If Mandie Maddux’s stellar performance in Thursday’s pentathlon didn’t make people turn their heads in the direction of Seattle University, Friday’s track and field team performances should have grabbed everyone’s attention.
Friday, the Redhawks collected medals and broke school records at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships in Nampa, Idaho.
Shaddye Melu defended his championship title in the high jump, bringing home the gold in an event he claimed first place in during the WAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships last year.
“I’m thrilled for Shaddye to be able to make that happen,” head coach Trisha Steidl said.
Melu jumped a height of 2.08m (6’-9.75”) to win the event, and was the only competitor to continue jumping after that height to see if he could set a new personal record and get close to a nationally qualifying height.
“Shaddye had two goals today – the first was defend his high jump title, the second was to chase a National qualifying mark,” assistant coach Chad Pharis said. “Getting the win was a great…prize and something he was definitely wanting.”
Elena Smith added to the medal collection in the 5,000 meter run, finishing in second place with a time of 17:39.68 to set an indoor personal record and take home the silver.
“She wasn’t afraid to go to the front and dictate the pace, which she ended up doing for the majority of the race,” Steidl said. “She ran a strong, gutsy race today.”
Also in the 5,000 meter run, Gus Arroyo added a bronze to the Redhawk medal count, finishing in third place in the event with a time of 15:02.56.
“Gus stayed strong and kept pushing hard,” Steidl said. “He dug deep and worked hard to maintain his top-three spot.”
To round out the medals for the day, the women’s distance medley relay finished strong in third place with a time of 12:23.71. The team consisted of Kyla Danforth, Moira O’Connor Lenth, Lila Rice, and Mandy Rusch.
On top of winning medals, the student-athletes broke many indoor school and personal records, and set themselves up to do more of that on Saturday in events that only ran preliminary races on Friday.
Devon Walker set the new indoor school record in the weight throw, finishing in fourth place with a throw of 14.75m (48’-4.75”). That toss broke the record he set in the first meet of the indoor season.
“I am very happy with today’s results,” Pharis said. “Some of the athletes who competed had their breakout performances we have been waiting to see.”
With a time of 7.79, Alyssa Gonzales broke her own indoor school record she set two years ago in the 60 meter dash preliminary.
In the 60 meter hurdles preliminary, Mariah Gibbs broke a three-year-old indoor school record with a time of 9.19. In the same event, Maddux, continuing to grind away, set a new personal record with a time of 9.31.
Melu finished first in his heat in the 400 meter dash with a time of 49.12, and qualified for the finals.
“The sprints showed up today with a ton of (personal records) and qualifying marks for finals,” Pharis said. “It was great to see how they battled for each place.”
In other preliminary races, the Redhawks proved they deserved to keep competing on Saturday.
In the men’s one mile run preliminary, Jacques Hebert (4:18.71), Louis Rodrigues (4:19.5), and Collin Overbay (4:19.69) all qualified for the finals.
Hebert’s time was not only a personal record, but it was also the fastest time in both heats of the event.
“Jacques has been more focused and disciplined over the past few months, and it’s paying off,” Steidl said.
In the women’s one mile run preliminary, Johanna Erickson (5:09.95), Danforth (5:10.80), and Rice (5:11.36) all qualified for the finals.
Steidl acknowledged Erickson’s huge personal record, and then continued mentioning the other women who qualified.
“Kyla ran a strong, smart race and turned on the jets at the end to secure her spot,” Steidl said.
Steidl also said that Rice ran a solid race, and she’s looking forward to seeing what Rice – and the others – will bring to the final.
Joe Charbonneau finished second in his heat in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:59.01, qualifying for the finals in his event. Also in the 800, Alisa Poplawski qualified for the finals with a time of 2:21.63.
One gold medal, one silver, two bronze, a fourth-place finish, three indoor school records broken, nine indoor personal records set, and nine finals-qualifying individuals – all in a day’s work.
The Redhawks are back at it Saturday to continue competing for the WAC Championship title, and to continue to impress anyone watching.