TACOMA, Wash. – Whitworth University opened the 2022 outdoor track and field season on Saturday with a strong performance at the Ed Boitano Invitational hosted by the University of Puget Sound.
Whitworth won ten events, including all four relays, to finish right at the top of the team standings for both competitions. The Whitworth men tied with Pacific Lutheran for first place. The Pirate women finished second to PLU out of 12 teams.
Jalen Martin and Samson Irish-Lodge finished first and second in the men's triple jump. Martin went 42'-0", while Irish-Lodge posted a mark of 41'-4.25". Martin also finished second in the high jump, clearing 6'-0.75".
Benjamin Brinkley hurled the javelin 177'-11" to win that event. Luke Davis finished third in the discus (139-8) and Reed Hurst was third in the shot put (46-2.5).
Whitworth's men got three victories on the track. James Dugenet won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:12.25. Xavier Betancourt was runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles (58.93) and Kainoa Figueira finished second in the 800-meter run (1:59.21).
The Pirates won the men's 4x100 relay in 43.55 and crossed first in the 4x400 relay in 3:27.24.
The men's team scores were: Whitworth and PLU 161, CC of Spokane 100, Western Washington 56, Puget Sound 55, St. Martin's 48, Colorado Col. 40, Olympic Col. 30, Green River Col. 27, Evergreen St. 13, Seattle Pacific 8.
The women's performance was highlighted by a 1-2-3 finish in the 800 run. Nikohl Jordan finished first in 2:21.94, followed by Madelyn Buckley and Alexis Caniglia.
Alison Ball was runner-up in in the 200-meter dash (26.32) and Makenzie Ward finished third in the 400-meter dash (1:02.19). Carmen Winslow-Gonzales was third in the 400-meter hurdles (1:09.95).
The Pirate women won two field events. Breanne Rawls cleared 4'-11" to win the high jump, while Renee Tiumalu tossed the shot 40'-4.25". Abbie Jo Carlson was runner-up in the women's hammer throw (148-1).
Like the men, Whitworth won both the 4x100 relay (50.77) and 4x400 relay (4:13.62).
The final women's team scores were: PLU 144.5, Whitworth 134, Colorado Col. 80, Western Washington 44, St. Martin's 42, Evergreen St. 40, Puget Sound 38.5, Olympic Col. 38, CC of Spokane 16, Green River Col. 11, Seattle Pacific 8, Get Strong TC 6.
