Two school records fell as the Seattle University track and field team opened the 2015 indoor season at the UW Indoor Preview Saturday at the Dempsey Indoor Facility on the campus of the University of Washington.
Shaddye Melu (Auburn, Wash.) improved upon his own school record in the high jump, clearing 2.10 meters (6’ 10.75”) on his first attempt at the height. Melu’s clearance is the highest by any Seattle U track and field competitor, either indoors or outdoors.
Sophie Curatilo (Honolulu, Hawaii) maintained the momentum from her exemplary cross country season, breaking the school record in the 3000 meter run by over five seconds with a time of 9:51.28. Curatilo’s time, good enough for second place in her particular race and 13th place overall, was faster than the previous record set almost six full years ago.
In the first section of the women’s 3000 meter run, Elena Smith (Seattle, Wash.) finished in 10th place with a time of 10:29.06, followed by Rebecca Lassere (Boise, Idaho) in 17th place in 10:50.40 and Moira O’Connor Lenth (Seattle, Wash.) in 20th place in 10:58.74. In the men’s 3000 meter run, Gus Arroyo (Portland, Ore.) finished second in the first section of that event with a time of 8:34.47, followed by Joe Charbonneau (Bellingham, Wash.) in eighth place in 8:43.43, Baxter Arguinchona (Spokane, Wash.) in 10th place in 8:44.62, and Tyler Flannery (Auburn, Wash.) in 16th place in 9:19.84.
Lila Rice (Redmond, Wash.) finished fourth in her heat of the women’s one mile run in 5:08.58, while Louis Rodrigues (Alameda, Calif.) crossed the finish line fifth in his section of the men’s one mile run in 4:23.68. In the women’s 800 meter run, Madison Davis (Camano Island, Wash.) finished seventh in her section in 2:20.67, followed by teammate Alisa Poplawski (Newcastle, Wash.) in eighth place in 2:21.08.
In the sprints, Madison Lichter (Snohomish, Wash.) finished fourth in her heat of the 60 meter dash in 8.05 seconds before winning her heat of the 200 meter dash in 26.71 seconds. Mariah Gibbs (Banks, Ore.) finished second in her heat of the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.46 seconds, and Alyssa Gonzales (Pasadena, Calif.) crossed the finish line fifth in her heat of the 60 meter dash in 8.15 seconds.
On the men’s side, Austin Thummel-Gravitt (Puyallup, Wash.) finished fourth in his heat of the 200 meter dash in 23.00 seconds, while Jason Cowan (Renton, Wash.) won his heat in 23.16 seconds. Thummel-Gravitt led off the men’s 4x400 meter relay, joining Janzen Aguilar-Nelson (Salem, Ore.), Cowan, and Melu for a time of 3:28.46, finishing 14th overall.
Besides Melu, the highlight in the field events came in the women’s high jump, when Mandie Maddux (Gresham, Ore.) cleared 1.64 meters (5’ 4.5”), just 1/100th of a meter, or about a half-inch, off the school record. Maddux finished in sixth place overall in the event.
The quartet of Mandy Rusch (Redmond, Wash.), Candice de Sauvage (Foster City, Calif.), Katie Fleming (Paradise Valley, Ariz.), and Davis finished ninth in the women’s 4x400 meter relay with a time of 4:03.49.
Seattle University returns to Dempsey Indoor in two weeks for the UW Invitational Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31.