SPU's McKayla Fricker highlights Oregon Preview by winning 800...



EUGENE--Seattle Pacific's McKayla Fricker (above/photo courtesy Seattle Pacific) set a personal best in her outdoor season debut, winning the 800 meter run at the Oregon Preview meet at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.

Fricker, the junior from Camby, Oregon, who finished fourth at last week's NCAA Division II championships in the 800, cruised to a winning time of 2:09.90, beating her old outdoor PR of 2:11.57 at last year's Beach Invitational in Long Beach, California, and her lifetime best of 2:10.76 in last week's indoor championships in Birmingham, Alabama.


Both SPU relay squads emerged victorious, as BryAnne Wochnick, Ali Worthen, Tasia Baldwin and Kishia Mitchell won the 4 x 100 in 47.92, while the Falcon 4 x 400 team of Worthen, Emily Quatier, Lynelle Decker and Fricker stopped the watch at 3:53.65.

Other highlights of the meet included former Spokane prep Britney Henry winning the hammer throw with a toss of 206-7 (62.97m); Camas HS standout Alexa Ephraimson winning the 1500 in 4:19.54; Worthen taking the long jump at 18-7 1/4 (5.67m); SeattleU's Zach Stanfield finishing second in the 400 at 48.13; Saint Martin's Michael Davis winning the triple jump at 48-1 1/4 (14.66m), and teammate Sam Washington winning the shot put at 50-10 3/4 (15.51m); and Western Washington's Ryan Macdonald winning the discus at 158-1 (48.19m).


In Spokane, the Washington State women won 11 events and the Cougar men won six events Saturday at the Dusty Lane Open track and field meet held at Spokane Falls Community College.

WSU head coach Rick Sloan said,  "For the most part I'm pretty happy with the efforts and what we accomplished when we know we are going to run the hurdles and the sprints into a headwind here. There are adjustments when you move outside for competitions and we lucked out on the weather. We have the first one under our belts."

Cougar freshman Kelsie Taylor won the javelin with a toss of 149-2 (45.48m).  MPSF 3000 champ Todd Wakefield dropped down to 800 meters, winning in 1:51.08.

Steeplechasers Ruby Roberts and Caroline Austin dropped down in distance as well, with Roberts winning the 800 in 2:13.48, and Austin the 1500 in 4:37.80.


NOTE:  The sports information offices of Seattle Pacific and Washington State contributed to this report.

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