Track & Field Perform Well Against Division I Competition

 

4.21.07

 

Ben Welch

 

Pullman, Wash - Competing primarily against NCCA Division 1 competition, the EOU Track and Field team had a very good showing on Saturday at the Washington State University Cougar Invite in Pullman Washington.

This week, competing in slightly better weather (50- 57 degrees and MUCH less wind than last week) the track event groups took a big step forward, with one win on the track and one new school record in a relay.

The biggest story of the day belongs to the women's 4 x 400 (consisting of, once again, Reis, Deboodt, Gillespie and Murphy). Not only did this quartet finish second behind Washington State they surpassed the NAIA Provisional mark and broke the school record by about 3 tenths of a second (the old school record was 4:00.98 and they ran 4:00.61). Given the cooler weather right at the end of the meet, the busy day all 4 ladies had (all of them had competed in at least two other events earlier in the meet), we are very pleased and excited about this performance.

 

Mitch Wheelhouse and Tiffany Ulmer continue to lead the way within the throws group as Mitch had another solid day and Tiffany improved in the shot put by 2 feet from last week. Ulmer also improved in the Hammer by a whopping 20 feet. All in all, the throwers had another very solid weekend, with 6 season and or life time best marks being recorded.

Kayla Weissert continues to jump well and very nearly had an NAIA Provisional mark this week when her pole, of all things, knocked the bar off at 11' 5.75". Both Chris Hoppie and Tennly Paul-Bowden had solid days as well.

Despite some timing issues in the 100 and 110 hurdles (both Kasie Gillespie and Chris Hoppie ended up without marks do to a timing problem in the High Hurdles), we had a very good day in the short races. Hoppie's mark, as we know where he finished, would have been a lifetime best. Chelsee Harmon ran her first 100 meter hurdle race in three years and did a very nice job.

In the 100 meters Kasie Gillespie, Erin Ontko and Tennly Paul- Bowden ran their first 100 meters of the year and recorded very solid Marks and in the 200 Nathan Schmidt ran a life time PR in a well run race.

In the 400 meters both Dani's (Reis and Murphy) set life time open 400 meter PR's and Reis scrambled her way onto our all time top 5 list at number 5 and Matt lane had a season best.

In the 400 meter Hurdles, both Adam Miller and Ryan Browne ran season's best marks.

At 1500 meters, Sara bates once again won her heat in dominating style (this time to place 9th overall) and Zach Heath ran a strong race to win in a very close finish (.25 of a second) over a runner from Washington State and less than a second ahead of a fast closing Adam Goulet in 3rd. Both male runners recorded life time PR's as well.

In the 3,000 meter race, Marcella Bosch did a text book job of running an even pace to record a life time PR to finish second and narrowly miss wining behind a runner from the University of Montana when her late charge came up a bit short.

In the 3,000 meter Steeplechase we had a group of athletes run well, with Laura Clayton finishing second and narrowly missing her PR and Josh Ego finishing well in his first steeplechase in two seasons. Josh was followed closely by Cam Starner who dropped several seconds off his time from last week at Central Washington.

All four relays (men and women in both the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays) ran very well with the women's, 4 x 100 consisting of Reis, Grace Deboodt, Gillespie and Murphy, recording the second fastest time in school history (about a quarter of a second off the school record) and the men's squad of Schmidt, Lane, Lucas Ohmes and Miller, running a season best.

In the 4 x 400 the men ran their second best mark of the year to finish only 6 hundredths of a second from the win behind Washington State. The men's relay consisted of Miller, Goulet, Lane and Hoppie.

All in all, we are pleased with how well the athletes competed form the top to the bottom and are looking forward to competing at Boise State on Friday the 27th….perhaps the weather will be warm and calm.

 

 

 

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