TACOMA, Wash. /SALEM, Ore. – The Seattle University track and field team split forces to set four new school records at the JD Shotwell Invitational at the University of Puget Sound and the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore. on Saturday.
At Baker Stadium at UPS, three Seattle University throwing records fell throughout the day. Bo Anderson (Tacoma, Wash.) beat his own record in the shot put, placing second with a toss of 14.81 meters (48-07.25). Anderson also shattered his personal records in the discus with a distance of 34.85 meters (114-04) and hammer throw with a throw of 36.17 meters (118-08). Josh Walters (Sacramento, Calif.) set a school record in the hammer throw with a distance of 42.56 meters (139-07), Sara Blakely(Spokane, Wash.) also set a new record in the hammer throw with a throw of 30.67 meters (100-07).
“They are all driven to succeed and are willing to do whatever it takes to improve,” said throwing coach Aaron Hansen. “To say that I am proud of them would be an understatement.”
At the Charles Bowles Track at Willamette, Emily Walters (Olympia, Wash.) beat her own record in the 100 meter hurdles, placing seventh with a time of 15.59. She also tied for sixth in the high jump with a leap of 1.48 meters (4-10.25). Alyssa Lout (Tempe, Ariz.) came within .04 seconds of the school record in the 100 meter dash, finishing fourth with a time of 12.79, followed by Katie Tougas (Edmonds, Wash.) in sixth with a time of 12.92. Tougas also finished fourth in the long jump with a personal record distance of 4.97 meters (16-03.75).
In the 4x400 meter relay, Clare Obradovich (Tigard, Ore.), Meeghan Bergmann (Portland, Ore.), Mary Thompson (Simi Valley, Calif.), and Rachel Purcell (Mission Viejo, Calif.) finished second with a time of 3.59.83. The men’s 4x100 meter relay came in fourth, with Taylor Fitch (Seattle, Wash.), Cooper Hartman (Silverdale, Wash.), Duncan MacKay (Renton, Wash.), and Zachary Schlachter (Tigard, Ore.) finishing in 43.16. Tougas, Purcell, Bergmann, and Lout also finished sixth in the 4x100 meter relay in 50.63.
In the field events, Ariel Johnson (Moscow, Idaho) placed third in the pole vault with a height of 3.15 meters (10-04.00). Dylan Burnett (Lynnwood, Wash.) finished fifth in the javelin with a distance of 56.53 meters (185-05). Nick Bever (Seattle, Wash.) tied for seventh in the triple jump with a jump of 12.58 meters (41-03.25), and Kaytie Bateman (Chehalis, Wash.) came in eighth in the long jump with a distance of 4.68 meters (15-04.25).
Fitch came in seventh in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.14, and Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) competed in the 800 meter run, finishing seventh with a personal best time of 1:56.89. Sears was followed by Dan Auld (Eugene, Ore.) in ninth place with a time of 1:57.05. In the 200 meter dash,Obradovich placed seventh in 26.70.
In other events, Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.) and Thompson set personal records in the 800 meter run with times of 2:22.85 and 2:23.23, respectively. Chris Auld (Eugene, Ore.) had a personal best in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:59.24, and Jude Martinez (Hagatna, Guam) also set a personal record in the 200 meter dash in 23.40.
Back at UPS, Bethany Richards (Shoreline, Wash.) grabbed two sixth-place finishes in the shot put with a throw of 11.08 meters (36-04.25) and discus with a distance of 30.61 meters (100-05), both personal bests. She was followed by Blakely in the discus with a toss of 30.27 meters (99-04). Emee Mathew (Redmond, Wash.) came in eighth in the shot put with a throw of 10.27 meters (33-08.50).
Walters also competed in the shot put with a personal best throw of 11.23 meters (36-10.25) and discus with a distance of 25.75 meters (84-06). Brandan Haggarty (Missoula, Mont.) threw 40.66 meters (133-05) in the hammer throw.
Ashley Dalton (Bellingham, Wash.), the only distance runner for the Redhawks at the Shotwell, ran the 1500 meter run in a personal record time of 5:36.42.
“Our focus is still over a month away, but the way things are looking, we are headed in a great direction,” said head coach Trisha Steidl. “If we continue to dial things in and keep our focus on being ready to go at the outdoor conference meet, we’re going to turn some heads.”
Next week, the Redhawks will compete at the Oregon-Washington Dual in Spokane, Wash. on Saturday, April 9.