SEATTLE, Wash. - Idaho distance runner Dee Olson shattered a 25-year-old school record Saturday at the Husky Last Chance meet in Seattle.
Olson's winning time of 9:18.78 in the women's 3000m meter run is 13 seconds faster than the previous record of 9:31.7 that Patsy Sharples ran in 1981.
"It looked so easy for her. She looked like she could go a lot faster," co-Head Coach Wayne Phipps said. "I think she could run under 9:10 right now."
Driss Yousfi also had a strong showing, barely missing a school record with a first-place effort in the men's 800m run.
Yousfi's personal-best and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:48.86 was just three-tenths of a second behind the current school record of 1:48.58, which was set in 1992 by Eversley Linley.
"Again, he ran phenomenally well, but he really had no competition. After about 300 meters, he was in the lead and he ran by himself the rest of the way," Phipps said. "Hopefully he can get to nationals, and if he does, I think he can run a 1:47."
Melinda Owen, the school record holder in the women's pole vault, won the event with a NCAA provisional mark of 12-11.
"The pole vault is an event where anything can happen. She's been pretty consistent and if she vaults the way she's been vaulting lately, I think she has a good chance [at the NCAA championships]," Phipps said.
Men's distance runner Kevin Friesen finished 11th in the 3000m run with a time of 8:27.35.
Idaho's next track and field action will be Friday and Saturday, March 10-11, at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
"I'm really excited. We have a possibility of having five people at nationals, and that would be incredible. I think the people we have there have a very good chance of being All-Americans," Phipps said.
