By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Four Willamette University track and field athletes have been named All-West Region for the 2017 season by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). In order to receive All-Region honors an athlete had to be ranked in the top five of an individual event or compete on one of the top three teams in each relay event.

Earning All-West Region recognition for the Bearcats were Hope Duenas (Fr., Covina, CA/Covina HS) in the women's discus, Patrick Loftus (Jr., Santa Rosa, CA/Sonoma Academy) in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Jewell Sparks (Jr., San Francisco, CA/Lick Wilmerding HS) in the women's 400-meter hurdles, and Hannah Swanson (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) in the women's 1,500-meter run.

All-West Region Track and Field

Hope Duenas (Fr.) attained a season-best distance of 133' 3" in the women's discus during the Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational at Linfield College on April 1. She is 10th on Willamette's all-time list is the discus. Duenas ended the year ranked fifth in the West Region.

She placed third in the Northwest Conference to earn All-NWC honors with a top throw of 126' 0".

During the season, she registered throws of at least 128' at four meets and was above 130' at two of those competitions.

Patrick Loftus (Sr.) ran a top time of 9:20.71 in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase this spring at the Oregon State University High Performance Meet on April 28. He competed in the steeplechase at six meets this season and finished in less than 9:30 in all six races. He tied for 36th on the NCAA Division III performance list and was ranked second in the West Region.

He won the NWC steeplechase title with a time of 9:26.64 at the NWC Championships. He placed second in the NWC in 2016 and competed at the 2016 NCAA Division III Championships, where he earned 19th place.

Jewell Sparks (Jr.) qualified for the 2017 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the women's 400-meter hurdles. She recorded a personal record time of 1:02.16 at the Portland Twilight on May 12. She tied for 16th on the NCAA Division III performance list.

Sparks will compete in the preliminary heats of the 400-meter hurdles on Thursday, April 25 at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT in Geneva, Ohio. The final is set for Saturday, April 27 at 2:15 p.m. EDT/11:15 a.m. PDT.

This spring, Sparks ranked third in the 400-meter hurdles on the West Region performance list. She is second on Willamette's all-time list. She took third place at the NWC Championships in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:02.73 to earn All-NWC recognition.

Hannah Swanson (Jr.) ended the year ranked fifth in the West Region in the 1,500-meter run and was 45th on the NCAA Division III performance list. She achieved her top time of the season by completing the 1,500 in 4:37.33 at the OSU High Performance Meet.

Swanson placed third at the NWC Championships in the women's 1,500-meter run in 4:41.00 to grab All-NWC honors this spring. She was second in the NWC in 2015 and 2016. Swanson competed at the NWC Championships in the 1,500-meter run last year and finished in 13th place.