By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University sprinter Connor Giannini (Sr., Veradale, WA/Gonzaga Prep) won the men's 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, and the Bearcats took first place in six events overall, during the 2020 Willamette Opener on Saturday, March 7, as the outdoor track and field season began at Charles Bowles Track. The meet featured student-athletes from Willamette, Corban University, Western Oregon University, and the University of Oregon Running Club.

Brian Peck (Sr., Reno, NV/Reno HS) earned first place in the men's triple jump, Saige Swan (Sr., Crescent City, CA/Del Norte HS) won the men's hammer throw, Hope Duenas (Sr., Covina, CA/Covina HS) registered first place in the women's discus throw, and Samantha Waters (Fy., Kalispell, MT/Flathead HS) took first place in the women's hammer throw.

Giannini took first place in the men's 200-meter dash with a time of 22.50 seconds. He won the men's 400-meter dash in 50.29 seconds. In the remaining men's sprint, Jarren Ford of Western Oregon placed first in the 100-meter dash in 11.26 seconds.

Peck outdistanced the field in the men's triple jump with a combined distance of 42' 6.75". Jacob Fury of WOU was second at 41' 4.25".

Swan won the men's hammer throw with a toss of 163' 3". He also placed second in the men's discus and was third in the shot put. Swan's top attempt in the discus covered 145' 4", as he finished about three feet behind Chris Steffey of Western Oregon, who won with a distance of 148' 5". Nick Sieber of WOU was third at 144' 5". In the shot put, Swan's top throw went 46' 10.75". Sieber won at 47' 5" and Owen Collins of WOU was second at 47' 3.50".

Duenas registered the top throw in the women's discus with a distance of 138' 3", as she won by more than 27 feet. Waters achieved a narrow victory in the women's hammer, as she launched a throw of 120' 2" to win by a slim margin over Aleasha Nelson of Corban, who placed second at 120' 0".

Other Top Performances by the Bearcats

Adrian Schnee (So., Kalispell, MT/Glacier HS) took second in the women's 200-meter dash with a time of 27.80 seconds. She held off Natalie Norell of Corban, who finished third in 27.82 seconds. Bethanie Altamirano of WOU won the women's 200 in 27.20 seconds.

In the women's 800-meter run, Audrey Piacsek (So., Ellensburg, WA/Ellensburg HS) was second in 2:23.13 and Isabel Duxbury (So., Seattle, WA/University Prep) was third in 2:25.65. Piacsek was only 0.42 out of first place, which went to Jillian Greene with a time of 2:22.71.

Kyla Shade (Sr., Snohomish, WA/Snohomish HS) placed second and Sam Smith (Fy., Seattle, WA/Ballard HS) was third in the women's 5,000-meter run. Shade was timed at 19:01.19 and Smith earned a time of 19:09.61. Kaylin Cantu from Western Oregon won the race in 18:50.12.

Albert Ramon (So., Hesperia, CA/Northview HS) placed third in the men's 100-meter dash in 11.69 seconds.

Up Next for Willamette

The Bearcats will compete at the Lane Preview, hosted by Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, Feb. 14.