WSU’s Abbott wins 800M

EUGENE, Ore. – Washington State’s Joe Abbott won the junior men’s 800 meters Sunday at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field.

Abbott, a sophomore-to-be from Reno, Nev., ran a 1:51.54, after running the top time in the Saturday prelims of 1:49.78.

With the win, he will compete for the USA Junior team at the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, July 31-Aug. 2, at Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Cougar alum and 2008 Olympian Diana Pickler won the women’s heptathlon with 6,290 points. Pickler was in second place when the leader, Hyleas Fountain (Nike), withdrew from the competition due to a neck injury during the competition.

WSU junior Jeshua Anderson, 400 meter hurdles NCAA champion, finished fifth with a time of 48.77 and did not make the team for the World Championships in Berlin. Bershawn Jackson won the event in 48.03.

Shawn Crawford blew away the field in the 200-meter finals in a wind-aided time of 19.73 seconds.

Allyson Felix joined Crawford as America’s other 200-meter champion. A heavy favorite to win her fifth national title, Felix didn’t disappoint, finishing in 22.02 (also wind-aided) to edge out Muna Lee. Marshevet Hooker finished third.

Crawford blew away Charles Clark by .27 seconds to win his fourth national title, dating to 2001. Wallace Spearmon finished third.