Washington track and field athletes won 16 events during their outdoor season opener at the University of Puget Sound’s Peyton-Shotwell Invitational, according to a statement released on March 28.
The meet marked the Huskies’ only local appearance of the season and featured about half of their squad. Several athletes made their debuts for the 2026 season or competed in outdoor-specific events. Notably, Ava Washburn achieved a mark that ranks fifth in school history for the women’s long jump, while Alex Rhodes entered the top ten for men’s 200-meters.
Rhodes, who previously competed as an NCAA Division III champion with UPS Loggers, returned to Tacoma and set a personal record by winning the men’s 200-meters in 20.83 seconds. Mikayla Gardley claimed victory in the women’s race with a time of 24.66 seconds. Jonathan Frazier won both hurdles events on the men’s side, clocking times of 14.68 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 51.66 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles.
In distance races, Martin Barco led a sweep for Washington by winning both men’s middle-distance events: he finished first in both the men’s 800-meters (1:53.59) and men’s 1,500-meters (3:51.13). Josephine Welin was victorious in both women’s distance races—the women’s 1,500 meters (4:29.19) and later also winning the women’s five-kilometer run (16:36.75).
Other highlights included Washburn’s win in women’s long jump with her new top-five school mark; Addy Kelly’s win in women’s triple jump; Roman Hutchinson topping men’s triple jump; Avril Wilson securing first place as Washington’s only competitor in women’s pole vault; and Sofia Cosculluela claiming victory in women’s sprint hurdles before finishing second overall in shot put.
The event served as an opportunity for several Huskies to open their outdoor campaigns or focus on specialized disciplines after concluding indoor competition two weeks earlier.
