Lately, senior Austin Abbott has found himself at the top of quite a few leader boards.

Just two weeks ago, at the Huskies’ first outdoor track meet at Stanford, Abbott ran a 3:41.62 in the 1,500-meter run, which was good enough for a win in the race, second-best in school history, and the time that still holds as current best in the nation for the event.

“It’s still early,” Abbott said. “I mean, it’s just after my first race, and I feel like I can run faster than that, but it’s pretty cool leading the country.”

This weekend, Abbott and his fellow teammates on the Washington track and field team will be headed to Tempe, Ariz. for the Sun Angel Classic, hosted by Arizona State.

Abbott’s run in the 1,500 at Stanford was good enough for an NCAA Regional qualifier, so he will be concentrating on the 800-meter run at Sun Angel.

“I’ve been close to running 1:48 for a long time, so I’d like to run 1:47 or something this weekend. That’s my personal goal,” Abbott said.

Abbott also hopes the weather in Tempe will be the opposite of what it usually is in Seattle.

“I like going to places where it’s sunny and hot outside,” he said. “[I] just don’t really run that well in the cold.”

During the past two weeks, 20 Huskies have qualified for regionals, and more hope to this weekend.

“We have a handful of female and male sprinters who haven’t even competed yet,” said track head coach Greg Metcalf.

He added that there were several more athletes in the field events, as well as several distance runners who could potentially get regional qualifiers.

Among the sprinters is senior Jordan Boase, who set a school record in the 400-meter run at last year’s Sun Angel Classic.

However, this meet will be Boase’s first foray into individual outdoor competition this year, so he isn’t expected to set any new records during the weekend.

Reach reporter Honsen Lin at sports@dailyuw.com.