Swanson Wins Women's Steeple, Bearcats Take Men's 4 x 100 versus Corban

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Hannah Swanson (Sr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) of Willamette University won the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase in her first time competing in the event, and the sprinters on the Bearcat men's team won the 4 x 100-meter relay, providing highlights on the third day of the Willamette vs. Corban Dual at Charles Bowles Track on Thursday, March 15.

Swanson took first place in the women's steeplechase with a solid time of 10:49.91. She won by 54.90 seconds. Swanson, who has competed at the NCAA Championships in the 1,500-meter run as well as in cross country, moved into fifth place on Willamette's all-time list in the steeplechase.

The Willamette men's 4 x 100-meter relay team won with a time of 43.42 seconds against Corban. Running for the Bearcats were D'Angelo Guiton (Sr., Alameda, CA/Bishop O'Dowd HS), Orion Ewell (Jr., Los Angeles, CA/Cathedral HS), Jack Wellman (Sr., Alameda, CA/Alameda HS) and Connor Giannini (So., Veradale, WA/Gonzaga Prep).

Hope Duenas (So., Covina, CA/Covina HS) added a quality mark in the women's discus throw, as she took first place at 140' 7.75". She set a personal record with the throw and moved up from 10th into fifth on the Bearcats' all-time list. Her previous top distance of 133' 3"was set at the Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational on April 1, 2017.

In the women's triple jump, Alex Stacy (So., Loomis, CADel Oro HS) of Willamette won the event at 33 7.25". She set a personal record, breaking her previous career-best  of 33' 4.25", set at the 2017 Willamette Opener. Stacy edged out Corban's Shelby Ferry on Thursday. Ferry was second at 33' 4".

Jewell Sparks (Sr., San Francisco, CA/Lick Wilmerding HS) earned a personal-best time in the women's 200-meter dash for the Bearcats, while taking second place in 26.58 seconds. Her previous top time was 26.69 seconds at last year's Jenn Boyman meet. On Thursday, Sparks trailed only Mackenzie Wilson from Corban who won for the Warriors in 26.33 seconds. Sparks held off Leah McClain of Corban, who placed third at 26.71.

Elijah Hall-Crockett (So., Phoenix, AZ/Cesar Chavez HS) of Willamette won the triple jump and took second place in the high jump, while clearing the same height as the winner. In the triple jump, Hall-Crockett's best combined distance of the afternoon was 40' 10.50". Jett Sabotta of Corban was second at 39' 2.25". In the high jump, Sebotta and Hall-Crockett each cleared 5' 11.50", but Sebotta was the winner on fewer jumps.

Other Top Performances for the Bearcat Women's Team

Hazel Carr (Jr., Seattle, WAThe Northwest School) won the 1,500-meter run in 5:00.48. Kyla Shade (So., Snohomish, WASnohomish HS) placed second with a personal record time of 5:09.15. Carr also won the women's 800-meter run in 2:27.32. Kristine Yzaguirre of Corban was second in 2:30.50.

The Willamette 4 x 100-meter relay team was second in 50.48 seconds. Running for the Bearcats were Sonja Cox-Raman (Fr., Seattle, WA/Ballard HS), Bridgette Peirce (Sr., Reno, NV/Earl Wooster HS), Sparks and Teneah Rushen (Sr., Portland, OR/Franklin HS).

Willamette's team in the 4 x 100-meter relay took second place in 4:12.93. Peirce, Sparks, Isabel Solano (So./Fr., Newport, OR/Newport HS) and Cox-Raman competed for the Bearcats.

Earlier in the week, Duenas won the hammer throw at 147' 4.50" and Melissa Scott (So., Tustin, CA/Beckman HS) placed second in the heptathlon with 3,185 points.

Other Top Results for the Willamette Men's Team

Michael Montague (So., San Diego, CA/Canyon Crest Academy) set a personal record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase despite competing unopposed. He achieved a time of 9:41.87, which lowered his previous top time by 21.14 seconds from the 10:03.01 he earned at last year's San Francisco State Distance Carnival.

Jack Wellman (Sr., Alameda, CA/Alameda HS) won the 200-yard dash with a time of 23.31 seconds. He was just 0.05 away from his personal record. Riley Burton (Fr., Seattle, WA/Seattle Prep), also from Willamette, was second in 24.05 seconds. Burton edged out Micah Bos from the Warriors, who was third in 24.16 seconds.

Saige Swan (So., Crescent City, CA/Del Norte HS) took first place in the shot put at 45' 3.75". Teammate Josh Martin (So., Medford, OR/St. Mary's School) was second at 44' 6". Swan placed second in the discus with a top throw of 144' 2.50". Jason Bracken of Corban won the discus at 149' 4".

Three Bearcats finished at virtually the same time for the top places in the 10,000-meter run. Ricardo Castillo-Flores (Jr./Sr.., Hood River, OR/Hood River Valley HS) was the winner in 35:11.74. Kellen Bulger (So., Spokane, WAFerris HS) placed second in 35:11.85 and Keith Carlson (Jr., Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge HS) was third at 35:11.86.

Giannini took second place in the 100-meter dash while lowering his personal record by 0.32. He completed the race in 11.17 seconds. His previous fastest time was 11.49 seconds at this year's Willamette Opener on March 3. Giannini trailed Nathan Martin of Corban in Thursday's race, with Martin registering a winning time of 10.80 seconds. Ewell of Willamette placed third in 11.25 seconds. He also set a personal record, by improving on his time of 11.41 seconds at the 2017 NWC Championships.

Willamette placed second in the 4 x 400-meter relay in 3:29.23. Running for the Bearcats were Wellman, Giannini, Burton and Guiton. Corban won the race in 3:27.72.

Earlier in the week, Keaton Beckmann (Fr., Salem, ORSprague HS) placed first in the decathlon with 6,184 points, while Brian Peck (So., Reno, NVReno HS) was third with 5,675 points. In addition, Martin won the hammer throw with a distance of 142' 9.25".

Team Standings

In the team standings, Willamette won the men's competition, 65-48. The Warriors won the women's competition, 60-53. The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, March 24 when they host the Willamette Invitational at Charles Bowles Track. The meet will begin at 9:30 a.m. (PDT).