Senior Kaytie Bateman (Chehalis, Wash.) improved on her own school record in the heptathlon by over 600 points, advancing into eighth place and picking up the first point for the Seattle University women’s track and field team as the multi-event competitions concluded Thursday at the 2013 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Maverick Stadium.
After finishing day one in 11th place, Bateman moved up into 10th place in the overall competition after collecting 648 points with a long jump mark of 5.32 meters (17’ 5.5”), eighth-best among the participants. As she and the other athletes were preparing for the next event, the horn signifying the approach of lightning sounded, forcing everyone to take shelter for a significant delay.
Once the all-clear signal was given, the heptathlon continued with the javelin throw, where Bateman had the fourth-best mark with a top throw of 35.09 meters (115’ 1”), picking up 573 points and moving her into eighth place overall. Bateman closed out the day with the fourth-best time in the 800 meter run at 2:23.08, collecting 782 points for a final total of 4,649 points, 607 points more than her previous school record total attained at last year’s Great West Conference Championships. She also maintained her eighth-place position, giving the Redhawk women one point in the team standings.
“Kaytie did an awesome job competing today. She was not where she wanted to be at the start of the day, but she kept her eyes on what was still possible. She had big personal bests in two of the three events on her way to a huge school record,” Seattle U assistant track and field coach Chad Pharis said.
Freshman Amanda Maddux (Gresham, Ore.) started the day with a mark of 4.43 meters (14’ 6.5”) in the long jump. Maddux earned the fifth-best mark in the javelin throw at 32.06 meters (105’ 2”), a personal best for the first-year competitor. However, she suffered a slight back injury during the javelin throw, and the coaching staff decided to hold her out of the 800 meter run as a precautionary measure.
Danessa Lyssy of Texas State won the heptathlon with 5,522 total points, 218 more than Zoe Meade of New Mexico State. Texas State has taken the early lead in the team standings for the women with 18 points.
The WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships kicks into full gear Friday, May 10, starting at 11 a.m. local time with the women’s hammer throw, including Redhawks Bethany Richards (Shoreline, Wash.) and Amanda Luna (Beavercreek, Ore.). The track events begin at 4 p.m. Central Time with the women’s 3000 meter steeplechase, where Hannah Mittelstaedt (Maple Valley, Wash.) comes in with the second-fastest time in the conference. Live results are available through the track and field schedule page on GoSeattleU.com.