Wright Second on Willamette's All-Time List with 154' 11" in Hammer Throw

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

SALEM, ORE. -- Jossalyn Wright (Sr., Aumsville, OR/Cascade HS) of Willamette University moved into second place on the Bearcats' all-time list in the women's hammer throw with a winning distance of 154' 11" during the Willamette vs. Corban Dual. Wright's win opened the meet, as the hammer throw was the only event on Wednesday, March 18.

All of the remaining events were held at Charles Bowles Track on Thursday, March 19.

Among Bearcats recording top results during the meet were Michaela Freeby (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) and Hannah Bressler (Jr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS), who both broke the 11-minute mark in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Freeby took first place in 10:54.98, while Bressler set a personal record while earning second place in 10:59.31.

Freeby and Bressler are listed first and second on this year's NCAA Division III performance list in the steeplechase. Bressler also took over fifth place on WU's all-time list. Freeby remained second on the list with her career-best time of 10:33.34 at the NCAA Division III Championships in 2013.

The Willamette vs. Corban Dual ended with an exciting finish in the men's 4 x 400-meter relay, as Grant Lindley (Fr., Monmouth HS/Central HS) of Willamette overcame a 40-meter deficit on the final leg of the race to edge out Corban for the win. Willamette was timed at 3:26.16, while Corban registered a time of 3:26.67.

Wright's top throw of 154' 11" in the hammer was on her fourth of six attempts. Second place went to Kaeleigh Thorp (Sr., Sam Leandro, CA/Encinal HS) of Willamette at 137' 6.75", while Kelsey Engstrom (Sr., Clinton, WA/South Whidbey HS), also from Willamette, placed third at 137' 4". Wright is third on the NCAA Division III performance list.

The Willamette record in the hammer throw was set by Melinda Fahey in 2008 at 162' 4".

In addition to winning the hammer throw, Wright won the discus with a top distance of 123' 4.25". Meka Townsend (Jr., Okanogan, WA/Okanogan HS) of WU was second with a career-best mark at 120' 2.75".

Wright took second place in the shot put with a toss of 36' 3". Engstrom won the event with a personal best throw of 38' 2.25". Marisa Hamilton (So., Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) also set a personal record while taking third place at 36' 2".

Townsend placed first in the women's javelin with a top throw of 131' 4.75". She is ranked fifth in NCAA Division III.

Willamette's Elisa Ahern (Sr., Lake Forest Park, WA/Shorecrest HS) won the women's triple jump with a distance of 36' 2", which ranks her sixth in the nation. She won by a short margin over Alli Ehrhardt of Corban, who placed second at 35' 10.50".

Tyler Higley (Sr., Aloha, OR/Aloha HS) and Hans Lehndorff (Jr., DL, Boulder, CO/Boulder HS) combined to win three throwing events for the Bearcat men's team. Higley was victorious in the shot put at 47' 9.25" and in the hammer at 163' 3". Lehndorff won the discus with a personal record of 146' 0.75". Higley moved into fourth in the nation in the hammer, while Lehndorff is now sixth in the discus.

Lehndorff was second in the shot put at 44' 9.50". Higley took third in the discus while setting a personal record at 139' 1.25".

RoShaan Rogers (Fr., Roseville CA/Woodcreek HS) of WU won the 110-meter hurdles in 15.80 seconds and was first in the 400-meter hurdles in 56.23. In the 400 hurdles, he edged out Christian Bohuslavizki of Corban, who took second in 56.48. Rogers moved into fourth in NCAA Division III in the 400 hurdles.

Other top performances for the WU women's team:

Maura Forbush (So., Hollister, CA/San Benito HS) won the 200-meter dash in 25.93 seconds, while teammate Kylea Johnson (Jr., Onalaska WA/Onalaska HS) placed second in 26.29.

Hannah Swanson (Fr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:21.49. Olivia Mancl (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) recorded a personal record of 2:22.03 while taking second place.

Six Bearcats competed in the 10,000-meter run. Alyssa Reese (Fr., Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) led the way with a time of 42:47.06.

Molly Bond (Sr., Clarkston, WA/Asotin HS) was second in the 100-meter hurdles at 16.41 seconds.

The WU 4 x 100-meter relay team recorded a time of 50.62 seconds. Running for Willamette were Bridgette Peirce (Fr., Reno, NV/Earl Wooster HS), Forbush, Carmela Roberts (Jr., Santa Cruz, CA/Santa Cruz HS) and Johnson.

Kayla Davis (Fr., Yamhill, OR/Yamhill-Carlton Union HS) and Maya Bowton (Jr., Spokane, WA/Ferris HS) each cleared 5' 0.25" for part of a three-way tie for second in the high jump. Davis was third and Bowton was fourth on jumps.

Other top results for the Willamette men's team:

Lindley took third place in the 200-meter dash in 22.90 seconds.

Parris Joyce (Jr., Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel School) set a personal record and was third in the 800-meter dash at 1:58.36.

Five Bearcats participated in the 10,000-meter run. Forrest Smith (Fr., Crested Butte, CO/Crested Butte Comm. School) finished first in 34:12.36.

Jacob Shafi (Jr., Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley HS) won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:58.22.

Team Scores:

Both teams used the meet as an early season tune-up in a number of events, so the primary focus was on individual results. Willamette won the women's team scoring 106-44, while Corban won the men's team scoring 93-60.