4/17/2008 – NWC CHAMPIONSHIPS: Willamette Women, Linfield Men Hoping to Defend NWC Crowns
NEWBERG, Ore. – Willamette University will be seeking its seventh straight women’s title while Linfield College, after snapping a string of five straight Willamette wins last year, hopes to hold onto its men’s crown as the 2008 Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships get under way Friday and Saturday, April 18-19, here at George Fox University’s Colcord Memorial Field.
Friday’s action commences at 2:00 p.m. with the women’s pole vault and shot put and the men’s long jump and javelin. Saturday’s events begin at 10:30 a.m., with the awards ceremonies scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Tickets for the NWC Championships are $10 for an Adult All-Championship Pass (2 days), $6 for a Youth/Seniors All-Championship Pass (2 days) or an Adult Single Day ticket, and $3 for a Youth/Seniors Single Day ticket. Students from the NWC schools will be admitted free with a school ID.
Willamette’s defense of its women’s championship will be led by distance runner Jena Winger and thrower Melinda Fahey. Winger set a school record with a 10:51.06 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, the best mark in the NWC this season, and also leads in the 5,000 meter run (17:21.59). Fahey leads the discus (136-1) and is second in the hammer with a school-record 162-4. Another Bearcat who leads entering the NWC meet is Brooke Smith in the high jump (5-3.25, tied with George Fox’s Melissa Marek-Farris).
Host George Fox, which was the runner-up to Willamette last year, hopes to overtake the favorite on the strength of its sprinters. Melissa Leighty in the 200 meter dash (26.02), JulieKay Brown in the 400 meter dash (58.30), Rachel Giffey-Brohaugh in the 800 meter run (2:14.56), and Lisa Mensonides in the 400 meter hurdles (1:02.84) are all conference leaders coming in. The Bruins’ 4x100 meter (48.97) and 4x400 meter (4:00.72) relay teams also have the best marks in the NWC to date. Marek-Farris in the high jump and Cindy Walsh in the long jump (17-7.50) are other leading Bruins.
Caitlin McGrane of the University of Puget Sound won the NWC heptathlon 10 days ago, giving the Loggers 10 early points, and also holds the league lead in the 100 meter hurdles (14.94). Janece Levien in the 100 meter dash (12.43) holds the top spot coming in as well.
Linfield College has two leaders as the meet begins with Marci Klimek in the 10,000 meter run (37:57.86) and Brooke Carstensen in the pole vault (11-0.75). Taylor Hacker of Pacific Lutheran University is a two-event leader in the shot put (37-11.5) and the hammer (171-5). Kelsey Owens of Pacific University has the top mark in the 1,500 meter run (4:39.96), while Kristen Dormaier of Whitworth tops the triple jump (37-0.25) and Roxanne Gilbride of Lewis & Clark College the javelin (128-10).
On the men’s side, Linfield will look to hold off Willamette behind multi-talented brothers Josh and Jeremy Lovell and sprinters Scott Vanassche and Mat Strum. The Lovells finished fourth (Josh) and fifth (Jeremy) in the NWC decathlon, earning nine early points for the Wildcats. Vanassche is the NWC leader in the 100 (10.98) and is second in the 200 (22.66), while Strum is first in the 200 (22.57) and second in the 400 (49.49).
Willamette features four athletes standing atop five conference events who could lift the Bearcats back to the top. They include Ian Batch in the 1,500 (3:56.97) and the 5,000 (14:31.79), Kellen Peters in the steeplechase (9:28.34), Jacob Monroe in the discus (147-6), and Grant Piros in the javelin (200-4).
George Fox has an early lead in the championship with 16 points thanks to a first-place finish by Ben Dillow (6,716) and a third-place finish by Ryan Forbes (6,531) in the NWC decathlon 10 days ago. Dillow is also the pole vault leader (14-5.5). The Bruins’ 4x100 relay team ranks first (42.46).
Whitworth’s Ben Spaun, who was second in the decathlon, holds the conference lead in both the 110 hurdles (14.92) and 400 hurdles (55.41). Other Pirates in first place include Emmanuel Bofa in the 800 (1:51.01), Nicholas Gallagher in the 10,000 (32:05.00), Cody Stelzer in the high jump (6-11), and double leader Jeff Kintner in the shot put (52-2.5) and the hammer (170-1). The Pirates’ 4x400 relay team is also the conference’s best (3:18.38).
Pacific has a two-event leader in Carson Bartlett, who paces the NWC in the long jump (22-11.75) and the triple jump (46-6.25). Pacific Lutheran freshman Isaac Moog has had a fine season, leading the league in the 400 (49.49).
Nationally, the Northwest Conference has 26 athletes who have qualified automatically or provisionally for the NCAA National Championships in May, including decathlon leader Ben Dillow of George Fox. Whitworth’s Bofa in the men’s 200 and George Fox’s Mensonides in the women’s 400 hurdles are second. Three other NWC athletes are in the top seven in the women’s 400 hurdles, including Elizabeth Mattila of Linfield (third), Jordyn Smith of Willamette (sixth), and Faven Araya of PLU (seventh). Willamette’s Winger in the women’s steeplechase, PLU’s Hacker in the women’s hammer, and Batch in the men’s 5,000 are both third nationally. Winger in the women’s 5,000, Willamette’s Piros in the men’s javelin, and Whitworth’s Spaun in the decathlon are all fourth in the NCAA.