# @paulmerca70601 on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DGhuuunuh7i
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/26919769-paulmerca70601-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/3eb9cd3b6f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-02-26T07:06:20.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Paul Merca (@paulmerca70601) — https://gondola.cc/paulmerca70601

## Caption

This is a post I’d been meaning to do, but hadn’t had a chance to reflect on this until now, after announcing two meets in a span of three days in Spokane.

On Valentine’s Day, I did something I’d never accomplished in my twenty two plus seasons as a track and field announcer: call a world record. That happened when the uwtrack team of rodawgmcdawg , bodi_ligons , kylereinheimer and nathanrgreen broke the existing world record* set by the brooksbeaststc in the distance medley relay of 9:14.58 when they ran 9:14.10 at the #HuskyClassic .

The closest I’d ever come to announcing a world record was when rcrouser threw 75-6/23.01m in the shot put at the usatf Throws Festival in Tucson in 2021.

Going back to the #huskyclassic , I also got to call byutrackfieldxc and four other teams go under the previous women’s collegiate record in the DMR; as well as tayvonkitchen setting a national high school record in the 3000; and owenpowell07 becoming the first Washington high school runner to break 4 minutes in the mile.

I was surprised by the Pacific NW Association of USATF’s officials committee the next day when they presented the Peter Newing Award to me for my contribution to the sport.

There’s a lot of people I need to thank for getting a small kid from south Seattle to love the sport and for taking a chance on me as an announcer, most notably brianbeaky, coachmetcalf, and fredleeharvey.

Every coach and ops director, meet director conference commissioner, athletic director, timing company and fellow announcer who I’ve worked with also deserves my thanks and appreciation.

Most importantly, thanks to every athlete who’s ever competed in a meet I’ve had the privilege to call. 

Now on to the outdoor season!

publicaddressannouncer #trackandfieldannouncer 

*World Athletics won’t recognize it as a world record, as relay teams have to be comprised of runners from the same country.

📸: moasegerholt , Suzanne Kiehn, spotter47

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## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Paul Merca | @paulmerca70601 | https://gondola.cc/paulmerca70601 | Photographer |

## Tags

trackandfieldannouncer, huskyclassic

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