AZUSA, Calif. & LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Western Washington University track & field program closed out three consecutive days of competition at the Azusa Pacific University Bryan Clay Invitational and began the first of two days at the Long Beach State University Beach Invitational on Friday with strong performances, including NCAA Division II provisional-qualifying marks from juniors Tupre Wickliff and Kyler Sager along with a provisional qualifier improvement for freshman Natalie Vetto at APU.
The Bryan Clay Invitational featured multi-events on Wednesday and Thursday, along with the 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase Thursday afternoon and evening during the Distance Carnival.
Freshman Seren Dances (Port Townsend, WA), the lone WWU competitor in the multi-events, recorded a program top-10 decathlon score while sophomore Peyton Shinnick (Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma) added a program top-10 steeplechase time among the efforts on Thursday for the Vikings.
Wickliff (Vancouver, WA/Evergreen/Clark College) and Sager (Snohomish, WA/Everett CC) were two of five Vikings to record program top-10 marks on Friday at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
The weekend trip continues for the Vikings with a full day of competition on Saturday during the second day of the Beach Invitational.
Bryan Clay Invitational Friday
Tupre Wickliff cleared 2.06m (6-9) in the high jump for a provisional-qualifying mark ranking in a tie for 5th on the program top-10 list as one of three personal-best and provisional-qualifying marks for WWU at Azusa Pacific on Friday. He finished 5th of 39 in the event and bettered the provisional standard of 2.04m, improving upon his GNAC-leading height entering the meet. His season-best height of 2.03m (6-8) had been recorded in late March and ranked tied for 9th on the program top-10 list.
Freshman Garrett Davies (Vancouver, WA/Mountain View) and sophomore Nick Makrakis (Concord, CA/Northgate) also competed in the high jump with Davies placing tied for 34th (1.91m/6-3 ¼) and Makrakis finishing 36th (1.86m, 6-1 ¼).
Kyler Sager finished 38th of 148 in the 800m with a personal-best and provisional-qualifying time of 1:51.94 to jump from 8th to 4th on the WWU outdoor top-10 list. His time is 2nd-best in the GNAC this season.
Sophomore Cordell Cummings (Arlington, WA) clocked a personal-best effort in the 110m hurdles, placing 20th of 59 in a time of 15.12. The effort is 2nd-best in the GNAC as of Friday night. Cummings also competed in the 400m hurdles on Friday, placing 23rd of 59 in a time of 54.13 for a season-best performance, also the 2nd-best time in the GNAC as of Friday.
In the 400m, freshman Bryant Welch (Burien, WA/Mount Rainier) placed 28th of 95 with a time of 49.09, which ranks 3rd-best in the conference this year. He also ran the 200m, finishing 35th among 103 with a personal-best effort of 22.00 with a top-8 GNAC time.
Junior James Jasperson (Lacey, WA/North Thurston/Everett CC) was the top placer of three Vikings in the morning section 1,500m in a time of personal-best of 3:58.16, finishing 6th of 116. Freshman Ian Fay (Duvall, WA/Cedarcrest) followed in 19th (4:00.57) and sophomore Edward Kiolbasa (Stillwater, MN/Stillwater Area/North Dakota) placed 39th in a personal-best time of 4:04.59.
Sophomore Liam Cossette (Spokane, WA) and junior Isaac Derline (Kent, WA/Kentridge) both ran the 1,500m Friday evening with Cossette finishing 161st of 254 in a personal-best time of 3:53.20 for the No. 8 time on the WWU top-10 list and 4th-best in the GNAC this season. Derline finished 247th in a time of 4:05.07.
In the field events, junior Alex Barry (Sequim, WA) finished 2nd of 23 in the javelin with a throw of 63.81m (209-4), above the provisional-qualifying standard but short of his personal-best mark of 64.77m (212-6) recorded at the WWU Team Invitational earlier in April.
Makrakis finished 40th in the long jump (season-best 6.55m, 21-6) and was followed in 45th by junior Jacob Ringold (Vancouver, WA/Columbia River) in 45th with a leap of 6.45m (21-2). The pair also competed in the triple jump, with Makrakis finishing 36th (personal-best 13.47m/44-2 ½) and Ringold placing 40th (13.33m, 43-8 ¾).
Senior Brandon Pless (Sedro-Woolley, WA) was 24th of 52 in the discus with a mark of 42.50m (139-5) while freshman Bryce Bryant-Leat (Spokane, WA/Lewis & Clark) followed in 29th with a mark of 41.48m (136-1). Freshman Avery Lux (Fort Collins, CO/Fossil Ridge) was 39th (37.83m, 124-1).
On the women’s side, junior Savannah Smith (Renton, WA) was 33rd of 77 in the 400m with a time of 57.12, recording a personal-best time to improve from a 57.24 recorded at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival at the end of March and remaining 7th on the program top-10 list.
Sophomore Hannah Bradley (Bellingham, WA) finished 49th of 114 in the 100m a personal-best time of 12.47, bettering a time of 12.62 set earlier in the year at the University of British Columbia Open.
Smith and Bradley both recorded personal-bests in the 200m, with Smith placing 28th of 106 (25.30) and Bradley followed in 38th (25.46). Smith’s time ranks 4th on the program top-10 list (previous PR 25.32 was 5th) while Bradley enters the list in a tie for 8th after improving from a previous top time of 25.71 set at the WWU Team Invitational earlier in the month.
Sophomore Sophia Galvez (Los Alamos, NM) was 231st in the 1,500m (4:49.61) and Peyton Shinnick finished 264th (personal-best 4:57.61) in the last track event of the meet Friday evening.
Among the field events, sophomore Raquel Pellecer (Sandy, OR/Portland State) was 1st of 46 in the javelin, winning the event for the fifth time in six meets during the season. Her best throw was 46.92m (153-11), a provisional mark but shy of her top throw of 47.91m (157-2) recorded in late March.
Freshman Natalie Vetto (Kirkland, WA/Lake Washington) was 2nd in the javelin with a personal-best mark of 44.94m (147-5), bettering her top throw of 44.61m (146-4 ¼) from early in the season with another provisional-qualifying throw. Freshman Hannah Nienaber (Battle Ground, WA/Prairie) finished 17th with a throw of 38.36m (125-10)
Sophomore Chanelle Eddy (Bellingham, WA/Sehome/Whitworth) competed in both the discus and shot put, placing 16th of 52 in the discus (41.24m, 135-3) and 34th of 53 in the shot put with a mark of 11.13m (36-6 ¼).
Junior Maddie Taylor (Seattle, WA/Auburn Mountainview/Montana) cleared 1.62m (5-3 ¾) in the high jump to finish 26th.
WWU alumni and All-American sprinter Alex Donigian won the 100m at the Bryan Clay Invitational with a time of 10.59. He also placed 14th in the 200m with a time of 21.35 (21.350).
Beach Invitational Friday
WWU had competitors in the hammer throw and pole vault on Friday at the Beach Invitational, with more Vikings entered to compete on Saturday.
Avery Lux placed 45th (49.93m/163-10) in the hammer throw and Brandon Pless followed in 46th (49.84m/163-6).
Senior Adam Thomas (Washougal, WA) tied for 11th in the pole vault (4.30m/14-1 ¼)
In the women’s pole vault, junior Rachael Roberts (Woodinville, WA/Bellevue College) and sophomore Jewels Oliquiano (Kaneohe, HI/Castle) each cleared 3.45m (11-3 ¾) with Roberts placing tied for 20th and Oliquiano 22nd. Freshman Hannah Dodson (Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale) finished 25th at a height of 3.30m (10-10).
WWU alumni and All-American javelin standouts Bethany Drake and Katie Reichert competed in the javelin at the Beach Invitational Friday, with Drake placing 8th (50.75m, 166-6) and Reichert finishing 15th (47.46m, 155-8).
Bryan Clay Invitational Distance Carnival and Multis (Wednesday and Thursday)
Freshman Seren Dances (Port Townsend, WA) recorded a program top-10 performance in the decathlon, after events began Wednesday and concluded Thursday at the Bryan Clay Invitational. He totaled 6,151 points in 6th place among the Group 1 section with four total decathlon groups.
His score ranks 5th on the WWU top-10 list, improving from his total of 5,535 points recorded during his first decathlon of the year at the University of British Columbia Open on March 30-31.
Dances posted top-3 finishes in the 100m (11.44 – 3rd), long jump (6.78m/22-3 – 2nd) and high jump (1.89m/6-2 ¼) during the first day of competition. He recorded personal-best marks in the high jump, shot put (10.66m/34-11 ¾ — 8th), 400m (51.76 – 7th) and 1,500m (4:53.11 – 7th) along with a non-wind aided best time in the 100m (11.44).
Ian Fay placed 57th of 99 in the 3,000m steeplechase on Thursday afternoon with a time of 9:24.20 in a personal-best performance. He bettered his previous top time of 9:32.99 at the Seattle Pacific University Doris Heritage Track Festival on March 24.
Peyton Shinnick also competed in the 3,000m steeplechase Thursday afternoon, placing 67th of 93 with a time of 11:16.00 with a WWU program top-10 time. The time was an improvement over her effort of 11:26.83 at the WWU Team Invitational two weeks ago, moving her from 7th to 5th on the program top-10 list.
Sophomore Sophia Galvez (Los Alamos, NM) finished 7th of 34 in heat 5 of the 5,000m during the evening, crossing the line with a personal-best time of 17:25.49. The time improved upon her previous best time of 17:45.53 from the Pacific Lutheran University Open on March 10.
Isaac Derline placed 27th in heat 5 of the 5,000m in a late evening race, finishing with a time of 15:20.89. His top time during the season is a personal-best 14:47.99 (No. 10 WWU top-10), recorded March 31 at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival.
Edward Kiolbasa closed out the night of competition for WWU by winning Heat 8 of the 5,000m with a personal-best time of 14:56.46 to finish 1st of 34 placers. His previous top time was 15:16.46 set at the SPU Doris Heritage Track Festival.
WWU alumni Andrew Wise placed 25th in heat 5 of the 5,000m with a time of 15.11.72 on Thursday night as well.
Courtesy of WWU Athletics.
