PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State University student-athletes won 13 events and broke two of the four meet records Saturday at the 12th Annual WSU Open Indoor Track and Field Meet Friday at the Indoor Facility on the Pullman campus.
Briaúna Watley (redshirt junior, Granada Hills, Calif.) won the women's 200m dash with meet record time of 25.19 seconds, breaking the 2004 time of 25.39 by WSU's Nicole Hatcher. Cougar sophomore Terrance Chambers (Federal Way, Wash.) won the men's 200m in a meet record time of 22.27, erasing Sam Michener's 2007 mark of 22.28 when competing for Idaho.
The 600m races, a rarely run distance but a stable in the WSU Open, saw men and women set meet records. WSU's Jacob Sealby (redshirt junior, Wenatchee) was the first of eight men to break the 600m record time of 1:24.30 run in 2013 by WSU's Richard Shroy. Sealby won the race in a time of 1:19.49. The women's race was won by Liga Velvere, running for the Vandal Track Club, in a time of 1 minute 30.47 seconds, breaking the 2013 time of 1:34.35 by Idaho's Lauren Schaffer.
Cougar competitors in the field events had a very successful day. Kristine Felix (sophomore, Wailuku, Hawai'i) won the women's pole vault with an indoor personal-best height of 13-feet 3/4 inch (3.98m). Charlotte Muschamp (redshirt junior, Edendale, New Zealand) captured the women's high jump with lifetime-best height of 5-10 (1.78m). Zoe Moller won the women's long jump with an indoor PR leap of 17-8 1/4 (5.39m). Senior Mary Barnett (Hermiston, Ore.) won the women's shot put with a heave of 44-9 (13.64m). Freshman Cole Smith (Hoquiam, Wash.) won the men's high jump after clearing the bar at a height of 6-7 (2.01m). PJ Benedictus (junior, Renton, Wash.) won the men's long jump with a distance of 22-10 (6.96m).
Other Cougar women claiming victories on the track included Candice McFarland (redshirt sophomore, Las Vegas) in the 60m hurdles in a time of 8.67 and CharLee Linton (sophomore, Shorewood, Wash.) in the mile in a PR time of 5:12.23. Other WSU men grabbing wins included Daniel Zmuda (freshman, DuPont, Wash.) in the 60m hurdles in a time of 8.23, and Jackson Haselnus (freshman, Gresham, Ore.) in the mile with a time of 4:23.79.
“I think we had some good performances today,” WSU Head Coach Rick Sloan said. “At the first meet of the year you're always trying to get the bugs out so some people probably did not perform up to expectations but we also had some who exceeded expectations. And that is what is exciting for us. I think the jumps were a strong area for us today with Kristine Felix's 13-feet in the pole vault and Charlotte Muschamp's 5-10 in the high jump. I thought our 800m people and our 400m people did a really nice job for us in the 600m today.”
Next weekend the Cougars teams will divide for three different meets: the Vandal Collegiate and Vandal Open in Moscow, and the Jacksons Invitational/New Balance Indoor in Nampa.
