Lee Shatters Steeplechase Record In Day 1 Of Pacific Twilight
Meet Results
FOREST GROVE – Samantha Lee (Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) made the most of her second to last race on the home track Friday, obliterating her own school record in the women's steeplechase to lead Pacific's efforts on the first day of the fourth annual Pacific Twilight Track & Field Invitational at Lincoln Park Stadium.
Lee finished second in a very competitive field of 11 runners in the race. Her time of 11:14.17 was well under her own previous record of 11:35.77, set earlier this month at the Pacific Luau Meet, and was just four seconds off a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Division III Championships. The College of Idaho's Kristine Smith won the race in a meet record time of 11:10.54.
Lee was Pacific's only top-10 finisher in the first session of the two-day meet, which features 25 teams and nearly 1,000 athletes from every level of collegiate track and field.
Smith's record in the women's steeplechase was one of three meet records and two stadium records set on the day. Concordia's Branko Djuricic won the men's triple jump with a leap of 47 feet, 11.75 inches. That bettered the stadium and meet record set by Concordia's DeAndre Burton in 2008. The Cavaliers' Gabriella Dixson also set a stadium record in the women's hammer throw with her mark of 175 feet, 10 inches.
Concordia was the big winner in the throws, receiving a win in the men's javelin from Jesse Staub with a throw of 207 feet, 7 inches and Bo Johnson won the men's hammer with a mark of 184 feet, 11 inches. Western Oregon's Amanda Schumaker prevented a full Concordia sweep, capturing the women's javelin with a mark of 140 feet, 8 inches. George Fox's Rachael Adkins rounded out the field events with her win in the women's triple jump, leaping 35 feet, 3.25 inches.
Northwest Christian swept the two 10,000-meter races. Megan Hall won the women's event in 39:18.21, while Samuel Robison won the men's race in a time of 32:28.65. Concordia's Andria Scheese won the women's 1,500 meters in 4:32.32 and University of Portland's Trey Parry won the men's 1,500 in 3:52.02. Portland State's John Lawrence led a one-two Vikings' finish in the men's steeplechase in a time of 9:33.35.
The Pacific Twilight will conclude on Saturday. Field events begin at 10 a.m., with the running events beginning at 10:30 a.m.
