Bearcats are Ready for Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University track and field teams are set to compete at the 2016 Northwest Conference Championships this weekend at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Action will get underway on Friday, April 22 and will continue on Saturday, April 23.

Complete Schedule
Event Entries
Live Results
Championship Information

The men's and women's hammer throw, as well as the men's and women's javelin, will be held on Friday at Clackamas Community College starting at 9:30 a.m. (PDT). The first events at Griswold Stadium on the L&C campus will be the women's long jump and the men's high jump at 2 p.m.

Competition on the track will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday with the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, followed by the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 3:20 p.m.

Preliminary heats will be held on Friday in the sprints, hurdles, and the 800-meter run. All other events will be finals.

Action on Saturday is scheduled to begin with the women's shot put, men's discus throw, men's pole vault and men's triple jump at Griswold Stadium at 10:30 a.m. (PDT). The first running events on Saturday will be the women's 4 x 100-meter relay at 12 p.m. and the men's 4 x 100-meter relay at 12:05 p.m.

Willamette has three individuals who have the top mark in the NWC this season in an event they will be competing in this weekend.

Maura Forbush (Jr., Hollister, CA/San Benito HS), the defending champion in the women's 400-meter dash, owns the top time in the NWC this spring at 57.59 seconds. Olivia Mancl (Jr./So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) leads the NWC in the women's 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:46.99. Patrick Loftus (So., Santa Rosa, CA/Sonoma Academy) owns the best time in the NWC this year in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 9:21.56.

Also, the Bearcats have the fastest time this spring by an NWC team in the women's 4 x 100-meter relay at 48.79 seconds. It is the second fastest time in Willamette track and field history. Members of Willmaette's 4 x 100-meter relay team are Jewell Sparks (So., San Francisco, CA/Lick Wilmerding HS), Teneah Rushen (So., Portland, OR/Franklin HS), Forbush and Kylea Johnson (Sr., Onalaska, WA/Onalaska HS).

In many of the events, Willamette has at least one strong competitor who is ranked in the top six in the NWC this season:

Women

Event - Name, NWC Rank, Top Mark
100m dash - Kylea Johnson, 3rd, 12.50
200m dash - Kylea Johnson, 3rd, 25.60
400m dash - Maura Forbush, 1st, 57.59
1,500m run - Hannah Swanson, 2nd, 4:35.04
5,000m run - Olivia Mancl, 1st, 16:46.99
5,000m run - Taylor Ostrander, 2nd, 17:38.07
5,000m run - Juliet Farnan, 6th, 18:17.61
400m hurdles - Jewell Sparks, 6th, 1:07.86
3,000m steeplechase - Hannah Bressler, 2nd, 10:52.58
3,000m steeplechase - Ami Boucher, 3rd, 11:05.22
4 x 100m relay - Jewell Sparks, Teneah Rushen, Maura Forbush, Kylea Johnson, 1st, 48.79
Hammer Throw - Angie Turpen, 4th, 146' 7"

Men

Event - Name, NWC Rank, Top Mark
1,500m run - Patrick Loftus, 3rd, 4:00.75
1,500m run - Jacob Shafi, 6th, 4:01.95
5,000m run - Yonny Castillo, 2nd, 15:07.70
110m hurdles - RoShaan Rogers, 4th , 15.83
3,000m steeplechase - Patrick Loftus, 1st, 9:21.56
3,000m steeplechase - Jacob Shafi, 2nd, 9:32.89
3,000m steeplechase - Hunter Matthies, 3rd, 9:42.43
Triple Jump - Jeremiah James, 3rd, 43' 3.75"
Shot Put - Hans Lehndorff, 3rd, 49' 11.75"
Discus Throw - Hans Lehndorff, 3rd, 151' 7"