by Peter Houston-Hencken
On Monday and Tuesday, the track and field team took six athletes to compete at the NWC Multi-Event Championships in Tacoma, Washington. The women competed in a heptathlon, consisting of seven different events. The men took part in the decathlon, spanning ten events.
The women began their strong performance with senior Emily Moore taking third place in the 100-meter hurdles. The women were set back after taking fifth, sixth and seventh place in the high jump. However, junior Alexandra McConnell was able to pick up the slack when she took first in the shot put with a distance of 33.88’.
Freshman Kayla Brase was able to increase Whitworth’s score by taking second in long jump with a distance of 16.6’. The women ended the meet with Brase taking third, Moore claiming fifth, and McConnell holding 13th place in the overall heptathlon. The women’s combined scores allowed Whitworth to take second place in the heptathlon.
“The women did great,” head coach Toby Schwarz said. “We scored ten points for the women’s team which is on pace to what we want to do overall on every event for the conference championship.”
Senior Jon Williams led the Pirates by placing fourth in the overall competition. During the meet, Williams beat his personal best in six different events. After a rough start on the first day, Williams hoped to increase his standing with the 1500 meter run.
“I was in sixth all the way up until, basically the end. And then the 1500 I had to run fast to move up places. It was my highest point total. It was 730 points,” Williams said.
The men’s shot put was the best event for the men’s team as a whole. Senior Lucas McGill was able to take their place with a distance of 36.7’. McGill was shy of first by less than a meter. Sophomore Teagan Brown took sixth in the event with a distance of 32’. Brown was also able to break personal records in five events.
Unfortunately, the effects of an injury McGill suffered in a previous meet became too painful and caused him to leave the competition after the third event. The decathlon ended with Williams in fourth and Brown taking ninth. The men’s team finished in third place.
“With ten events for the guys and seven events for the women, you got to learn a lot of different things,” Schwarz said. “They spent a lot of time practicing.”
By bringing in eight athletes, George Fox was able to take first place with both teams. Their men’s team finished with a lead of 13 points while Whitworth’s women trailed by five.