SAMANTHA LEE
Wins Steeplechase In
NWC Qualifying Time
Wins Steeplechase In
NWC Qualifying Time
Boxers Qualify 14 Athletes In Linfield Icebreaker
Summary:
Men's Track & Field: NTS | Stats
Women's Track & Field: NTS | Stats
A total of 14 Pacific athletes earned their tickets to the NWC Championships as the Pacific track and field team opened the season at the Linfield Icebreaker
McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Pacific made a good first impression as the Boxers opened the 2010 track and field season Saturday, qualifying 14 athletes for the conference meet at the Linfield Erik Anderson Icebreaker, held at Maxwell Field.
Pacific saw six women and eight men earn qualifying marks in 12 different events for April’s Northwest Conference Championships in their first meet. Five of those qualifying are either new to the program or qualifying for conference for the first time.
Samantha Lee (Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) led the way for the qualifiers, winning the steeplechase in a time of 12:11.52. Haley Tank (Fr., West Richland, Wash.), meanwhile, made a great first impression in the throwing events. Tank placed second in the javelin with a throw of 117 feet, 7 inches, and was sixth in the shot put with an effort of 33 feet, 8 inches. Both are conference qualifying marks.
Jenna Matsumoto (So., Kailua, Hawaii) earned qualifying post in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing sixth in a time of 1:09.62. Nicole Smith (Jr., Wailuku, Hawaii) also earned entry with her 11th place time of 13.34 seconds in the 100 meters. Whitney Nelson (Jr., Federal Way, Wash.) and Jilinda Franklin (Fr., Ft. Jones, Calif.) rounded out women’s qualifying with spots in the 10,000 meters. Nelson finished 16th in 43:02.74, while Franklin was 19th in 43:30.46.
Ryan Culp (So., Woodburn, Ore.) led men’s qualifiers with his fourth place finish in the discus, hitting a mark of 129 feet, 9 inches. Bobby Larkins (Jr., Forest Grove, Ore.) returned from a year off and qualified in his first meet, finishing sixth in the shot put with an effort of 44 feet, 1.5 inches.
John Fredericks (Jr., Forest Grove, Ore.) and Ryan Terao (Fr., Kaneohe, Hawaii) both earned spots in the pole vault. After qualifying for the 2009 conference week in the last possible week, Fredericks punched his ticket early as he tied for sixth with a mark of 13 feet, 5.75 inches. Terao was just behind on 10th place at 12 feet, 11.75 inches.
Michael Hunker (Fr., Cornelius, Ore.) was one of two new sprinters to earn qualifying spots, finishing sixth in the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 16.29 seconds. Jarrod Franklin (Fr., McMinnville, Ore.) qualified in the 200 meters as he placed seventh in a time of 23.50 seconds. The 400-meter relay team of Alex Florence (Jr., Tigard, Ore.), Hunker, Vince Mull (Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) and Franklin posted a strong third place finish in a time of 44.15 seconds. The effort is the fastest time posted by a Pacific relay in nearly two years.
In the distances, Joe Deardorff (Fr., Independence, Ore.) and John Gillem (So., Prineville, Ore.) both earned their first conference qualifying spots in the 10,000 meters. Deardorff placed 18th in 34:29.66, while Gillem was 20th in 34:46.32.
Pacific will return to action next week with an opportunity to perform in front of the home crowd. The Boxers will host the Pacific Preview on Saturday at Lincoln Park Stadium.
Posted by Blake Timm (timmbr@pacificu.edu) on Mar 6, 2010 at 9:59 PM
