Scout's honor: Falcon sophomore Cai scores 28 team points to give SPU first-day lead at GNAC Indoor Champs...
NAMPA, Idaho—Seattle Pacific’s Scout Cai (left/photo by Paul Merca) was the story of the first day of competition at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference indoor track & field championships at the Jacksons Track at the Ford Idaho Center.
In a closer than expected competition, Cai outlasted Central Washington’s HarLee Ortega by a 3610-3584 margin to win her second straight conference pentathlon title.
Ortega took an eight point lead after the 60 hurdles, winning in 9.10 to 9.14, but was outscored by Cal in the high jump and the shot put, as the Seattle Pacific sophomore held a 2129-2101 lead after three events.
Ortega cut the margin down to five points by winning the long jump with a leap of 18-3.75 (5.58m) to Cai’s 18-0.5 (5.50m), meaning that for Ortega to win the pentathlon title, she had to beat Cal in the deciding 800 meters.
Cal took care of business, finishing second overall in the 800 in 2:23.20 to Ortega’s third place finish in 2:24.76.
After Cai’s victory in the pentathlon, she also won the pole vault with a mark of 12-4.75 (3.78m) over Central’s Halle Irvine (11-10/3.61m), and was second in the high jump at 5-5 (1.65m) to account for 28 of the Falcons’ 59 first day points, giving them a one-point lead over second place Central Washington.
In other finals, Central’s Alexa Shindruk was second in the women’s 5000 (17:26.33) behind Western Oregon’s Kennedy Rufener (17:18.64), while Seattle Pacific’s Alyssa Foote was fourth in 17:51.80.
Seattle Pacific’s distance medley relay team was fourth in 12:10.17, with Central Washington fifth, and Western Washington sixth.
Western Washington’s Jasmine McMullin won the women’s long jump (18-9.75/5.73m) over Central Washington’s Ali Anderson and HarLee Ortega, who had identical marks of 18-3.75 (5.58m) for second and third.
Liz Larson of Saint Martin’s gave the Saints their best finish of the day with her third place finish in the weight throw, throwing 53-2.25 (16.22m).
On the women’s side, Western Washington stands fourth with 41 points, while Saint Martin’s is in eighth with 9 points.
In the men’s competition, Central Washington’s Armando Tafoya finished second in the men’s weight throw with a mark of 58-5.5 (17.81m).
In other finals contested Friday, Central Washington was third in the distance medley relay, running 10:22.89, with Western Washington fourth (10:25.60), and Seattle Pacific seventh (10:34.94).
Anthony Manago of Saint Martin’s was fifth in the men’s long jump at 22-6.5 (6.87m), and Eric Hamel of Western Washington was fourth in the mens’ 5000 (15:17.86).
After the first four events of the heptathlon, Central Washington’s Kodiak Landis is second with 2835 points, behind James Phillips of Concordia’s 3059. Landis already has the automatic qualifying standard in the heptathlon after winning the UW Invitational last month with a 5407 score.
Simon Fraser is the first day team leader with 27 points. Western Washington stands sixth with 17, followed by Central Washington at 14. Saint Martin’s is ninth with 6, and Seattle Pacific rounds out the field with 2 points.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2016 US Olympian and University of Washington alum Jeremy Taiwo stands second in the heptathlon at the USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Taiwo has a four event score of 3216 points, 36 behind leader Devon Williams.
Taiwo ran 7.15 in the 60 meters, then long jumped 23-3.5 (7.10m), threw the shot 41-10 (12.75m), then won the high jump with a clearance of 6-10.75 (2.10m).
Complete results from the first day of competition at the USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships are available here.
The University of Washington will send both their men’s and women’s distance medley relay teams to South Bend, Indiana for Saturday’s Alex Wilson Invitational hosted by Notre Dame, as they hope to run fast enough to be one of the 12 teams competing at next month’s NCAA indoor track & field championships in College Station, Texas.
Finally, just got word that Saturday’s NACAC Cross Country Championships in San Salvador, El Salvador will be live streamed via YouTube on this link, beginning at 7 am, pacific time:
Current Husky freshman Tibu Proctor and Washington alum Aaron Nelson, along with Tacoma native Joe Gray are all part of the Team USA squad in El Salvador.
NOTE: USA Track & Field , the University of Washington, and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference contributed to this report.
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