The Loggers’ track and field teams are on a consistent path of improvement this year setting and breaking multiple records in the Puget Sound record book. The season began for the Loggers in January at the University of Washington indoor meet.
Two athletes broke personal records at the meet on Jan. 18.
Alicia Burns (Spokane Valley, Wash.) ran the 800 meter dash and led the pack the whole way. She finished with a time of 2:21.96, destroying her school record by five seconds. She finished the race in fourth place overall with less than a second between her and the second place finisher.
Cameron Braithwaite (Port Angeles, Calif.) competed in the men’s long jump and broke his personal best with a distance of 5.98 meters, which was .08 meters better than his previous mark.
Braithwaite continued to impress at the University of Washington Invitational on Feb. 1 where he racked up 4,095 points in seven events, breaking the school record set by Joe Cerne (Enumclaw, Wash.) last season by 460 points.
On his way to the record, Braithwaite also recorded the third fastest time for the 60 meter dash and the fifth fastest time in the 60 meter hurdles in Puget Sound history.
The Loggers came away from the Vandal open with positive results across the board as two indoor records were broken on Feb. 8. Burns returned to the spotlight beating her 800 meter time and breaking the school record in the 4×400 meter race.
The relay squad led by Burns included Meg Gilbertson (Clackamas, Ore.), Mara Cummings (Leavenworth, Wash.), and Melissa Motyer (Goleta, Calif.) and beat the record with a time of 4:12.42. The team took first in their heat and fourth-best in their event. Burns also beat her previous 800 meter mark from the UW preview with a time of 2:20.43. She came in third place and beat a number of division I and II athletes in the process.
Everett West (Anaheim, Calif.) recorded the third-best 60 meter dash time in Puget Sound history at the Vandal Open with a time of 7.40. Logger teammate Braithwaite was hot on his heels, finishing only four-hundredths of a second behind West and claiming the sixth fastest time in school history as well.
Zal Robles (Templeton, Calif.) competed in the 60 meter hurdles and acquired the fifth-best time in school history with a time of 10.43. Field events were lead by Sunny Lewis (Tacoma, Wash.) who earned the fourth-best pole vaulting jump in school history by clearing 10 feet in height.
Chandler Breaux (Kent, Wash.) took third-best in school history in the shot put with a distance of 42 feet, 1.25 inches.
Competing in the high jump, David Lovitz (Portland, Ore.) cleared a mark of 6 feet, .75 inches, moving into the fourth-highest mark in school history.
The most recent meet at UW on Feb. 16 saw two more records broken by the Logger squad. Sean Tyree (Minneapolis, Minn.) obliterated the mark for the 600 meter dash with a time of 1:26.95, a whole four seconds faster than the previous record set last year.
Burns continued to shine in her favorite 800 meter run as she broke her record for a third time since she set the record in January.
She bested her previous time of 2:21.96 with a mark of 2:20.01.
Distance runners Josh Seekatz (Philomath, Ore.) and Sierra Grunwald (Philomath, Ore.) took first and second respectively in their sections of the mile race.
Seekatz won with a time of 4:27,47 and Grunwald came in second on the women’s side with 5:19.58.
West joined Seekatz in the winners circle by placing first in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.31.
West also moved up one spot on the 60 meter record list to second place with this finish.
In the women’s 60 meter race Allanah Whitehall (Seattle, Wash.) nearly broke the school record with a time of 8.16, only .2 seconds off of the record.
After an already impressive season, the Logger squad will have two weeks break before they host their annual Quad meet in Baker Stadium on Saturday March 1 at 11:00 a.m.
