By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
TACOMA, Wash. -- Alex Matteson (Sr., Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale HS) of Willamette University took second place in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase and Bearcat thrower Samantha Waters (Jr., Kalispell, MT/Flathead HS) placed third in the women's hammer, as the 2022 Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships got underway on Friday, April 22 at Baker Stadium. Matteson and Waters each set a personal record while earning All-NWC honors.
Matteson's time for second place in the steeplechase was 9:29.72. His previous top time was 9:38.40 on March 26 at the Willamette Invitational. Hezekiah Goodwin of Pacific Lutheran University won the men's steeplechase in 9:24.55.
Waters was third in the hammer throw at 154' 9". She registered her top mark on the third throw of the finals and her sixth throw overall. She remained fourth on WU's all-time list. Waters' best hammer throw before Friday was 154' 0" during the Titan Invitational at Lane Community College on April 9.
Friday's schedule included finals in the men's and women's hammer throw, men's and women's long jump, men's and women's shot put, women's pole vault, men's high jump, men's and women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, and men's and women's 10,000-meter run. Preliminary heats were held in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, the hurdles, the 800-meter run, and the men's 1,500-meter run.
The NWC Track and Field Championships will conclude on Saturday, April 23. All track events will be finals, while flights and finals will be held in the remaining field events.
Other Willamette Results in Finals on Friday
Petey Swan (Fy., Crescent City, CA/Del Norte HS) took sixth place in the men's high jump as he cleared 5' 8.75". He was involved in a four-way tie for sixth, but won the top spot in the tie due to fewer jumps.
In the men's hammer throw, Eric Kaszycki (Jr., Santee, CA/Santana HS) placed eighth with a top distance of 142' 2". Kaszycki registered his best mark on his first throw, but four of his remaining five throws were within a meter (just over a yard) of his top throw.
Audrey Piacsek (Sr., Thorp, Washington, Ellensburg HS) finished ninth in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase in 12:12.69.
Leanne Machado (Jr., Pendleton, OR/Pendleton HS) was ninth in the women's hammer throw. Her best toss covered 130' 0" as she set a personal record, breaking her previous top mark of 128' 8" set at the Lane CC Invitational on March 12.
Top Results for the Bearcats in the Prelims
Several Bearcats registered times in the preliminary heats that advanced them into the finals on Saturday.
Oliver Anderson (Jr., Salem, OR/Home Schooled) earned the top time in the prelims of the men's 100-yard dash at 10.91 seconds, as he broke the 11-second mark for the first time. His previous best result was 11.01 seconds at the OSU Pacific Northwest Invitational on March 19.
Sami Riggs (Jr., La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) was fourth in the preliminary heats of the women's 400-meter dash in 59.61 seconds. It was her third time under one minute this season.
Simon Kidder (So., M, Bend, OR/Summit HS) produced the fourth-best time of the prelims in the men's 400-meter hurdles at 59.02 seconds.
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Katherine Thornton (So., Reno, NV/Reno HS) ranked fifth in the prelims at 15.44 seconds, just 0.03 away from her personal record. Thornton also reached the final of the women's 400-meter hurdles as she placed sixth in the prelims in 1:07.97.
Bearcats Competing this Week
Schedule of Events
Saturday, April 23
10:30 a.m. - Women's Discus Throw (Two Flights and Final) - Samantha Waters (Flight 1), Avery Mickelsen (Flight 1)
10:30 a.m. - Men's Triple Jump (One Flight and Final) - Oliver Anderson
12:10 p.m. - Women's 1,500-meter Run (Final) - Leila Fischer
12:35 p.m. - Women's 100-meter Hurdles (Final) - Katherine Thornton
12:50 p.m. - Women's 400-meter Dash (Final) - Sami Riggs
1:00 p.m. - Men's Discus Throw (Two Flights and Final) - Eric Kaszycki (Flight 1)
1:05 p.m. - Men's 100-meter Dash (Final) - Oliver Anderson
1:30 p.m. - Women's 400-meter Hurdles (Final) - Katherine Thornton
1:40 p.m. - Men's 400-meter Hurdles (Final) - Simon Kidder
2:35 p.m. - Men's 5,000-meter run (Final) - Gabriel Regimbal, Alex Matteson, Milo Greenberg
2:55 p.m. - Women's 4 x 400-meter Relay (Final) - Willamette (Sami Riggs, Katherine Thornton, Audrey Piacsek, Leila Fischer)
4:00 p.m. - Men's 4 x 400-meter Relay (Final) - Willamette (Simon Kidder, Andres Huante, Jeremy Falk, Oliver Anderson)