Track & Field Weekly Notebook
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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC TRACK & FIELD
PACIFIC LUAU MEET
Sat., Apr. 9, 9 a.m.
Lincoln Park Stadium, Forest Grove
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE MULTI-EVENT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Mon., Apr. 11 and Tues., Apr. 12, 9 a.m.
Boppell Track, Whitworth University, Spokane, Wash.
LUAU MEET TO BE MINI PREVIEW OF NWC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Pacific track and field teams return home this weekend for the second of three meets at Lincoln Park Stadium. The Luau Meet, held on the same day as Pacific's annual Luau, begins at 9 a.m. The meet will virtually be a preview of the Northwest Conference Championships in two weeks, with six of the conference's eight teams scheduled to compete.
BOXER BYTES
• Kiersten Iwai won the women's 10,000 meters at Saturday's Linfield Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational, covering the 25 laps in 41:39.02. The mark qualified Iwai for the NWC Championships in her first attempt at the distance. Ally Shackelford also qualified for the NWC meet with a fourth place time of 42:50.89.
• For the second straight meet, John Fredericks won the pole vault at the Linfield Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational. His height of 12 feet, 11.5 inches tied him for the top spot with Oregon Tech's Micah Johnson and Clackamas CC's Jared Hippler.
• In addition to the qualifiers in the women's 10,000 meters, Pacific saw new NWC Championships qualifiers from Joe Deardorff in the men's 10,000 meters, Anna Toyas in the javelin, Taylor Hickson in the triple jump and Craig Bailey in the 100 meters. Entering this week, a total of 34 Pacific athletes have qualified for the NWC Championships.
• Travis George had the week's biggest improvement for the Boxers, establishing a season best of 20 feet in the men's hammer with a throw of 140 feet, 3 inches at the Jenn Boyman Invitational. George now sits two feet away from a NWC Championships qualifier in the event.
MEET RECAP
LINFIELD JENN BOYMAN MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL
Kiersten Iwai (Fr., San Diego, Calif.) won the 10,000 meters in her first attempt at the event Saturday and John Fredericks (Sr., Forest Grove, Ore.) won the pole vault for a second straight meet to lead Pacific's performances at the Linfield Jenn Boyman Memorial Track & Field Invitational, held at Maxwell Field.
Iwai led the first of five competitors with a time of 41:39.02, earning a qualifying mark for the Northwest Conference Championships in three weeks. It was her first attempt at the distance as a college athlete. Fredericks, meanwhile, finished in a three-way tie for first in the pole vault with Oregon Tech's Micah Johnson and Clackamas CC's Jared Hippler, with all three vaulters clearing 12 feet, 11.5 inches.
Iwai and Fredericks were the only event winners for the Boxers in non-scoring meet, while five other competitors came in as runners-up in six other events. Kasey Fisher (So., Denair, Calif.) finished second in two events, running the 100-meter hurdles in 16.62 seconds while notching a season best in the pole vault with a mark of 10 feet, 6 inches. Nicole Smith (Sr., Wailuku, Hawaii) placed second in the 200 meters with a season best of 26.92 seconds. Sam Lee (Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) was also second in the 1,500 meters, finishing in 4:56.97.
Taylor Hickson (Fr., Red Bluff, Calif.) led three Pacific men who notched second place finishes. Hickson placed second in his first attempt at the triple jump this season, establishing a NWC Championship qualifying mark of 41 feet, 7.25 inches. Michael Hunker (So., Cornelius, Ore.) was second in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.88 seconds and Ryan Culp (Jr., Woodburn, Ore.) was second in the discus with a throw of 132 feet, 5 inches. The Boxers also saw the 400-meter relay team of Craig Bailey (Fr., Fairfield, Calif.), Alex Florence (Sr., Tigard, Ore.), Hunker and Aaron Koford (Fr., Wilsonville, Ore.) finish second out of six teams in 43.93 seconds.
Other performances of note included Nathan Gilpin (Sr., Oregon City, Ore.), who set a season best in the 400-meter hurdles with his third place time of 59.34 seconds. Kelson Kawai (Fr., North Kohala, Hawaii) set a season best in the high jump, finishing third with a mark 6 feet, 3.5 inches. Travis George (Fr., Grants Pass, Ore.) set a 20-foot best in the hammer throw with a mark of 140 feet, 3 inches. Murphy Busek (Sr., Mountain View, Hawaii) was third in the hammer with his mark of 142 feet, 10 inches.
PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
ADDING A TRIO OF 10K QUALIFIERS: The 10,000 meters at the Linfield Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational was a successful event for Pacific with three people earning qualifiing times for the Northwest Conference Championships. Kiersten Iwai won the women's 10,000 meters with a time of 41:39.02. She was 17 seconds faster than second place Seina Noe of Linfield. Ally Shackelford (Fr., Portland, Ore.) also qualified for the NWC Championships. Her fourth place time of 42:50.89 was a season best by almost two-and-a-half minutes. On the men's side, Joe Deardorff (Jr., Independence, Ore.) qualified for the NWC Championships in the 10K with his fourth place time of 34:27.81. With the addition of the three athletes, Pacific has now qualified four women and three men for the NWC Championships in the 10,000 meters.
TWO FOR TWO FOR FREDERICKS: For his second straight meet, John Fredericks was a winner in the men's pole vault. Fredericks tied for first place at the Linfield Jenn Boyman Invitational, going a height of 12 feet, 11.5 inches. He tied for first with Oregon Tech's Micah Johnson and Clackamas CC's Jared Hippler. The effort was seven inches off of his season best of 13 feet, 6.25 inches, which was set at the Mar. 12 Pacific Preview. On the women's side, Kasey Fisher set a season best in the vault with her second place height of 10 feet, 6 inches. Fisher is still looking to equal and surpass her school record of 11 feet, 1.75 inches, which she set at last year's Willamette Last Chance Meet.
HOPPING, SKIPPING, JUMPING TO A QUALIFIER: Taylor Hickson needed just one competition in the triple jump to earn himself a spot in the NWC Championships. Hickson placed second in the event at the Linfield Jenn Boyman Invitational with a mark of 41 feet, 7.25 inches. The performance is just short of the Pacific season best of 41 feet, 7.75 inches set by Kelson Kawai at the Pacific Preview on Mar. 12. Hickson finds himself qualified for the NWC Championships in all three jumping disciplines. He holds Pacific's season best long jump mark with an effort of 20 feet, 8 inches, set at the Linfield Icebreaker on Mar. 5.
ADD NWC QUALIFIERS: In addition to the qualifers mentioned previously, Anna Toyas (Fr., Seaside, Ore.) qualified for the NWC Championships on Saturday with her mark of 104 feet in the javelin. The effort is the best for the Boxers in the event this season. Craig Bailey added the 100 meters to his list of qualifiers. His time of 11.45 seconds is just short of Vince Mull's (So., Beaverton, Ore.) Pacific season best of 11.43 seconds. Entering this week, the Boxers have qualified 19 men's athletes in 17 different events and 15 women's athletes in 20 different events.
A TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT: Of all of Pacific's performances at the Linfield Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational, perhaps no one showed a big of an improvement as Travis George. The freshman added 20 feet to his season best in the men's hammer, hucking the ball and chain a distance of 140 feet, 3 inches. The effort was good enough for a fourth place finish in the event. George's previous best was an effort of 120 feet, 11 inches at the Mar. 12 Pacific Preview. George still needs two feet, though, to earn a spot at the NWC Championships. The conference qualifying mark for the hammer is 142 feet, 11 inches.
A MINI CONFERENCE MEET: Saturday's Pacific Luau Meet will serve as a mini-preview of the upcoming Northwest Conference Championships, which takes place Apr. 22 and 23 at Linfield's Maxwell Field in McMinnville. Six of the conference's eight teams are scheduled to participate in the meet as the Boxers welcome George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Linfield, Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound to Lincoln Park Stadium. Notably absent will be Willamette, which competes at the Western Oregon John Knight Twilight on Friday, and Whitworth, which competes in the World War 4 meet at Spokane Falls Community College.
NWC MULTI-EVENT CHAMPIONSHIPS UPCOMING: Pacific will send three athletes to the Northwest Conference's Multi-Event Championships, which take place next Monday and Tuesday in Spokane. In the decathlon, Aaron Koford will represent the Boxers. Koford finished ninth in the Pacific Preview decathlon with a total of 5,052 points. He enters the mark with the 10th best point total in the conference. Taylor Hickson just missed qualifying in the decathlon, placing 10th at the Pacific Preview with 4,971 points.
In the heptathlon, Kasey Fisher and Chloe Hallyburton will represent the Boxers. Fisher had a great performance in her first collegiate multi-event. She finished fourth at the Pacific Preview with a total of 2,774 points. She enters the NWC Championships with the seventh place point total in the conference. Hallyburton will be entered as one of Pacific's three wild card entries to the NWC Championships. Hallyburton finished 10th at the Pacific Preview meet with a total of 2,330 points, but was hampered by a no height in the second event, the high jump.
SEASON PREVIEW: The full 2011 Pacific track & field preview can be read online by Clicking Here.
