The Seattle University indoor track and field team will head for New York, N.Y. for the Great West Conference Indoor T&F Championships, running from Feb. 27-28 at the New York Armory.
“Last year’s indoor conference meet left a bad taste in our mouths, especially with the two DQs on the men’s side,” said head coach Trisha Steidl. “As much as we left that behind us, it’s still something that motivates us to have the best meet possible this year.”
The team heads into the Championships having already set multiple school records across the board. Emily Walters (Olympia, Wash.) set records in the long jump (5.27m), triple jump (11.29m), and 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.41. In addition, she participated in the record setting 4x400 meter relay with a time of 4:02.15 with teammates Rachel Purcell (Mission Viejo, Calif.), Meeghan Bergmann (Portland, Ore.), and Clare Obradovich (Tigard, Ore.).
Other records on the women’s side have come in the form of Ariel Johnson’s (Moscow, Idaho) 3.36 meter leap in the pole vault, Celeste Cassidy's (Bellingham, Wash.) 300 meter dash record of 46.14, Purcell’s 400 meter dash in 58.80, and Mary Thompson’s (Simi Valley, Calif.) 600 meter dash in 1:47.46.
Erik Barkhaus (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) obliterated the record in the 5000 meter run with a time of 14:48.27, second in the GWC, and Zach Stanfield (Adna, Wash.) recorded 6.92 in the 60 meter dash and is tied for fourth in the conference, and Ty Jaros (Eugene, Ore.) jumped 13.50m (44-2.5) in the triple jump and is ranked second.
“We are much stronger than we were at this time last year athletically as well as mentally,” said Steidl. “If we can bring to this meet what we had at our last regular season meet – the focus, drive, determination, and confidence – we’re going to see great individual performances which will translate to a great team performance. At the conference meet, it’s all about the team.”
Competition begins on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 6 pm Eastern, 3 pm Pacific.