Loos Sends Javelin 202 Feet, 4.5 Inches at John Knight Twilight

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

MONMOUTH, ORE. -- Willamette University track and field athlete Jordan Loos (Jr., Springfield, OR/Thurston HS) threw the javelin a personal record 202' 4.50" at the John Knight Twilight on Friday, April 11 to move into second place on the NCAA Division III performance list for the season. Loos achieved his top distance on the first throw of the finals.

Loos previously owned a personal record of 195' 4", set at this year's Willamette Invitational on March 29. His first toss of the prelims on Friday went 197' 5" for a new personal mark, setting the stage for his even longer attempt in the finals. He is fifth on Willamette's all-time list.

Tyler Callahan of Concordia University (Ore.) won the javelin with a toss of 216' 0.50". Justin Larson of Western Oregon University was second at 206' 10.25" and Shane Brooks of WOU was third at 203' 10.25". Loos finished fourth, while Stephen Walter of Concordia was fifth at 180' 3.25". A total of 12 athletes competed in the men's javelin.

Two Bearcats established personal records in the men's shot put. Tyler Higley (Jr., Aloha, OR/Aloha HS) placed fifth with a distance of 49' 7.25". He surpassed his previous top throw of 46' 11.75", set at the Lewis & Clark Tri Meet earlier this season. Hans Lehndorff (So., Boulder, CO/Boulder HS) took sixth place at 45' 10", improving his personal record from 44' 6.25" at the 2013 NWC Championships.

Lehndorff also set a personal record while placing sixth in the discus. His top throw at the John Knight Twilight covered 139' 7.50". His best throw prior to Friday was 139' 4" during the 2013 NWC Championships.

The Willamette men's team placed two athletes in the top four in the 100-meter dash. Dylan Jones (So., Santa Maria, CA/Ernest Righetti HS) was second in 10.94 seconds, while Chris Luetjen (Sr., Lake Oswego, OR/Lake Oswego HS) placed fourth in 11.12 seconds. Jeff Howard won the event at 10.88 seconds, just .06 in front of Jones.

Tom Fiechtner (Sr., Poway, CA/Cathedral HS) of WU was second in the men's 200-meter dash with a time of 22.12 seconds. He was edged out by Carlos Ortiz from Concordia, who earned first place in 22.08 seconds. Haley (So., Shoreline, WA/University Preparatory Academy) placed fifth in the 200 with a personal record of 22.68 seconds, while Jones finished sixth in 22.72.

In the men's 400-meter dash, Fiechtner was fourth in 50.49 seconds for his best time of the season.

Daniel Swanson (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) was seventh and Kit Kingstad (Sr., Beaverton, OR/Beaverton HS) placed eighth in the men's 1,500-meter run. Swanson earned his best time of the season at 3:58.00. Kingstad followed closely in 3:58.20. Matthew Clowes of Concordia set a McArthur Field record by winning the 1,500 in 3:44.14.

The WU 4 x 100-meter relay team was first in 42.30 seconds. Running for the Bearcats on the relay were Matt Paparella (So., Glendale, AZ/Ironwood HS), Luetjen, Fiechtner and Jones.

Four runners on the Willamette women's team set personal records in the 1,500-meter run. Michaela Freeby (Jr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) placed second with a new top time of 4:38.34. She lowered her best time from 4:41.63 at the 2013 NWC Championships, and moved into eighth on this year's NCAA performance list.

Taylor Ostrander (So., Soldotna, AK/Kenai Central HS) was fifth in the 1,500 at 4:39.60. She reduced her top time from 4:56.24, set at the Lane Preview this season. Ostrander's new time placed her 12th on the NCAA list.

Also earning personal records for WU in the 1,500 were Ami Boucher (Fr., Concord, CA/Northgate HS) and Hannah Bressler (So., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS). Boucher was timed at 4:48.14 for ninth place in the event. Bressler earned a time of 4:51.77.

Kylea Johnson (So., Onalaska WA/Onalaska HS) of Willamette was third in the women's 100-meter dash and took fourth in the 200-meter dash. Her time in the 100 was 12.77 seconds and her time in the 200 was 26.45 seconds. Audrey Taylor (So., Portland, OR/La Salle HS) provided WU with fifth place in the 200 at 26.51 seconds.

Madison McClung of WOU won the 100 in 12.29 seconds, while Allie Church, running unattached, prevailed in the 200 in 24.97 seconds.

Elisa Ahern (Jr., Lake Forest Park, WA/Shorecrest HS) competed for the Bearcats in the 100-meter hurdles and the triple jump. She just missed her personal record in the 100 hurdles, as she finished in 15.77 seconds, a mere .01 from her all-time best of 15.76 second, set just two weeks ago. In the triple jump, Ahern placed third with a distance of 36' 0.25".

Willamette received a tie for second in the women's high jump from Taylor Ottomano (Jr., Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap HS). She cleared 5' 3" to match the top height of Jessica Lautenbach from Oregon State University and unattached athlete Alison Wood. Ottomano missed her personal record by 0.25". Marley Yates of Mount Hood Community College won the high jump at 5.5"

Maya Bowton (So., Spokane, WA/Ferris HS) took third in the women's pole vault with a career-best height of 9' 10". Her previous record was 9' 8" a year ago at the 2013 John Knight Twilight.

The Bearcats' Meka Townsend (So., Okanogan, WA/Okanogan HS) finished fifth in the women's javelin. She registered a top distance of 120' 7.50".

Other top performances for the Bearcat men's team:

Haley set a personal record for the Bearcats in the 100-meter dash, lowering his top result to 11.32 seconds.

Parris Joyce (So., Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel School) established a personal record of 1:58.95 in the 800-meter run. His previous top time was 1:59.04 at this year's Willamette Invitational on March 29.

Loos took fifth place in the hammer throw. He earned a distance of 167' 0.50".

Additional top marks for the WU women's team:

Maya Kaup (Fr., Eureka, CA/Eureka HS) set a new top time in the 100-meter hurdles at 16.46 seconds.

Jossalyn Wright (Jr., Aumsville, OR/Cascade HS) placed eighth in the shot put at 37' 2.25". She just missed her personal record of 37' 3", which she set at the 2012 Pacific Northwest Relays.

Kaeleigh Thorp (Jr., Sam Leandro, CA/Encinal HS) reached finals and was seventh overall in the hammer throw. She attained a distance of 137' 10.25".

Up Next for Willamette:

The Bearcats will host the 2014 Northwest Conference Multi-Event Championships on Monday, April 14 and Tuesday, April 15 at the Charles Bowles Track. Action is scheduled to begin on Monday at 9 a.m. (PDT).