Bearcats and Wolves Compete in WU/WOU Mini Meet
SALEM, ORE. -- The track and field teams from Willamette University and Western Oregon University were able to qualify additional athletes for their respective conference meets during the WU/WOU Mini Meet held at the Charles Bowles Track in Bush's Pasture Park on Thursday, April 15. Willamette also used the meet as a tune-up for several athletes who previously qualified for the Northwest Conference Championships.
SALEM, ORE. -- The track and field teams from Willamette University and Western Oregon University were able to qualify additional athletes for their respective conference meets during the WU/WOU Mini Meet held at the Charles Bowles Track in Bush's Pasture Park on Thursday, April 15. Willamette also used the meet as a tune-up for several athletes who previously qualified for the Northwest Conference Championships.
The Bearcats will be competing in just over a week at the NWC Championships, set for April 23-24 in Spokane, Wash. The Wolves have a bit longer to prepare for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships which are set for May 14-15 in Monmouth, Ore.
Christina Edholm (Sr., Pleasanton, CA/Foothill HS) of Willamette won three events. She set a personal record in the discus throw with a distance of 117' 5". Edholm also won the shot put at 39' 1.25" and took first place in the hammer throw at 132' 1".
Elizabeth Andrews (Sr., Bellevue, WA/Bellevue HS) achieved a personal best for the Bearcats in the pole vault. She cleared 10' 8" to break her previous top vault of 10' 6".
Among those also setting personal records for the WU women's team were Danielle Barnett (Jr., Mrytle Point, OR/Myrtle Point HS) and Rachel Siebuhr (Fr., Centralia, WA/Centralia HS).
Barnett went 16' 3" to win the long jump, as she broke her existing career-best of 15' 9.5", set at this year's Charles Bowles Spring Break Classic. Siebuhr registered a mark of 35' 11.25" to take first in the triple jump, surpassing her previous best of 35' 4", also set at the Charles Bowles meet.
David Oppat (Jr., Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) led 1-2 finishes for the Bearcat men's team in the shot put and the discus. He recorded a personal-best distance of 50' 0.75" in the shot put and earned a throw of 148' 7" in the discus. Josh Clothier (Jr., Walla Walla, WA/Walla Walla HS) was second in both events, with tosses of 49' 11.75" in the shot put and 143' 0" in the discus.
WU took the top five places in the hammer throw, led by Trevor Bassett-Smith (Sr., Keizer, OR/McNary HS/Western Oregon Univ.) at 169' 2". Steven Collins (Sr., Zillah, WA/Zillah HS) was second with a throw of 165' 10". Clothier placed third, Wyatt Briggs (Fr., Scio, OR/Scio HS) was fourth and Oppat took fifth.
In the men's pole vault, Jayce Gideens of WOU took first place at 14' 7.25". Aaron Bilbao (So., Kingston, WA/Kingston HS) and Cliff Chen (Sr., Salem, OR/South Salem HS) each cleared 13' 7.25" for Willamette, with Bilbao taking second on fewer jumps. Bilbao tied his season best, set at WOU last week, while Chen set a new personal record.
Andy Meuser (Sr., Portland, OR/Woodrow Wilson HS) of WU attained a personal best in the 400-meter dash. He completed the race in 50.99 seconds, edging past his previous top time of 51.00 seconds.
Christina Edholm won three events and set a personal record in the discus.