Men's Recap: Houser Runs 7:40.40 For Ninth All-Time In Collegiate History; Brandon Kidder Wins Mile; Oregon High Schooler Josiah Tostenson Runs 8:08.70

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

PHOTOS by John Decker

If Saturday’s performance was any indication of what this indoor track season might look like for Luke Houser, the rest of the NCAA has been officially put on notice. At the University of Washington Indoor Preview, the senior from Woodinville, Wash. won the men’s 3,000 meters in 7 minutes and 40.40 seconds, breaking the Dempsey Indoor facility record, meet record and school record in the process.

Houser’s time is also No. 9 all-time in collegiate history in the event and the fourth-fastest this season behind Nico Young, Brian Musau and Ryan Schoppe at BU's Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Dec. 2.

“Super happy with it,” Houser said of the time. “All of December, all of the winter training is going great. I’m just glad I could come out there and get a time that shows how well my training’s going.”

Houser, the reigning indoor mile champion, sat behind former Husky Kieran Lumb for much of the race, not challenging for the lead until around 500 meters to go, and then turning on the jets. Lumb, who runs for On Running, was right behind in second place in 7:40.53, also under the meet record of 7:43.27 from a year ago, which he set.

Sam Prakel of Adidas posted 7:41.17 to finish third, with New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel, NCAA cross country runner-up last fall, placing fourth in 7:45.61.

VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS by Mary Albl

Former Northern Arizona standout Abdihamid Nur held the previous facility record of 7:40.66 set in 2022.

Brooks Beasts’ teammates Dillon Maggard (7:45.64) and Henry Wynne (7:47.44) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, with their other teammate Waleed Suliman (7:48.27) behind in eighth.

Bowerman’s Duncan Hamilton took home seventh-place honors in 7:48.27.

A little further back, Crater OR junior Josiah Tostenson won his heat in 8:08.70 for a US#1 time and third-fastest in history on an oversized track. Owen Powell of Mercer Island ran 8:19.64 for the second-fastest indoor ever by a Washington prep behind Gerry Lindgren. 

A day after his NCAA 1,000-meter record was broken in Louisville, Kentucky, Brooks Beasts’ Brannon Kidder clocked 3:58.31 to win the men’s mile over Macauley Franks in 3:58.85. Stanford’s Ky Robinson, third at NCAA cross country, ran 4:00.50 to place third in the field.

On Athletics’ Sam Ellis ran 2:18.96 to beat Nike’s Craig Engels (2:19.06) and Brooks Beasts’ Brandon Miller (2:19.54) in the men’s 1,000.

Former Washington State star Emmanuel Wells Jr. clocked 6.63 to win the men’s 60.

Washington’s Daniel Gaik posted a 47.46 to win the men’s 400 in the sixth-fastest time in the country.

Oregon’s James Harding and Matt Pueschner finished first and second, respectively, in the men’s 600, with Harding running 1:18.83 and Pueschner running 1:20.40.