Lagat wins 3000 at IAAF World Athletics Final; Katie Hansen wins Pier Park XC meet...

STUTTGART--After a dawdling pace through 2600m, Bernard Lagat broke from the pack with about 250 metres to go to kick to a decisive victory in the 3000, clocking 8:02.97 at the first track final of the 6th IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final.

After a pedestrian first kilometer of 2:50.05, the pace picked up marginally through 2000 meters, as the pack, led by Kenya’s Mike Kigen crossed the mark in 5:36.98.

Lagat, the WSU alum, who has his summer training base in nearby Tubingen, used his 1500-meter speed to outkick Beijing Olympic 5000 meter silver medal Edwin Soi, who finished in 8:03.55, with American Matt Tegenkamp third, just 1/100th of a second behind Soi.

Action in the IAAF World Athletics Final continues Sunday, with former University of Washington track athletes Brad Walker & Aretha Thurmond competing in the pole vault and discus, respectively.

PIER PARK HIGHLIGHTS

Seattle University’s Katie Hansen returned home to Portland and won the Pier Park Invitational on Friday, covering the 6K course in 22:19. The Portland Pilots won the team title with 23 points. Spokane CC was third with 103 points, and Seattle (112 points) was fifth, with Evergreen State (156 points) sixth,

Greta Stickney (Poulsbo, Wash.) finished in 27th place with a time of 24:37.46, followed by Jen Hamann (Colorado Springs, Colo.) in 35th place in 24:51.88. Junior Rachel Yorkston (Bellingham, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 39th place with a time of 24:58.75, with Tiffany Hunter (Longview, Wash.) finishing in 47th place in 25:05.18.

In the men’s competition, former Bothell High standout David Kinsella won the men’s 8K race for the University of Portland, clocking 25:06. Former Pilot and Seattle resident Uli Steidl finished second in 25:37.

Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was the Redhawks’ top finisher, crossing the finish line in 27th place with a time of 26:59.39 over the 8,000-meter course. Michael Van Nuland (Newcastle, Wash.) finished in 32nd place in 27:09.64, followed closely by Erik Barkhaus (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.) in 37th place with a time of 27:21.53. Nick Cannata-Bowman (San Francisco, Calif.) was the next Redhawk runner to finish, earning 51st place with a time of 27:40.69, while Adam Kollgaard (Kent, Wash.) was right behind him in 53rd place in 27:42.23.

The Pilots won the men’s competition with a score of 45 points, with Santa Clara second at 60 points. Spokane CC was third at 85, while Seattle U was fifth at 172 points.

The Redhawks will run at the Sundodger Invitational next Saturday, at Seattle’s Lincoln Park.

NOTE: Seattle University's sports information office contributed to this report.

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