Bearcats Win Four Men's Events and Four Women's Events at Willamette Opener
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University took first place in four men's events and placed first in four women's events, as the Bearcats hosted the Willamette Opener at Charles Bowles Track on Saturday, March 2. The meet also included athletes from Corban University, Portland State University, University of Portland, and Western Oregon University, plus entries from running clubs and unattached athletes.
Winners for the Bearcat men's team were Keaton Beckmann (So., Salem, OR/Sprague HS) in the the long jump and the 110-meter hurdles, Connor Giannini (Jr., Veradale, WA/Gonzaga Prep) in the 200-meter dash, and Keith Carlson (Sr., Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge HS) in the 5,000-meter run.
Beckmann earned first place in the long jump with a leap of 22' 11.75" that moved him into seventh on Willamette's all-time list. It was the longest jump by a Bearcat since 2004, when Jonas Welsch went 23' 6". Beckmann won the 110-meter hurdles in a personal record of 15.54 seconds. His previous top time was 15.85 on May 17, 2018 at the GFU Final Qualifier.
In the 200-meter dash, Giannini won with a time of 22.22 seconds, as he set a personal record. Giannini's top time prior to Saturday was 22.33 at the 2017 Northwest Conference Championships. He won Saturday's race by 0.30 over Codi Blodgett of Corban, who took second place in 22.52.
Carlson also set a personal record to win the 5,000-meter run in 14:47.91. He entered the day with a top time of 15:06.55, set at North Central College on May 16, 2018 during the Gregory Final Qualifier.
For the Willamette women's team, Hope Duenas (Jr., Covina, CA/Covina HS) won the discus and Isabel Duxbury (So., Seattle, WA/University Prep) took first in the 800-meter run, while Kyla Shade (Jr., Snohomish, WA/Snohomish HS) placed first in the 5,000-meter run, and Adrian Schnee (Fr., Kalispell, MT/Glacier HS) tied for first in the high jump.
Duenas won the discus with a top mark of 139' 2". She won by almost 10 feet over Moana Gianotti of Western Oregon, who placed second at 129' 10".
Duxbury prevailed in the 800-meter run at 2:24.53, leading a 1-2-3 finish for Willamette. Grace Crookham-Guy (So., Boise, ID/Boise HS) was second at 2:28.34, and Audrey Piacsek (So., Ellensburg, WA/Ellensburg HS) was third in 2:29.45.
The 5,000-meter run was won by Shade in personal record time of 18:53.81. Shade lowered her previous best by 36.68, improving on her time of 19:30.49 at the 2017 NWC Championships.
Schnee tied for first in the high jump by clearing 5' 2.5". She shared the win with unattached athlete Alison Wood.
Other Top Men's Results for Willamette
In addition to winning the long jump and the 110-meter hurdles, Beckmann also placed third in the pole vault with a top successful attempt of 11' 9.75". He took third on fewer jumps, while teammate Brian Peck (Jr., Reno, NV/Reno HS), who also cleared 11' 9.75", placed fourth.
Giannini not only won the 200-meter dash, but also placed second in the 100-meter dash in a personal record time of 11.29 seconds. He dropped .20 from his previous top time of 11.49 seconds set at last year's Willamette Opener.
Michael Montague (Jr., San Diego, CA/Canyon Crest Academy) placed a strong second behind Carlson in the 5,000-meter run with a personal record of 15:09.18. He broke his old personal record of 15:10.94 at the 2018 Willamette Invitational.
RoShaan Rogers (Gr./Sr., Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS) was second in a tight race in the 400-meter hurdles. Only three athletes competed, but they were separated by a total of .13. Stephen Anderson of Corban won the race in 59.44 seconds. Rogers followed at 59.48 and Christian Bohuslavizki of Corban was third at 59.57.
Peck took second in the long jump with a career-best leap of 20' 10". He surpassed his previous top mark of 20' 1.5", which was set at the 2018 NWC Championships.
Saige Swan (Jr., Crescent City, CA/Del Norte HS) took second place in the discus throw and the hammer throw. His top result in the discus was 133' 11". His top distance in the hammer was 148' 9" for a new personal record, topping his old mark of 138' 2'' at the 2018 NWC Championships.
Other Top Women's Results for Willamette
Duenas added a second place finish in the hammer throw to her win in the discus. In the hammer, she registered a top throw of 139' 8".
Alex Stacy (Sr., Loomis, CA/Del Oro HS) was second in the triple jump with a combined distance of 32' 8 1/2". Her mark was just 1 1/2 inches out of first place.
Hazel Carr (Sr., Seattle, WA/The Northwest School) placed third in the 5,000-meter run. Her time was 19:00.75.
Up Next for the Bearcats
Willamette will compete at the Pacific Preview in Forest Grove, Oregon, on Saturday, March 9. Pacific University will by hosting the meet.
Big Moment of the Meet for Willamette
Keaton Beckmann moved into seventh place on Willamette's
all-time list in the long jump with a winning leap of 22' 11.75".
Beckmann also won the 110-meter hurdles for the Bearcats in
a personal record time of 15.54 seconds, and was third in the
pole vault at 11' 9.75".