By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University track and field student-athletes Keaton Beckmann (Sr., Salem, OR/Sprague HS), Katherine Thornton (Fy., Reno, NV/Reno HS), and Samantha Waters (So., Kalispell, MT/Flathead HS) have been chosen All-West Region for the 2021 season as announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). In order to receive All-West Region honors an athlete had to be ranked in the top five in the region of an individual event or compete on one of the top three teams in the region in a relay event.
Beckman was named All-West Region in the decathlon and four other events. Thornton registered All-West Region honors in the women's 400-meter hurdles. Waters was included on the All-West Region list in the women's hammer throw.
It was the third time that Beckmann was selected All-West Region in the decathlon and the second time he was named All-West Region in the long jump. It was the first time he was chosen All-West Region in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 400-meter dash. He previously received All-West Region recognition in the long jump in 2019, and in the decathlon in 2018 and 2019. Thornton and Waters each received All-West Region honors for the first time this year. No All-Region teams were announced in 2020.
All-West Region Track and Field
Keaton Beckmann (Sr.) moved into fifth place on Willamette's all-time list in the decathlon with a personal record score of 6,788 points while taking second place at the 2021 Northwest Conference Track and Field Multi-Event Championships. His score ranked second in the West Region and fifth all-time at Willamette. The score also qualified Beckmann for the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he will compete on Thursday, May 27 and Friday, May 28.
He will be competing at the NCAA Championships for the second time. He set his previous personal-best decathlon score of 6,519 points on his way to earning an 11th place finish at the 2019 NCAA Championships. In 2018, Beckmann was named Northwest Conference Men's Track and Field Freshman of the Year.
This year, Beckmann ranked second in the West Region in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. In the 100-meter dash, he registered a personal record of 10.85 seconds to move into fifth place on Willamette's all-time list. In the 200-meter dash, Beckmann earned a time of 21.82 seconds. It was the second-fastest time in Willamette history, trailing only Rex Putnam, who completed the race in 21.74 seconds in 1941.
Beckmann completed the regular season ranked fourth in the West Region in the 400-meter dash with a personal record time of 48.94 seconds that is tied for 10th all-time at WU. He was fifth in the West Region in the long jump. His top distance of the season was 22' 9.75" at the Willamette vs. Portland Dual.
Katherine Thornton (Fy.) ranked third in the West Region this year in the women's 400-meter hurdles. She set a personal record time of 1:07.17 in the finals of the NWC Championships. She earned third place in the NWC for All-Conference honors.
Thornton competed in six meets as a first-year track and field student-athlete with the Bearcats. She did not compete in the 400-meter hurdles this season until the final three meets, but lowered her time by 3.47 seconds from 1:10.64 in mid-April to her NWC finals time in mid-May. Thornton placed fifth in the women's long jump at the NWC Championships.
Samantha Waters (So.) registered a top distance of 150' 4" in the women's hammer throw to rank third in the West region this spring. She achieved her top throw at the Willamette vs. Humboldt State Dual as she set a personal record and moved into seventh place on the Bearcats' all-time list.
Earlier in the season, Waters set her previous personal record in the hammer throw at 137' 3" during the Willamette vs. Portland Dual. Two weeks later, she added just over 13 feet to her top distance during the meet with Humboldt State.
