SEATTLE, Wash. – The Western Washington University Track & Field team opened the 2019 indoor season on Saturday competing at the UW Preview at the Dempsey Indoor Center on the University of Washington campus.
The Vikings had 40 student-athletes compete in the indoor meet, with senior All-American pole vaulter Anna Paradee and junior high jumper Maddie Taylor highlighting the performances by recording NCAA Division II provisional marks in their events.
In addition to the two NCAA II provisional marks, the Vikings had 10 new entries into the WWU Indoor Track & Field record book.
HIGH JUMPERS
Maddie Taylor (Seattle, WA/Auburn Mountainview) finished 2nd out of 32 competitors in the high jump, clearing 1.73m/5-8. The mark is tied for the 2nd-best jump in program history, narrowly trailing the 1.74m/5-8.5 jump by Miranda Osadchey in 2016. Taylor is competing in her first indoor season after winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference outdoor title in 2018. Sophomore Heather Faretta (Hanalei, HI/Kapaa) equaled her PR of 1.60m/5-3, which is 8th-best in program history.
In the men’s high jump, senior Tupre Wickliff (Vancouver, WA/Evergreen/Clark CC) and sophomore Garrett Davies (Vancouver, WA/Mountain View) both cleared 2.00m to place 6th and 7th in the 21-competitor field. Wickliff fell just short of his PR of 2.01m/6-7 that is tied for 3rd in WWU history, while Davies entered the WWU record book with the 5th-best mark.
VAULTING VIKINGS
Anna Paradee (Tacoma, WA/Decatur) placed 7th out of 35 competitors clearing 3.75m/12-3.5, blowing away the provisional mark of 3.57m. WWU featured 10 of the 35 competitors in the event, with Rachael Roberts (Woodinville, WA/Bellevue College) placing 18th (3.45m/11-3.75) and freshman Sophia Paradis (Carnation, WA/Cedarcrest) and junior Lexi Perry (Arlington, WA/Lakewood/Spokane CC) tying for 20th (3.30m/10-10).
Senior J.T. Konrad (Mead, WA/Mount Spokane) placed 16th clearing 4.30m.
LONG JUMPS
WWU had 10 of the 21 competitors in the men’s long jump, with three Vikings placing in the top 10. Redshirt freshman Seren Dances (Port Townsend, WA) placed 2nd with a leap of 6.89m/22-7.25 for the 6th-best mark in WWU history. Freshman Ethan Sterkel (Longview, WA/RA Long) made his collegiate debut placing 5th with a jump of 6.73m/22-1, just missing the school top 10 list.
TRIPLE JUMP
Sophomore Devon Olson (Bothell, WA/Inglemoor) placed 11th in the women’s triple jump with a jump of 10.83m/35-6.5 for the 7th-best mark in program history. Freshman Jamie Sanford (San Diego, CA/Westview) was right behind Olson placing 13th at 10.64m/34-11 for the 8th-best mark in program history.
The men’s triple jump featured four Vikings competing in the 13-athlete field, with senior Somit Chhim (Kelso, WA) leading the way with a 6th-place finish recording a mark of 13.55m/44-5.5.
FAST VIKINGS
WWU had several standout performances on the track, led by junior sprinter Hannah Bradley (Bellingham, WA). Bradley narrowly missed her PR by 1/100th of a second clocking 7.87 to finish 18th in the 60m and recorded the 5th-best time in WWU indoor history finishing 17th in the 200m in 25.68.
The Vikings had seven runners in the men’s 400m, with four placing in the top 10. Sophomore Bryant Welch (Burien, WA/Mount Rainier) placed 4th in 49.92 (PR is 49.01) to lead the way, while sophomore Myles Smith (6th, 49.96), freshman Mark Daniels (7th, 50.06) and freshman Ryan Witters (10th, 51.01) also earned top-10 finishes. Smith (Puyallup, WA) recorded the 8th-best time in program history and Daniels (Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale) tied for 9th.
Senior Savannah Smith (Renton, WA) finished 7th in the women’s 400m in 58.63.
In the men’s 60m, freshman Noah Johnson (Bellingham, WA) led the way finishing 21st in 7.17, just outside the school top 10.
A QUICK MILE
Senior Kyler Sager (Snohomish, WA/Everett CC) finished 29th out of 42 runners completing the men’s mile in 4:19.17, the 10th-fastest time in program history.
BIG THROWS
Junior Chanelle Eddy (Bellingham, WA/Sehome/Whitworth) placed 19th in the women’s shot put with a throw of 10.86m/35-7.75 just missing her PR of 10.94m/35-10.75 set last season (6th in WWU history). Sophomore Maya McFadden (Snohomish, WA/Glacier Peak/Idaho) placed 20th with a throw of 10.76m/35-3.75 for the 9th-best mark in WWU indoor history.
RELAYS
The men’s 4x400m relay finished 4th out of 11 entries, trailing only Pac-12 powers Stanford and Washington (two teams). The Vikings relay squad of Mark Daniels, Koby Okezie (Fr., Tacoma, WA/Todd Beamver), Reid Lovercamp (Sr., Wenatchee, WA) and Myles Smith finished in 3:23.01 to land just outside of the program top 10.
The women’s 4×400 relay finished 16th in 4:10.09 with Mallory Harder (Fr., Bothell, WA), Mirannda Shulman (RS Fr., Kennewick, WA/Kamiakin), Molly House (So., Auburn, WA/Auburn Mountainview) and Hannah Bradley competing for the Vikings.
