Bearcats Win 11 Events in Willamette vs. Corban Dual

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University won a total of 11 track and field events against crosstown rival Corban University during the Willamette vs. Corban Dual, which ended on Thursday, March 17. All of the events took place at Willamette's Charles Bowles Track with the exception of the men's and women's hammer throw events, which were held at the Corban campus on Wednesday, March 16.

Winning two events each were Eric Kaszycki (Jr., Santee, CA/Santana HS) in the men's discus and hammer throw, and Samantha Waters (Jr., Kalispell, MT/Flathead HS) in the women's discus and hammer throw.

Kaszycki took first place in the men's discus at 132' 6" and won the men's hammer with a distance of 132' 4". In the hammer, Matthew Araki of Corban took second place at 128' 6", less than four feet behind Kaszycki. Waters prevailed in the women's hammer with a throw of 147' 4" and was first in the women's discus with a mark of 108' 0". Avery Mickelsen (Sr., Ephrata, WA/Ephrata HS) of WU placed second in the discus at 99' 4".

Bearcats who won one men's event were Alex Matteson (Sr., Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale HS) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Petey Swan (Fy., Crescent City, CA/Del Norte HS) in the high jump. Willamette athletes who earned a win in one women's event were Sami Riggs (Jr., La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) in the 200-meter dash, Katherine Thornton (So., Reno, NV/Reno HS) in the 400-meter dash, Leila Fischer (So., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS) in the 800-meter run, Audrey Piacsek (Sr., Thorp, WA/Ellensburg HS) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Emma Blackburn (Sr., Los Altos, CA/St. Francis HS) in the triple jump.

Matteson earned first place in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:00.68. Carson Herrick (Sr., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS) of Willamette, competing in the steeplechase for the first time, secured second place in 10:41.67. Swan won the men's high jump by clearing 5' 8". Will Maupin of the Warriors also cleared 5' 8", but Swan won on fewer jumps.

Riggs took first place in the women's 200-meter dash in 27.00 seconds. Hero Peters of Corban was second in 27.26 seconds. Thornton was the winner in the women's 400-meter dash at 1:04.10, while Fischer claimed first place in the women's 800-meter run in 2:37.54. Piacsek ran unopposed in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, but still recorded a solid time of 12:17.52. Blackburn won the women's triple jump with a combined distance of 30' 6.50". She achieved the top mark on her fifth attempt out of six attempts overall.

Other Top Results for Willamette

Jeremy Falk (Sr., Davis, CA/Davis HS) placed second in the men's 200-meter dash at 23.96 seconds. He edged out Jericho Peters of Corbna, who placed third in 24.17 seconds. Seth Tripp won the event for the Warriors in 22.84 seconds.

Andres Huante (So., Bloomington, CA/Grand Terrace HS) took second place in the men's 400-meter dash. He was timed at 53.66 seconds, just 0.30 behind the winner, Caleb Schmoll from Corban, who registered a time of 53.36 seconds.

Gabriel Regimbal (Sr., Bellingham, WA/Squalicum HS) was second in the men's 800-meter run at 2:06.18, as he was passed at the finish line by Cooley Forrest of Corban, who won the event in 2:06.12. Regimbal also took second place in the 1,500-meter run at 4:14.87. The Warriors' Robert Swoboda won the 1,500 in 3:59.28.

In addition to winning the men's discus and hammer throw, Kaszycki attained second place in the shot put. He achieved a distance of 35' 10.75". Corban's Will Cordero won the shot put with a mark of 40' 3.50".

Melissa Duncan (So., Canyon Country, CA/Canyon HS) grabbed second place in the women's 800-meter run with a time of 2:47.36.

Tenley Grant (Fy., Longview, WA/Kelso HS) was second and Abigail House (So., Oakland, OR/Oakland HS) was third in the women's shot put. Madilyn Kleiber of Corban took first place at 34' 2.25", with Grant following at 31' 10.25" and House recording a distance of 31' 6.75".

House was second and Mickelsen placed third in the women's hammer throw. House was credited with a mark of 120' 4", while Mickelsen produced a top distance of 119' 3".

Willamette was second in the men's 4 x 400-meter relay and the women's 4 x 400-meter relay. In the men's relay, Huante, Jordan Treber (Fy., Mount Vernon, OH/Mount Vernon HS), Falk, and Regimbal combined for a time of 3:42.67. In the women's relay, Riggs, Thornton, Piacsek, and Melissa Duncan (So., Santa Clarita, CA/Canyon HS) earned a time of 4:24.15.

Team Standings

Willamette won the women's dual meet with a score of 64 points, while Corban scored 62. The Warriors won the men's competition with a score of 83 points, as Willamette finished with 47 points.

Up Next for Willamette

A select group of Bearcats will compete at the Oregon State University Pacific Northwest Invitational on Saturday, March 19. The meet will be held at the Whyte Track & Field Center in Corvallis, Oregon.