WEEKEND RECAP: McGee wins seventh career Big Sky title; WAC champs & Pan Am Cup...
EASTERN WASHINGTON MEN FINISH SIXTH; WOMEN NINTH AT BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIPS...
In Pocatello, Idaho, the Eastern Washington men's team finished sixth and their women's squad finished ninth at the Big Sky Indoor championships hosted by Idaho State University Thursday-Saturday (27-29 February).
The Eagles scored 58 points in the men's competition, and 39 in the women's meet, with Northern Arizona sweeping the team crowns, scoring 141.5 on the men's side and 103 in the women's competition.
Highlights for the Eagles included a career seventh conference championship by Keshun McGee (above/photo courtesy Big Sky Conference), winning the triple jump with a best of 51-3 (15.62m) on the meet's final day.
McGee led the competition after his first jump of the day of 49-6.5 (15.10m) and was never surpassed. He followed with a trio of 50+ jumps, including a 51-3 (15.62m) on his final attempt to come 6 1/2 inches from his career best.
"Keshun was in a league of his own today," said Eastern men's head coach Stan Kerr. "His series of 50+ jumps today and repeating as conference champion was a thrill for Keshun and the entire team".
It was McGee's seventh Big Sky Conference title overall indoors and outdoors, and third-straight in the triple jump. No male has ever won that many titles, and only Joyce Rainwater with eight women's sprinting titles has had more in the EWU program in 33 years as a member of the Big Sky.
The day before, Grant Shurtliff, the transfer from Lane CC in Eugene won the heptathlon, scoring a personal best and EWU school record 5285 points.
Thursday, he ran 7.24 in the 60, then long jumped 22-1 (6.73m), and threw the shot 39-8.5 (12.10m). He finished day 1 with a clearance of 6-4 (1.93m) to end day 1 with the lead and a score of 2901 points.
On Friday, he started with the fourth fastest time in the 60 hurdles, running 8.67, then vaulted 15-9.75 (4.82m), then capped it off with a time of 2:55.60 to take the overall title by 174 points over Wyatt Thompson-Siporen of Montana State, who scored 5111.
The Eagles got top-3 finishes from Savannah Schultz (2nd, 12-10.75/3.93m) and Samantha Raines (3rd, 12-10.75/3.93m) in the pole vault; Nyenuchi Okemgbo (3rd, 8.61) in the 60 hurdles, and Vernice Keyes (61-8.5/18.81m) in the weight throw.
Complete results of the Big Sky Championships are available here.
ROUGH OUTING FOR SEATTLE UNIVERSITY SQUADS AT WAC CHAMPS...
The Seattle University men's team finished sixth, and the women's squad took eighth place at the Western Athletic Conference indoor championships in Nampa, Idaho Friday and Saturday.
The Redhawks scored 18 points on the men's side, and 19.5 points in the women's competition.
The only top three finish for the Redhawks came from the women's distance medley relay team of Delaney Griffin, Regie Grady, Grace Much & Marie-Therese Chahrouri, who ran 12:19.11.
The Redhawks' Nathan Pixler, who was the conference leader in the 800 meters entering the championships, finished fourth in 1:54.28, while hurdler Michele Newblom was disqualified in the finals of the women's 60 hurdles for pushing a hurdle over, after breaking her own school record by running 7.74 in the semis Friday night.
The Redhawks ended the day with a school record in the women's 4x400 relay, as sophomore Regie Grady, freshman Maya McCabe, senior Siobhan Rubio and senior Michelle Newblom finished the race with a time of 3:52.62 to take fourth overall.
Complete results of the Western Athletic Conference championships are available here.
TRIO OF WASHINGTON NATIVES COMPETE IN VICTORIA AT PAN AM CROSS COUNTRY CUP...
In Victoria, British Columbia, Washington natives Dillon Maggard and Nick Hauger helped Team USATF secure the victory in the Pan Am Cross Country Cup at Bear Mountain.
Kirkland native Maggard finished fourth and was the second American across the line, running 33:23 over the hilly 10k course, as Johnatas De Oliveira Cruz of Brazil won in 32:50.
Spokane native Hauger was ninth and the fourth American, running 33:45.
Team USATF earned the men's victory with a 12-19 (top 3 score) score over Brazil.
In the women's 10k race, Inglemoor HS grad Tansey Lystad finished sixth, running 38:38 as the USA's third runner. Genevieve Lalonde of Canada took the individual title, running 37:37, to give the host nation a 12-13 win over Team USATF.
The meet had a somber ending when Bellingham native, Club Northwest founder and former USA Track & Field president Bill Roe was found dead in his hotel room Saturday. Roe was in Victoria as a member of the World Athletics Cross Country Committee.
The USATF release on Roe's passing is available here. paulmerca.blogspot.com will have more on Roe's passing later.
Complete results of the Pan Am Cross Country Cup are available here.
NOTE: The sports information offices of Eastern Washington University, Seattle University, along with USA Track & Field, Athletics Canada, the Big Sky Conference and the Western Athletic Conference, contributed to this report.
Comments