SPOKANE, Wash. – The season has only just started.  And Whitworth has never hosted an official track meet in February.  Yet the Pirates posted fast times and strong marks in field events at the Whitworth Early Bird meet on Friday afternoon at Boppell Track in the Pine Bowl.

On the track the Pirates' relays appeared especially sharp for early season.  Whitworth's women had two 4x100 relays go under 50 seconds – 49.76 and 49.99 – showing the team's sprinting depth.  The men's sprint relay posted a time of 42.17.  The women's 4x400 relay ran 4:16.18 and the men 3:20.27 in what were essentially time trials.

Emily Brown went 16.29 in the women's 100-meter hurdles and 1:04.71 in the 400-meter hurdles.  Brady Oletzke was 15.37 in the 110-meter hurdles and 57.41 in the 400 distance, while Connor Hylton went 57.70.

Kezlie Thygessen had a time of 17:49.08 in the 5,000-meter run.  In the men's 5k Jack Ireton and London Haley ran neck and neck until Ireton pulled away at the end, 15:16.11 to 15:20.62.

Whitworth's women finished first in all three field events.  Amblessed Okemgbo won the discus in 147'-1" while Devyn Chelin won the javelin with a throw of 120'-9".  Madison Carr and Kylie Loveless went 1-2 in the hammer throw, 166'-10" and 153'-11".

Eddie Vu won the men's discus in 161'-9".  Jackson Sketchley and Cody Wheeler finished second and third in the javelin with marks of 188'-3" and 187'-4", respectively.  Wheeler and Adam Sessions finished second and third in the hammer throw with tosses of 171'-5" and 170'-2", respectively.

The Pirates will return to action next weekend at the Ed Boitano Invitational, hosted by the University of Puget Sound.