MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Washington University men’s and women’s track & field teams are off to a good start following the first day of competition on Friday at the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at McArthur Field on the Western Oregon University campus.
The men’s team is in the lead with 65 points with 7 of 20 events completed, and the Viking women are in 3rd place with 40.5 points. The WWU men are looking to add the 2019 outdoor team title to the indoor conference championship the program claimed in February. The two-day event concludes Saturday with field events beginning at 2:25 pm and the first running event at 4:45 pm.
Western sophomore Seren Dances (Port Townsend, WA) highlighted the first day of competition at the GNAC Championships, adding the outdoor long jump title to the indoor championship he claimed earlier this season. Dances, who also placed 6th at the GNAC Multi Event Championships in late April, became the fourth Viking to win the outdoor long jump title (5th time) setting a personal-best mark with a top jump of 7.20m/23-7.5 (4th in WWU history). He joins former WWU jumpers Kyle McGillen (2005-06), Kevin Yates (2014) and Brett Watson (2015) as GNAC Outdoor Champions in the long jump.
WWU’s distance runners also had a banner day on the track, with senior Dylan Hayes (Seattle, WA/Garfield) claiming All-GNAC honors with a 2nd-place finish in the 3,000m Steeplechase finishing in 9:08.22. Sophomore Ed Kiolbasa (Stillwater, MN/Stillwater Area) also earned All-GNAC honors with a 2nd-place finish in the 10,000m in 32:19.18.
Junior Chanelle Eddy (Bellingham, WA/Sehome/Whitworth) placed 2nd in the women’s discus with a top throw of 43.49m/142-8) and junior Lexi Perry (Arlington, WA/Lakewood/Spokane CC) was 3rd in the women’s pole vault clearing 3.62m/11-10.5). Both Eddy and Perry earned All-GNAC honors for top three finishes.
