Duenas Leads NCAA Division III in Discus, Swan Ranks First in Hammer

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University's track and field teams were able to compete in just one outdoor meet before the rest of the season was canceled. Even so, it was a solid start that showed the abilities of several key seniors for the Bearcats. Hope Duenas (Sr., Covina, CA/Covina HS) was ranked first in the nation in the women's discus throw and Saige Swan (Sr., Crescent City, CA/Del Norte HS) was ranked first in the men's hammer throw and in the top five in two other events. Connor Giannini (Sr., Veradale, WA/Gonzaga Prep) was listed in the top 20 in two men's sprints.

All rankings are unofficial since teams were unable to complete most of their schedules. In NCAA Division III outdoor track and field, which did not start until March 1, many teams throughout the nation never competed. However, most of the national rankings list between 163 and 195 competitors who were able to participate in at least one meet. The Bearcats competed in the Willamette Opener on March 7 at Charles Bowles Track.

Duenas won the discus with a top throw of 138' 3" to rank first in the Division III. She was beginning the season with a desire to return to the NCAA National Championships for the third year in a row. Duenas took 20th place in the discus at the 2018 NCAA Championships and finished 11th in the discus during the 2019 NCAA Championships. She ranks second all-time at Willamette with a career-best throw of 148' 11".

Swan earned first place in the hammer throw at the Willamette Opener with a toss of 163' 3" that put him first on the national rankings. He placed second at the WU opener in the discus at 145' 4" and was third in the shot put at 46' 10.75". On the national rankings, his shot put throw ranked third and his result in the discus ranked fourth.

Giannini won both the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash at the WU Opener. His time in the 200 was 22.50 and his time in the 400 was 50.29. His times ranked 13th in NCAA Division III in the 400 and 17th in the nation in the 200.

Duenas won back-to-back Northwest Conference titles in the discus in 2018 and 2019. She placed third in the NWC in the discus in 2017 and was third in the hammer throw in 2019. Swan was the NWC champion in the shot put in 2018 and took second place in 2019. Giannini placed third in the NWC in 2018 and 2019 as part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team.