The Logger men’s and women’s track and field teams both placed seventh out of 15 colleges in the JD Shotwell Invitational at Baker Stadium on Saturday April 4.
On the track for the men, Joshua Seekatz (Philomath, Ore.) had the best individual performance, capturing a second-place finish in the 3000 meter steeplechase (9:35.20).
The 4×400-meter relay team composed of junior Ross Macausland (San Anselmo, Calif.), and seniors Graham Ashby (Goleta, Calif.), Todd Detweiler (Pleasanton, Calif.) and Jonathan Rosenberg (Littleton, Colo.) also had a big day, taking second place in their race with a time of 3:31.24.
Both Macausland and Ashby continued their strong performances in individual races too. Macausland had the fastest 200-meter dash for the Logger men, running it in 23.10 seconds, good enough to place 13th out of 36 runners.
He also finished 14th in the 100-meter dash, with a time of 11.41 seconds, the second best time for the Loggers behind Rosenberg (11.32 seconds).
As the lone representative for Puget Sound in the 400-meter dash, Ashby placed seventh out of 21 competitors, with a time of 52.13 seconds.
In the field, performances were not as strong. Highlights include junior Cam Braithwaite (Port Angeles, Wash.) in the high jump, who placed fifth of seven competitors jumping 1.80 meters.
Sophomore Steven Branham (Gold Bar, Wash.) represented the Loggers well in long jump with a 6.22 meter jump, scoring 11th place of the 27 competing.
Seniors Chandler Breaux (Kent, Wash.) and Reilyn Garton (Seattle, Wash.) also placed ninth and 11th respectively in shot put, with Breaux throwing 13.47 meters and Garton throwing 13.05 meters.
The women’s team also had mixed results on the track.
The day was highlighted by first year Alison Wise (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) taking second place in the 800-meter run, with a time of 2:19.19.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay team also did well, with Wise, first year Mara Cummings (Leavenworth, Wash.), junior Melissa Motyer (Goleta, Calif.) and junior Emily Sheldon (Portland, Ore.) combining to finish with a time of 4:04.76, placing them in third place for the day.
Other notable performances on the track include sophomore Tori Klein (Yakima, Wash.) placing 12th out of 29 competitors in the 1500-meter run and sophomore Logan Bays (Los Angeles, Calif.) taking 14th out of 30 competitors in the 100-meter dash timing at 13.30 seconds.
The Logger women had a very good day in the field.
Most notably, junior Elizabeth King (Portland, Ore.) took first place in pole vault, clearing a height of 3.32 meters.
First year Shelby Kanter (Spokane, Wash.) also took third place in the triple jump, covering 10.47 meters.
The Logger track teams both have two more meets before the Northwest Conference Championships which will be held at George Fox of April 24.
Several of the athletes on the Puget Sound track teams are in a good place to qualify for conference.
The biggest story down the final stretch of the season revolves around junior All-American Allanah Whitehall (Seattle, Wash.; did not race Saturday) who recently broke the school record for 100-meter dash with a 12.05 second run.
Whitehall currently has the lowest 100-meter dash time in the nation.
The teams have shown great improvement over the course of the season, which was highlighted earlier in March when the men’s team took second place in back to back meets and the women’s team took fourth and fifth place respectively in the same to meets.
While the seventh place finishes at the Shotwell Invitational were a slight step back, there is still plenty to look forward to for the rest of the season.
