Turpen Moves into 6th on Willamette's All-Time List at 146' 7" in Hammer Throw

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- Angie Turpen (Jr., Alsea, OR/Alsea HS) won the hammer throw and moved into sixth place on Willamette University's all-time list with a distance of 146' 7" during the Willamette vs. Corban Dual on Wednesday, March 16. The hammer throw was the only event held on Wednesday. All other events were held at the Charles Bowles Track on Thursday, March 17.

Turpen recorded her top distance on her fourth throw. She improved by just over 10 feet from her previous best of 136' 6", set this past weekend at the Saints Open in Gresham, Oregon. Turpen was ninth on Willamette's all-time list entering Wednesday's competition.

Hans Lehndorff (Sr., Boulder, CO/Boulder HS) of Willamette set a personal record and won the men's shot put at 48' 8.25". His previous best throw was 47' 5" at the Saints Open.

Lehndorff also took first place in the discus with a top mark of 144' 5.25". Dana Walker of Corban placed second behind Lehndorff in the hammer throw at 45' 3 1/2" and in the discus at 140' 1/25".

Overall, the Bearcats won six women's events and six men's events.

Joining Turpen as winners from Willamette in the women's competition were Kylea Johnson (Sr., Onalaska WA/Onalaska HS), Maura Forbush (Jr., Hollister, CA/San Benito HS), Juliet Farnan (Sr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS), and Hannah Bressler (Sr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS).

Johnson prevailed in the 200-meter dash. Her time was 26.25 seconds. Teneah Rushen (So., Portland, OR/Franklin HS) of WU placed third in the 200 with a personal record of 26.92 seconds.

Forbush led a 1-2-3 finish by the Bearcats in the 800-meter run. She also set a personal record with a time of 2:17.02. Hannah Swanson (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) was second in 2:17.65 and Juliet Farnan placed third at 2:28.37.

Farnan also provided a win in the 10,000-meter run. She crossed the finish line with teammate Taylor Ostrander (Sr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS). Farnan's winning time was 41:41.49, while Ostrander was second at 41:41.51.

Bressler took the lead in a 1-2-3 finish for WU in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Bressler's winning time was 11:03.45, which currently ranks first in NCAA Division III this season. Her career top time is 10:59.31, set at last year's WU vs. Corban Dual.

Ami Boucher (Jr., Concord, CA/Northgate HS) placed second in the steeplechase in 11:30.13. Emily Evans (Fr., Anchorage, AK/South Anchorage HS) was third in 12:11.61.

The Willamette women's 4 x 400-meter relay team took first place in 4:12.53. Running for the Bearcats were Bridgette Peirce (So., Reno, NV/Earl Wooster HS), Rushen, Johnson and Forbush.

Lehndorff was one of four Bearcats on the men's team who won individual events. Other winners were Yonny Castillo (Sr., Hood River, OR/Hood River Valley HS) in the 10,000-meter run, Jeremiah James (So./Fr., Salem, OR/South Salem HS/Chemeketa CC) in the long jump, and Jack Kobylka (So., Napa, CA/Vintage HS) in the 800-meter run.

Castillo recorded a time of 33:51.18 in the 10,000. James won the long jump with a top distance of 21' 4". Kobylka placed first in the 800 with a time of 2:00.36.

Willamette also added a win in the men's 4 x 400-meter relay. The Bearcats were timed at 3:34.15. Competing on the relay for Willamette were Jack Wellman (So., Alameda, CA/Alameda HS), Parris Joyce (Sr., Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel School), D'Angelo Guiton (So., Oakland, CA/Bishop O'Dowd HS) and Jack Kobylka (So., Napa, CA/Vintage HS).

Other Top Performances for the WU Women's Team

Marisa Hamilton (Jr., Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) tied her personal record and achieved second place in the shot put. She recorded a distance of 36' 2", matching her top result at last year's WU vs. Corban Dual.

Jewell Sparks (So., San Francisco, CA/Lick Wilmerding HS) set a personal record and took second place in the 400-meter hurdles. Her time was 1:10.28, reducing her best time by 0.03 from 1:10.31 at the Willamette Opener on March 5.

Maya Bowton (Sr., Spokane, WA/Ferris HS) placed second in the high jump with a successful attempt at 4' 10.25". The event was won by Corban's Sarah Taylor, who cleared 5' 0.25".

In addition to winning the hammer throw, Turpen registered third place in the discus. Her top distance was 113' 5".

Alida Holt (Jr./So., Honolulu, HI/Roosevelt HS) established a personal record of 15' 1.50" in the long jump. She previously earned a top mark of 14' 9.25" at the Willamette Opener.

Other Top Performances the Bearcat Men's Team

Runners from Willamette placed 2-3-4 in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. The event was won by Craig Boekenoogen from Corban with a time of 9:41.25. Jacob Shafi (Sr., Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley HS) of WU followed in second at 9:51.29. Patrick Loftus (So., Santa Rosa, CA/Sonoma Academy) was third at 9:56.04 and Hunter Matthies (Sr., Moran, WY/Jackson Hole HS) placed fourth in 9:59.39.

Wellman and Guiton each set personal records in the 200-meter dash. Wellman took second place in 22.95 seconds and Guiton was third in 23.11. Nathan Martin of Corban won the race in 22.15.

Joyce earned second place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.10 seconds.

Willamette's RoShaan Rogers (So., Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS) was third in the men's 110-meter hurdles. His achieved a time of 16.00 seconds.

Team Scores

Corban placed first in the team standings. In the men's competition, Corban won 77-50. The women's competition was won by the Warriors, 70-58.

Up Next for Willamette

The Bearcats will host the Willamette Invitational on Saturday, March 26 at Charles Bowles Track. The meet is set to begin at 10 a.m. (PDT).