STANFORD, Calif. -- Washington State track and field competitors turned in notable performances late Friday night and Saturday at the Stanford Invitational at Cobb Track and Angell Field while the majority of Cougars were competing at the 11th Annual Sam Adams Classic meet at Whitworth's Pine Bowl in Spokane.
The very late Friday night starts in the 10,000m races provided great times for Cougar runners. Michael Williams (sophomore, Richland, Wash.) ran a PR time of 29:09.28 for 11th in his section while John Whelan (junior, Etna, Calif.) ran a PR time of 29:15.94 for 18th place in the men's elite section. CharLee Linton (senior, Shorewood, Wash.) came close to eclipsing her women's school record time with her time of 34:05.75 for 13th in her section.
SPOKANE, Wash. -- It was a warm and sunny day in Spokane and the Cougars took advantage of the conditions to pile up some wins and personal-best marks at the Sam Adams Classic. WSU women claimed 11 event wins and Cougar men took nine event wins.
Thane Pierson (senior, Naches, Wash.) won the men's high jump with a thrilling PR height of 7-feet, 2 1/2 inches (2.20m), which ties for eighth-best in WSU all-time records and is currently ranked in the top five nationally. Pierson led a first through fourth Cougar finish with Keelan Halligan, Brendan Rexus and Peyton Fredrickson following.
“Today was just a super relaxed competition and my legs felt pretty descent,” Pierson said. “Coach (Brad) Walker and I have been working on bringing a lot of speed but still being able to take things vertical. Mostly just being patient and keeping my shoulders away from the bar.”
Greer Alsop (redshirt sophomore, Invercargill, New Zealand) won the women's triple jump with an outdoor PR mark of 41-6 1/2 (12.66m), followed by Kiana Davis (junior, Longview, Wash.) who equaled her PR mark of 18-10 1/2 (12.36m) for second and Kayla Warren (senior, Seattle) jumped 39-11 1/4 (12.17m). Davis won the long jump with a PR leap of 18-10 1/2 (5.75m), followed by Essence White (senior, Tracy, Calif.) with a wind-aided PR mark of 18-7 1/4w (5.67m), and Alsop in third (18-1w/5.51m).
Freshman Regyn Gaffney (Chehalis, Wash.) was a triple-winner Saturday, taking wins in the women's 100m (PR 11.71 seconds) and 200m (PR 24.31) and on the 4x100m relay team (45.50).
The 100m hurdles was won by ShaRaya Quinn (sophomore, Puyallup, Wash.) with a wind-aided PR time of 14.58w with Lindsey Schauble (freshman, Kennewick, Wash.) second in a wind-aided PR time of 15.03w. The 400m hurdles saw a first-through-third finish by Cougars as freshman Stephanie Cho (Vancouver, B.C.) winning in a time of 1:03.53, followed by Schauble's 1:03.79 and Quinn's 1:05.19.
In other women's field events, Lateah Holmes (senior, Fife, Wash.) won the high jump with a PR height of 5-8 (1.73m), with senior Audrey Ketcham (Wenatchee, Wash.) second with a season-best 5-6 (1.68m). Freshman Katelyn Frost (Corvallis, Mont.) won the pole vault with a PR vault of 12-0 (3.66m). Chrisshnay Brown (freshman, Lompoc, Calif.) won the discus with a throw of 142-8 (43.48m) barely edging out teammate Kaitlin Krouse (freshman, Chewelah, Wash.) who threw 142-5 (43.42m). Katie Wardsworth (redshirt sophomore, Spokane Valley, Wash.) won the hammer with a throw of 173-6 (52.89m).
Cougar sprinters captured the first two spots in the sprints. Freshman Ja'Maun Charles (Pleasanton, Calif.) won the 100m dash in a time equaling his PR of 10.59, followed by Zach Smith (sophomore, Bremerton, Wash.) who ran a season-best 10.68. In the 200m, sophomore Jonnie Green (Ephrata, Wash.) won with a PR time of 21.79 with second place going to Ethan Gardner (freshman, Walla Walla, Wash.) in a time of 22.08. The 400m relay team of Smith, Charles, Terrance Chambers and Green won in a time of 40.64.
Christapherson Grant (freshman, Lynnwood, Wash.) won the men's 110m hurdles in a wind-aided time of 14.96 and then finished third in the 400m hurdles in a time of 55.48.
Austin Sodorff (senior, Woodinville, Wash.) won the pole vault with a height equaling his PR of 16-8 3/4 (5.10m). Fredrickson (freshman, Vancouver, Wash.) won the long jump with a PR leap of 22-6 1/2 (6.87m) followed by Ray Littles (freshman, Issaquah, Wash.) PR leap of 21-10 3/4 (6.67m). Cougars went one-two-three in the triple jump with Robby Flores (freshman, El Paso, Texas) winning after reaching a distance of 47-0 1/4 (14.33m), Keelan Halligan (Bothell, Wash.) second with a PR leap of 44-2 (13.46m) and Josh Colbert (redshirt freshman, Sammamish, Wash.) third with a distance of 44-1 1/4w (13.44m).
There was a first-through third Cougar finish in the men's hammer throw, of sorts. Brock Eager, competing unattached, won with a season-best toss of 201-10 (61.53m) followed by redshirt junior Travis Pickett (Snohomish, Wash.) with a PR throw of 194-8 (59.34m) and freshman redshirt Wyatt Meyring with a mark of 186-7 (56.87m).
The winds were favorable for the javelin with WSU's Brad Stevens (redshirt sophomore, Snoqualmie, Wash.) the runner-up to Whitworth's Andrew Bloom by five inches. Bloom threw 213-2 (64.98m) and Stevens tossed out to a distance of 212-9 (64.85m). Cougar Cole Smith, competing unattached, took third with a toss of 211-6 (64.46m). Cougar alum, and Brad's brother Kyle Stevens, threw unattached and reached a distance of 198-7 (60.53m) for fifth place.
The next competitions for WSU's track and field teams will be April 8-9, at the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz., and at the SCC WAR IX at Spokane.