Bearcats Win 5 Events as Thornton, Thompson, McArthur, and Shaw Place First
Newberg and Portland, Ore. - Willamette Women's Track & Field competed at two different meets on Saturday and came away with some top performances. The throwers traveled to George Fox University for the Rich Allen Classic, while the runners and jumpers competed at the Electric Forest Open hosted by Lewis & Clark College.
At the Rich Allen Classic, Kaiona Apio placed fourth in the Javelin with a throw of 35m and took 10th in the Hammer Throw. Olivia Jacobson led the Bearcats in the Discus by placing sixth and took 12th in the Hammer, while Henri Osborne placed fourth in the Shot Put, 9th in the Discus, and 18th in the Hammer.
At Lewis & Clark College, Katherine Thornton swept the hurdle events for the second week in a row, winning both the 100m and 400m Hurdles. Other winners for Willamette on the afternoon were Morgan Shaw in the 3000m Steeplechase, Amanda Mcarthur in the Triple Jump, and Ella Thompson in the High Jump. Thompson also took third in the 100m Hurdles and ninth in the 200m on the day.
The Bearcats had a number of top-six finishes on the day, led by Anastasiia Lemesh, who finished second in the Steeplechase, and the 4x100m Relay team of Thornton, Thompson, Mashani Coleman Toliver, and Kenzie Lee, who also placed second. Other top finishers for Willamette were Janae Howard (4th) and Salah Williams (5th) in the Triple Jump; Katie Briggs (5th) and Coleman Toliver (6th) in the 400m Hurdles; Erica Snyder (5th) in the Long Jump; and Snyder (5th) and Sage Miller (6th) in the 100m Hurdles.
Track & Field returns to competition on Saturday, March 15th, when they travel to Eugene, Oregon, to participate in a meet hosted by Lane Community College.