SPOKANE, Wash. – Eastern Oregon Track & Field returned to action after a quick spring break posting a strong day of competition at the annual Whitworth Peace Meet on Friday. The Mountaineers stacked up well against a wide field of opponents that included NCAA Division I, II, and III competition as well as NAIA challengers.
When all was said and done, EOU posted four “A” standard marks and times. One of the biggest highlights of the day came on the track when sophomore Bryson Spears set a big PR in the 400-meter hurdles that earned him an automatic bid to the national championships and not only a top-10 spot in the EOU record books for the event, but also a top-10 spot in the nation.
The Mountaineers return to action next Saturday with the team splitting up between two meets. EOU will attend both the Larry Byerly Invite in Portland on Saturday and the Northwest Nazarene Invite in Nampa, Idaho.
Read below to catch up on the rest of the biggest highlights from EOU’s performance at the Whitworth Peace Meet.
WOMEN
TRACK EVENTS
- 400-METER HURDLES: Skotlyn Hill led the Mountaineers on the track today posting the highest finish on the women’s side individually. Hill finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:05.37.
- 4×100 METER RELAY: A squad consisting of Karina DeYoung, Sydney Peck, Katie Brown, and Taylor Joyce ran their way to a third-place finish in the 4×100 meter relay. The team finished with a time of 49.85 seconds
FIELD EVENTS
- JAVELIN: Newcomer, Lilly McCargar, made a splash in the javelin leading all Mounties with a throw of 39.05 meters. The hurl marks a personal record for the freshman.
- HAMMER THROW & SHOT PUT: Kenna Woodward put together another strong day in the throws with a third-place finish in the hammer throw (47.49 meters) and sixth-place finish in the shot put (12.26 meters)
MEN:
TRACK EVENTS
- 400-METER DASH: Osman Osman continues to write his name in the EOU Track & Field record books. With today’s performance in the 400 Osman became the third Mountie in program history to run a sub-49-second 400 finishing second overall with a time of 48.86. Osman now trails Matt Lane and Devin Lewis-Allen in the all-time records.
- 3,000-METER STEEPLECHASE: Two Mounties finished inside the top-5 in the steeplechase. Hunter Nichols one-upped his PR set in his last competition finishing third with a time of 9:18.44, another “A” Standard. His time earns him the No. 9 spot in the all-time records for the event and is now the second fastest time in the NAIA this season. Hot on his heels was last year’s national championship representative in the event, Justin Ash. Ash finished fourth with a time of 9:20.21 which was also good for an “A” Standard in the event.
- 400-METER HURDLES: Bryson Spears ran an impressive race in the 400-meter hurdles earning an “A” Standard and third-place finish. His PR time of 53.53 seconds also moved him into the top-10 all-time at EOU as he now sits fifth in the record books.
- 4×100-METER RELAY: The team of Bryson Spears, James Connally, DJ Wilson, and Mason Nichols moved up the record books in the 4×100. The squad finished second overall and posted the sixth fastest time in program history at 41.98 seconds
FIELD EVENTS
- SHOT PUT: Tanner Nett returned to form in the shot put Friday afternoon recording a hurl of 16.47 meters, good for an “A” Standard and season best. Nett finished second in the event and his mark now ranks sixth in the NAIA this season.
