by Kelsey Segren, Sports Information Assistant
FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Keara Simpson and Reed Hurst won the shot put to lead Whitworth University during the opening day of the 2021 Northwest Conference Championships, hosted by Pacific University on Thursday.
The first day of the meet consisted of preliminary races for sprints and hurdles as well as finals in some distance and field events.
The Whitworth men lead George Fox by 2.5 points after the first day of action. The Pirate women are in second place after scoring in every event on Thursday. George Fox leads the women's side by a large margin.
Reed Hurst won the shot put with a 47' 10" throw, a career-best for the junior, to become the 2021 NWC Champion in the event. Luke Davis finished second in the shot put with a toss of 47' 9.25".
Stephen Haugland placed second in the hammer throw, throwing a career-best 176' 11". Ignacio Garcia finished fourth (157' 1") and Malachi Areta took sixth (151' 00") to add another two scorers in the event.
Travis Herrera had a strong opening day as he placed third in the pole vault (15' 6.50") and qualified for both of tomorrow's hurdles' finals.
Nick McGill earned a podium spot in the long jump, leaping a career-best 22' 10" for third place. Samson Irish-Lodge finished eighth (21' 0.75") in the long jump. McGill also qualified for tomorrow's 110mh finals.
The Whitworth men took the lead after three Pirates had top-eight finishes in the 10,000-meter run. Joel Mott placed third (32:24.11), Caleb Grode took seventh (33:23.27) and Matthew Christianson finished eighth (33:35.46). All three finishes were career bests.
The men's scores after day one are: 1) Whitworth 79, 2) George Fox 76.5, 3) Pacific Lutheran 45.5, 4) Lewis & Clark 17, 5) Puget Sound 16, 6) Pacific 14, 7) Linfield 12, 8) Willamette 10
Keara Simpson is the 2021 NWC Champion in the shot put. She threw a career-best 40' 7.75" to win the event, an improvement on her previous record by over two feet. Renee Tiumalu placed third (39' 3.75" PR) and Eva Millan finished seventh (35' 8").
AbbieJo Carlson was the runner-up in the hammer throw, tossing a career-best 149' 6". Tallie Carlson placed sixth with a throw of 134' 8".
Monica Kaylor cleared 5' 1.25" in the high jump to finish in fourth place. Devyn Cope scored in the long jump, finishing in sixth with a 15' 9.50" mark.
Madelyn Buckley placed sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal-best time of 12:08.49. Haley Jacobson took sixth in the 10,000-meter run and Emma Bates finished eighth with both Pirates recording career-best times.
The women's scores after day one are: 1) George Fox 91, 2) Whitworth 44, 3) Pacific 37, 3) Pacific Lutheran 37, 5) Lewis & Clark 17, 6) Puget Sound 14, 7) Willamette 14, 8) Linfield 11, 9) Whitman 2
The 2021 Northwest Conference Championships continue at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 14.
