SPOKANE, WA – Two relay records fell and Nikolous Bertling secured his return to the national meet with an automatic-qualifying mark in the pole vault at the Whitworth Twilight on Thursday. Geraldin Correa hit a provisional standard in the 800m, and 19 Warriors set personal-bests on the day.
“Pretty good day despite the cold conditions,” Head Coach Mike Collins said. “A little breezy in the early running events but calmed down later. We had some outstanding efforts in our middle distance, the guys really rocked it in the 800m today with multiple conference qualifiers.”
THE MEN
All-American Bertling will look to repeat at nationals after he hit the A standard in the pole vault with a season-best mark of 4.80m.
The Warriors set a pair of relay records, starting with a time of 42.05 in the 4x100m relay by the team of Jedidiah Barnaby, Jordan Castillo, London Kirk and Justin Krabbenhoft. The quartet of Ike Hopper, Kirk, Krabbenhoft and Carter Gordon set the LC record in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:20.01. Bertling, Castillo, Braden Wuthrich and Tristan Wood teamed up to run a time of 3:40.06.
“A big plus today was our two relays getting closer and closer to that national-qualifying standard,” Collins added. “It would be a great day to see them qualify as I am not sure we have ever had either one of those relays qualified for nationals.”
Gordon ran a personal-best time of 1:53.12 to win the 800m, just shy of a national-qualifying time. Griffen Parsells was right behind him in second (1:53.65) and Kobe Wessels was third (1:55.49), all with PRs. Conner May placed fifth (1:56.00), Cooper Carlson finished sixth (1:57.30) and Wood was 17th (2:09.54).
Hopper won the 110m hurdles (15.59). Barnaby ran a personal-best time of 11.01 to win the 100m dash, Castillo was third (11.37) and Ian Gardom finished 10th (11.90). Barnaby also ran a PR in the 200m (22.53) to finish first.
Krabbenhoft was also in action in the high jump with a personal-best mark of 1.90m. Wuthrich was second (1.78m) to tie with teammates Gardom (1.78m).
In throws, Sam Weller threw a personal-best distance of 36.97m to finish eighth in the discus. Jaycob Atencio was ninth (36.56m), Jon Wattles placed 10th (36.46m) and Tanner Beltz-Childs was 12th with a PR of 30.43m.
Atencio bettered his second-best mark in program history in the hammer throw with a mark of 49.48m to finish second. Wattles also hit a PR to take third (42.26m), Jack Hardee was seventh (39.02m), Beltz-Childs finished 10th (36.79m) and Weller threw a season-best to take 11th (35.22m).
“Jaycob had a big day in the hammer and had a really good final throw,” Collins said.
Brycen Kempton led LC in the 5,000m with a third-place finish on a time of 15:20.28. Connor Turpin was fourth (15:38.87), Connor Alexander was fifth (16:16.14) and Luke Sellmann was sixth (17:49.59). In the 1,500m, Tristin O’Brien placed 15th (4:26.77) and Wood was 17th (4:34.23).
Gardom leapt a distance of 12.42m in the triple jump. Krabbenhoft threw a personal-best in the javelin (37.93m) to take 14th.
THE WOMEN
Correa earned her spot at nationals with a time of 2:15.98 in the 800m. She won the event with Grace Tiegs in fourth (2:21.89) and Grace McCormick in 10th (2:36.46).
Jennah Carpenter made her return to the track with a pair of PRs. She was fifth in the 100m (13.14) and second in the 200m (27.28).
Cassidy Henderson threw a personal-best for the second straight meet and did so in her first two attempts in the hammer throw. She finished third with a mark of 38.32m. She also placed eighth in the discus (29.21m). Grace Osborne was sixth in the discus (34.30m), fifth in the shot put (9.71m) and sixth with a PR of 35.99m in the hammer throw.
In the pole vault, Desiree Winslow cleared a career-best height of 3.05m to tie for third-best all-time. Emberlynn Mack cleared a mark of 2.78m.
Emma Harless was seventh in the 100m (13.88) and Mack was ninth (14.17). Harless hit a PR in the high jump with a mark of 1.48m to take third.
Clara Stephens ran her first 3,000m steeplechase and clocked a time of 12:30.29.
The duo of Emily Collins and Anika Grogan finished first and second, respectively, in the 400m. Collins ran a time of 58.68 and Grogan crossed the line in 59.42. Grogan won the 200m with a time of 25.68.
Brooklyn Shell was the top LC finisher in the 1,500m run with a time of 4:52.53, Abigail Peightal ran a time of 5:21.21 and McCormick finished in 5:21.84. They all finished in the top 15.
Keelyn Pilcher placed third in the 400m hurdles (1:11.47), Sydnie Zywina won the triple jump (10.91m) and Kea Stieglitz won the javelin (38.65m).
Freshman Chloe Overberg led a group of Warrior women in the 5,000m in second with a time of 18:19.43. Abigail Gorton was fourth (19:56.43), Madison Howe finished fifth (21:10.34) and Haileyann Johnson was sixth (21:34.29).
