Sunday, the Buffs enjoyed four scorers in the men's 5K, behind Austin Vancil (third), Grady Rauba (fourth), Paul Stafford (sixth) and Jake Derouin (seventh). Isaiah Givens placed sixth in the men's 1,500, while Cole Romig (fourth) and Garrett Nelson (sixth) both scored in the men's 400 hurdles. Ella Baran backed up Hertenstein with a fifth-place finish in the 5K.

The CU women's 4×400 relay team, which featured Glynn and heptathlon conference champ Avery McMullen, placed fourth. In the team standings, the CU men finished in a tie for sixth with Arizona with 66 points.

Pac-12 Conference outdoor track and field championships

Sunday results (Winners, plus CU Buffs results)

MEN

Final team scores — Washington 150, USC 141, California 95, Oregon 83, UCLA 67, Arizona 66, Colorado 66, Washington State 64, Arizona State 50, Stanford 34.

4×100 relay — 1. USC, 38.84; 5. CU (Christiansen, Andrada, Gilmore, Gehring), 40.11.

1,500 — 1. Elliott Cook, Oregon, 3:54.30; 6. Isaiah Givens, CU, 3:55.25; 11. Noah Hibbard, CU, 4:12.13; 12. Lukas Haug, CU, 4:12.21.

110 hurdles — 1. Johnny Brackins, USC, 13.52.

400 — 1. Johnnie Blockburger, USC, 44.51.

100 — 1. PJ Ize-Iyamu, Oregon, 10.10.

800 — 1. Elliott Cook, Oregon, 1:48.18.

400 hurdles — 1. Jared McAlvey, Washington State, 49.84; 4. Cole Romig, CU, 50.36; 6. Garrett Nelson, CU, 50.79.

200 — 1. Johnny Blockburger, USC, 20.19.

5K — 1. Ty Robinson, Stanford, 14:11.49; 3. Austin Vancil, CU, 14:18.32; 4. Grady Rauba, CU, 14:19.54; 6. Paul Stafford, CU, 14:22.86; 7. Jake Derouin, CU, 14:26.33; 14. Kole Mathison, CU, 14:50.45; 17. Brendan Fraser, CU, 15:01.11; 18. Elias Lindgren, CU, 15:07.14.

4×400 — 1. Arizona State 3:01.79; 4. CU (Luke Dry, Ian Gilmore, Danny Tragarz, Nick Gehring), 3:06.91.

Triple jump — 1. Sir Jonathan Sims, Arizona, 15.85.

High jump — 1. Elias Gerald, USC, 2.18; 12. Troy Colleran, CU, 1.93; 13. John Swabik, 1.93.

Discus — 1. Racquil Broderick, USC, 589.65; 7. Matt Ward, CU, 52.82; 10. Laurence Atkinson, 50.26.

Decathlon — 1. Rafael Raap, Oregon, 7,719; 7. Troy Colleran, CU, 5,976; 8. John Swabik, CU, 5,542.

WOMEN

Final team scores — Oregon 150, USC 136, UCLA 99, Colorado 80, Washington 69, Arizona 60, Stanford 60, Washington State 54, Arizona State 33, California 33, Oregon State 23, Utah 22.

4×100 relay — 1. USC, 42.87; 11. CU DNF.

1,500 — 1. Chloe Foerster, Washington, 4:16.33;

100 hurdles — 1. Jasmine Jones, USC, 12.86.

400 — 1. Jan'Taijah Jones, USC, 51.07.

100 — 1. Jadyn Mays, Oregon, 11.01—.

800 — 1. Roisin Willis, Stanford, 2:01.00.

400 hurdles — 1. Jasmine Jones, USC, 53.87—; 2. Abbey Glynn, CU, 55.31.

200 — 1. Jadyn Mays, Oregon, 22.46.

5K — 1. Bailey Hertenstein, CU, 16:05.83; 5. Ella Baran, CU, 16:41.18; 11. Katie Doucette, CU, 17:05.31; 14. Abbey Nechanicky, CU, 17:19.70.

4×400 — 1. Oregon 3:27.34—; 4. CU (Joy Moorer, Emma Pollak, Avery McMullen, Abbey Glynn), 3:30.97.

Discus — 1. Jaida Ross, Oregon, 59.74; 17. Amanda Opp, CU, 44.40; 21. Obi Osafo-Mensah, CU, 39.71.

Triple jump — 1. Temitope Ojora, USC, 13.54.

Pole vault — 1. Hana Moll, Washington, 4.58.

—Meet record