Several personal bests, including three school records, highlighted the Seattle University track and field team's participation in the UW Indoor Open Sunday at Dempsey Indoor.
Senior Mara Becker (Fairbanks, Alaska) cleared 5' 5" (1.65 meters) in the high jump, the highest any SeattleU female has ever cleared in either the indoor or the outdoor track season. Becker finished in a tie for third place with that performance, while Brittany Philio (Renton, Wash.) cleared 4' 9" (1.45 meters) to finish in a tie for 20th place.
On the track, Rachel Purcell (Mission Viejo, Calif.) broke the 60-second barrier in the 400 meter dash, posting a school-record time of 59.32 seconds to finish in fourth place in that event. Meeghan Bergmann (Portland, Ore.) nearly accomplished the same feat, finishing in ninth place with a time of 60.01 seconds before leading SeattleU in the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.73 seconds for a 19th place finish. Purcell finished in 37th place in that event in 27.17 seconds.
Becca Urbany (Damascus, Ore.) posted a strong eighth place effort in the triple jump with a school-record leap of 35' 2" (10.73 meters) after struggling in the long jump with a top leap of 14' 2" (4.32 meters). Kaytie Bateman (Chehalis, Wash.) finished 34th in the long jump with a best leap of 15' 2" (4.63 meters), while Amanda Luna (Beavercreek, Ore.) placed 17th in the triple jump after a top effort of 33' 7" (10.23 meters). Bateman also competed in the 60 meter hurdles, finishing the race in 10.56 seconds.
In the 60 meter dash, Alyssa Lout (Tempe, Ariz.) was the team's top finisher in 27th place with a time of 8.28 seconds, followed by Elizabeth Wolf (Albuquerque, N.M.) in 32nd place in 8.39 seconds and Erin Moon (Honolulu, Hawaii) in 40th place in 8.56 seconds. Lout and Wolf competed in the same heat of the 200 meter dash, with Wolf (27.58) finishing just ahead of Lout (27.59).
In the women's 3000 meter run, Greta Stickney (Poulsbo, Wash.) finished in 12th place overall with a time of 10:56.45, followed closely by Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.) in 16th place in 11:08.87. Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.) posted a time of 5:20.66 in the mile run for a 16th place finish, with Jennifer Stolle (Seattle, Wash.) finishing in 19th place in that event in 5:21.42. Stolle later won her heat of the 800 meter run and finished 20th overall with a time of 2:26.74.
Bergmann, Clare Obradovich (Tigard, Ore.), Elena Collins (Eugene, Ore.), and Wolf combined to post a time of 4:09.49 in the 4x400 meter relay. Earlier Obradovich finished in 21st place in the 400 meter dash in 61.51 seconds and Collins posted a time of 62.09 seconds for a 23rd place finish. Courtney Cabebe (Kihei, Hawaii) cleared 10' 2" (3.10 meters) in the pole vault for a tie for 25th place, and Lindsay Currier (Beaverton, Ore.) finished in 21st place in the shot put with a top throw of 32' 6" (9.91 meters).
On the men's side, Chris Stephens (Seattle, Wash.) finished in fourth place overall in the 400 meter dash with a time of 50.39 seconds. After a 19th place finish in the 60 meter dash in 7.25 seconds, Jude Martinez (Hagatna, Guam) finished in 17th place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 52.19 seconds, while Jabari Fraser (Bethesda, Md.) won his heat in 53.88 seconds for a 38th place finish overall.
Similar to Urbany, Ty Jaros (Eugene, Ore.) recovered from a tough long jump performance, finishing in 33rd place with a top effort of 19' 7" (5.98 meters), to post a seventh place finish in the triple jump with a top leap of 43' 9.5" (13.35 meters). In the men's 60 meter hurdles, Robert Poshusta (Bremerton, Wash.) finished in 20th place overall in 9.36 seconds while Michael Cardinal (Lafayette, Colo.) posted a time of 9.39 seconds for a 21st place finish.
In the mile run, Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) finished in fifth place overall with a time of 4:21.54. Chris Auld (Eugene, Ore.) won his section and finished tenth overall in 4:24.37, with Nick Cannata-Bowman (San Francisco, Calif.) right behind him both in the heat and the overall standings with a time of 4:25.27. Graham Miller (Spokane, Wash.) finished in 25th place overall with a time of 4:31.46.
Alec Adams (Woodway, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 9:27.89 for a 30th place finish in the 3000 meter run. In the 800 meter run, Dan Auld (Eugene, Ore.) won his section with a time of 2:00.61 for a 21st place finish overall, followed by Keenan Clinch (Sammamish, Wash.) in 22nd place in 2:01.17 and Rustin Winger (Tracyton, Wash.) in 23rd place in 2:01.36.
"We had many personal bests and good performances today," head coach Trisha Steidl said. "This sets us up well going into the conference meet. We have some good momentum to take with us into the next two weeks of training, the Great West Championships, and the outdoor season."
The Seattle University track and field team will now prepare for the Great West Conference Championships, hosted by the University of South Dakota Feb. 26-27 at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.