4/19/2008 – NWC CHAMPIONSHIPS: Willamette Women, Whitworth Men Hang onto First-Day Leads for Titles
NWC Championships Final Results
NEWBERG, Ore. – Led by the respective Athletes of the Year, Jena Winger for the women and Ben Spaun for the men, the Willamette University women and the Whitworth University men hung onto the leads they had built on Friday to win the 2008 Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships on a weather-challenged Saturday here at George Fox University’s Colcord Memorial Field.
Willamette’s Bearcats captured their seventh consecutive conference women’s crown with 224.50 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up and host George Fox, which was second for the second year in a row with 181.50 points. Whitworth was well back in third with 97.50 points, followed by Linfield College with 86.50, the University of Puget Sound with 79, Pacific Lutheran University with 72, Pacific University with 40, and Lewis & Clark College with 37.
The Whitworth Pirates’ men prevailed in a close three-team chase with 196 points, upending defending champion Linfield, which had 181 points, and Willamette with 177.50. George Fox took fourth with 115.50 points, followed by Puget Sound with 78, Pacific with 37, Pacific Lutheran with 26, and Lewis & Clark with 8.
Winger was named the Women’s Athlete of the Year after winning the 1,500 meter run (4:42.98) and the 5,000 meter run (18:01.06), adding those titles to the 3,000 meter steeplechase she had won the day before while breaking her own NWC record in that event.
Spaun claimed the Men’s Athlete of the Year award by winning the 110 meter hurdles (15.06) and the 400 meter hurdles (54.43), meeting an NCAA provisional mark and setting a new Colcord Field record in the latter event. He also ran the first leg for the winning 4x400 meter relay team (3:18.64), and finished second in the NWC decathlon two weeks ago with an NCAA automatic qualifying score of 6,641 points.
Other women’s track winners on Saturday included Janece Levien of Puget Sound in the 100 meter dash (12.69), Jennifer Luecht of Willamette in the 200 meter dash (26.09), Lisa Mensonides of George Fox in the 400 meter dash (58.13) and the 400 meter hurdles (1:02.64, an NCAA provisional mark and second-best in the NCAA this year), Jordyn Smith of Willamette in the 800 meter run (2:20.20), and Caitlin McGrane of Puget Sound in the 100 meter hurdles (15.03).
In the women’s relay races, the George Fox team of Elisha Kampfe, Mollie Honan, Irene Johnson and Melissa Leighty won the 4x100 meters (49.11), and the Willamette team of Luecht, Smith, Kaitlin St. John and Lydia Marsalli won the 4x400 meters (3:58.12).
In the Saturday field events, women’s winners were Melissa Marek-Farris of George Fox in the high jump (5-1.25 / 1.56m), Risa Allen of Pacific in the triple jump (36-4.25 / 11.08m), Melinda Fahey of Willamette in the discus (135-5 / 41.28m), and Taylor Hacker of Pacific Lutheran in the hammer (155-4 / 47.34m, an NCAA provisional mark). Fahey also hit the provisional mark while finishing second in the hammer (154-9 / 47.18m).
Men’s track winners on Saturday were Scott Vanassche of Linfield in the 100 meter dash (11.05) and the 200 meter dash (22.46), Garrett Blizzard of George Fox in the 400 meter dash (49.07), Brandon Howell of Whitworth in the 800 meter run (1:54.05), Kyle Kotaich of Willamette in the 1,500 meter run (3:59.26), and Ian Batch of Willamette in the 5,000 meter run (15:08.84).
In the men’s relays, the Linfield team of Vanassche, Mat Strum, and Jeremy and Josh Lovell won the 4x100 meters (42.44), and the Whitworth team of Spaun, Dusty Caseria, Howell and Emmanuel Bofa won the 4x400 meters (3:18.64).
Men’s field event winners Saturday included Ben Dillow of George Fox in the pole vault (14-6.75 / 4.44m), Carson Bartlett of Pacific in the triple jump (46-8 / 14.22m, an NCAA provisional mark), Jeff Kintner of Whitworth in the discus (149-9 / 45.65m), and Greg Bailey of Puget Sound in the hammer (162-4 / 49.49m).
Matt McGuirk of Willamette was named the NWC Women’s Coach of the Year for the fifth straight year, while Toby Schwarz of Whitworth was named the NWC Men’s Coach of the Year for the third time. All athletes who finished in the top three in each event were awarded All-Conference honors as well.