by Kelsey Segren, Sports Information Assistant
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University track and field was back in action for the first time in over a year, hosting eight teams in the Whitworth Essential Invite on Friday at the Boppell Track.
Emma Bates and Haley Jacobson recorded personal-best times in the 10,000-meter run. Bates finished fourth with a time of 42:23.54, while Jacobson placed sixth (42:29.97).
Erin Pfundt and Mary Neder were the only participants in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Pfundt finished first with a personal-best time of 12:50.50, while Neder crossed the finish line five seconds later (12:55.52).
Amelia Hewson placed fourth in both the 100-meter hurdles (15.73) and the 100-meter dash (12.67). Alison Ball finished fifth in the 100m (12.76) and sixth in the 200m (26.29).
Madison Peffers cleared 5' 0.25" to take fifth in the high jump. She had another top-five finish later in the day, placing fourth in the long jump with a 15' 0.75" leap.
Jamie Copeland placed sixth in the discus with a 126' 1" toss. AbbieJo Carlson placed eighth in the hammer throw with a 148' mark, a personal best for the junior.
The men's side saw 12 top-three finishes with three Pirates winning events.
The Pirates swept the top-three spots in the 10,000-meter run with career-best times from all three. Joel Mott won the event with a time of 32:39.24, just over three seconds faster than his previous record. Caleb Grode placed second (34:03.10) and Matthew Christianson finished third (34:10.42). Aidan Smith took sixth (35:05.62).
The 3,000-meter steeplechase had three participants, all Whitworth. Gregory Anderson ran his first collegiate race, winning the event with a time of 10:48.61. Gabe Morales placed second (10:53.55) and Mason Velasquez finished third (11:18.48).
The men's 4x100-meter relay team placed second of four teams with a time of 43.78. Samson Irish-Lodge, Kolby Blackler, Logan Wright and Dante Stokes made up the young team.
Kainoa Figueira placed sixth in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 53.39.
Four Pirates finished among the top-five spots in the long jump. Nick McGill won the event with a mark of 21' 11.5". Riley Flanagan placed fourth (20' 5.25"), while Travis Herrera and Wright tied for fifth (20' 2.25"). Flanagan also competed in the triple jump, posting a 41' 8.5" mark to finish third of four competitors.
McGill placed third in the javelin with a distance of 192' 6". Benjamin Brinkley took fifth (174' 9") and Joe Tingstad finished sixth (169' 4"), beating his previous best by less than a foot. Tingstad also set a career-best in the pole vault with an 11' 8" mark for seventh place.
Luke Davis set personal bests in three throwing events. He placed fourth in the discus (142' 8"), fifth in the shot put (42' 11.75") and sixth in the hammer throw (134' 9"). Reed Hurst finished seventh (133' 1") in the discus and third in the shot put (44' 1.5").
Malachi Areta threw a career-best 148' 6" in the hammer throw to place third and Ignacio Garcia finished fourth (147' 8").
Up next, the Pirates host the Whitworth Invitational on March 25-26.
