By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- It's an exciting weekend for the athletes on the Willamette University track and field teams as they will travel the short distance to Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, for the 2018 Northwest Conference Championships on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21. All of the events will occur at or near Maxwell Field on the Linfield campus.
Action gets underway at 2 p.m. (PDT) on Friday and at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. On Friday, finals will be held in women's pole vault, men's high jump, men's and women's long jump, men's and women's hammer throw, men's and women's shot put, men's and women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, and men's and women's 10,000-meter run. Preliminary heats will take place on Friday in all of the dashes and hurdles, as well as the men's and women's 800-meter run. All events on Saturday will be finals.
Four Bearcats are ranked in the top 30 on NCAA Division III performance lists for the season.
Hannah Swanson (Sr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) is fourth in the nation in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:49.91 in her only competition in the event. She recorded her time during the Willamette vs. Corban Dual on March 15. Swanson ranks 16th in the women's 1,500-meter run with a top result of 4:37.65. She placed 13th in the nation in the 1,500 at the 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Hope Duenas (So., Covina, CA/Covina HS) is fifth in Division III in the women's discus. Her top throw covered 147' 2". She is 50th in the country in the hammer throw at 151' 0".
In the women's 400-meter hurdles, Jewell Sparks (Sr., San Francisco, CA/Lick Wilmerding HS) is listed 17th with a top time of 1:03.46 from April 6 at the John Knight Twilight. Last year, Sparks competed at the 2017 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships and placed 19th in the nation.
For the Willamette men's team, Keaton Beckmann (Fr., Salem, OR/Sprague HS) is ranked 27th in the long jump. His best distance so far this season was 22' 9" at the Chico State Invitational. Beckmann is ninth in NCAA Division III in the decathlon with a high of 6,184 points. He placed fifth in the decathlon at the NWC Multi-Event Championships on April 9-10.
Bearcats Competing this Weekend
Friday, April 20
2:00 p.m. - Women's Pole Vault (Flights and Final) - Isabel Solano
2:00 p.m. - Men's Long Jump (Flights and Final) - Keaton Beckmann, Brian Peck
2:00 p.m. - Men's Hammer Throw (Flights and Final) - Saige Swan (Flight 1), Josh Martin (Flight 1)
2:00 p.m. - Women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase (Final) - Risa Shutz, Hannah Swanson, Emily Evans
2:20 p.m - Men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase (Final) - Michael Montague
3:00 p.m. - Women's 100-meter Hurdles (Heats) -Melissa Scott (Heat 1)
3:15 p.m. - Men's 110-meter Hurdles (Heats) - Brian Peck (Heat 2)
3:30 p.m. - Women's 400-meter Dash (Heats) - Bridgette Peirce (Heat 1)
3:40 p.m. - Men's 400-meter Dash (Heats) - Riley Burton (Heat 1), Jack Wellman (Heat 1), Keaton Beckmann (Heat 2)
3:50 p.m. - Women's 100-meter Dash (Heats) - Teneah Rushen (Heat 2)
4:00 p.m. - Men's 100-meter Dash (Heats) - Connor Giannini (Heat 1), Orion Ewell (Heat 2)
4:10 p.m. - Women's 800-meter Run (Heats) - Isabel Duxbury (Heat 2), Hazel Carr (Heat 2), Grace Crookham-Guy (Heat 2)
4:25 p.m. - Men's 800-meter Run (Heats) - Jack Kobylka (Heat 2)
4:30 p.m. - Men's Shot Put (Flights and Final) - Josh Martin (Flight 2), Saige Swan (Flight 2)
4:30 p.m. - Men's High Jump (Flights and Final) - Brian Peck, Elijah Hall-Crockett
4:30 p.m. - Women's Hammer Throw (Flights and Final) - Jeidah DeZurney (Flight 1), Hope Duenas (Flight 2)
4:40 p.m. - Women's 400-meter Hurdles (Heats) - Jewell Sparks (Heat 2), Isabel Solano (Heat 3)
5:20 p.m. - Men's 200-meter Dash (Heats) - Connor Giannini (Heat 2)
6:30 p.m. - Men's 10,000-meter Run (Final) - Ricardo Castillo-Flores, Keith Carlson
Saturday, April 20
10:30 a.m. - Men's Javelin Throw (Flights and Final) - Keaton Beckmann (Flight 1)
10:30 a.m. - Women's Discus Throw (Flights and Final) - Jeidah DeZurney (Flight 1), Hope Duenas (Flight 2)
10:30 a.m. - Men's Triple Jump (Flights and Final) - Elijah Hall-Crockett
10:30 a.m. - Women's High Jump (Flights and Final) - Melissa Scott, Brittany Broughton
12:00 p.m. - Women's 4 x 100-meter Relay (Final) - Willamette (Sonja Cox-Raman, Bridgette Peirce, Jewell Sparks, Teneah Rushen)
12:05 p.m. - Men's 4 x 100-meter Relay (Final) - Willamette (D'Angelo Guiton, Orion Ewell, Jack Wellman, Connor Giannini)
12:10 p.m. - Women's 1,500-meter Run (Final) - Hannah Swanson
12:20 p.m. - Men's 1,500-meter Run (Final) - Jack Kobylka
12:35 p.m. - Women's 100-meter Hurdles (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
12:40 p.m. - Men's 110-meter Hurdles (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
12:50 p.m. - Women's 400-meter Dash (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
12:55 p.m. - Men's 400-meter Dash (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
1:00 p.m. - Men's Discus (Flights and Final) - Saige Swan
1:00 p.m. - Women's Triple Jump (Flights and Final) - Alex Stacy (Flight 1)
1:00 p.m. - Women's 100-meter Dash (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
1:05 p.m. - Men's 100-meter Dash (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
1:10 p.m. - Women's 800-meter Run (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
1:20 p.m. - Men's 800-meter Run (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
1:30 p.m. - Women's 400-meter Hurdles (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
1:55 p.m. - Men's 200-meter Dash (Final) - Must Qualify on Friday
2:25 p.m. - Men's 5,000-meter Run (Final) - Michael Montague, Keith Carlson
2:55 p.m. - Women's 4 x 400-meter Relay (Final) - Willamette (Isabel Solano, Bridgette Peirce, Jewell Sparks, Grace Crookham-Guy)
3:00 p.m. - Men's 4 x 400-meter Relay (Final) - Willamette (Riley Burton, Connor Giannini, Jack Wellman, Keaton Beckmann)
