Track & Field | 4/8/2011 11:14:49 PM

[Results]

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Anyone who has ever thought competing at home was not an advantage just needed to obverse the Western Oregon University track & field team Friday night at the John Knight Twilight.

Every member of the Western Oregon squad, including the coaches, seemed to be rejuvenated with the opportunity to run at home for the only time this season in a non-championship event.

The passion for competing in front of the hometown fans not only showed in the faces of the Western Oregon student-athletes but also in their marks. Seven members of the team placed their names amongst the top five all-time records in school history, while four others earned top 10 marks.

The women's 4x100m relay team of Madison McClung, Lexi Pola, Sarah Kathrein and Lacey Meusec got the meet started with a bang as they raced once around the track in 47.72 to tie for the second-fastest mark in Western Oregon history. Their time also moves them into third place in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history.

Chris Reed moved up from seventh to third in school history in the 1500m with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:50.47. Reed's time also propelled him into seventh place on the GNAC all-time top 10 list. He now ranks third in conference history in the 10k and fourth in the 5k, to go along with his seventh place mark in the 1500m.

Jason Slowey became the sixth Wolf of the 2011 outdoor season to earn an NCAA provisional qualifying standard when he registered a throw of 54-4.5 (16.57m) to win the shot put. This was a career-best mark for the senior from North Medford High School, who improved upon his fourth place mark in school history and third place mark in GNAC history with that toss. Slowey also won the discus with a throw of 158-8.75 (48.38m).

Erika Snawder became the seventh member of the Western Oregon squad to earn a top five mark in school history as she posted a time of 18:05.25 in the 5k. With that time she ascended from ninth to fifth the record books.

Joining these seven student-athletes in the record books were Madison McClung, Janna Vander Meulen, Annie Hayward and Kyle Larson.

McClung improved upon her ninth place mark in school history in the 200m with a career-best time of 25.39.

Janna Vander Meulen ascended to seventh place in the record books with a time of 14.82 in the women's 100m hurdles.

Hayward posted a time of 58.51 in the women's 400m to also grab the seventh spot in school history.

Larson registered a season-best time of 3:54.48 in the 1500m to move into ninth place in the event.

Western Oregon also had a number of student-athletes win their event including Anthony Yakovich and Ashley Potter, who each won two events.

Potter posted a leap of 38-3.25 (11.66m) to win the triple jump, then followed that with a mark of 17-4.25 (5.29m) to capture the title in the long jump. Lacey Meusec finished second in the long jump with a mark of 17-0.75 (5.20m) to give WOU the top two finishers in the event.

Yakovich paced four Wolves who finished atop the men's 200m dash with a time of 22.08. He was followed by Tyler Thomas (22.12), Dustin Boyd (22.24) and Matt Kaino (22.32) in that order. Yakovich also earned a win in the men's 400m dash as he raced once around the track in 49.27.

Other Wolves turning in wins included Dustin Boyd in the men's 100m (11.02), Kaitlyn Reid in the women's 400m hurdles (1:04.24), Jake Hyde in the long jump (22-1/6.73m), Tim Lundy in the pole vault (14-1.25/4.30m) and Katie Pelchar in the high jump (5-5/1.65m).

"(Our student-athletes) had a great time tonight and part of that was due to the fact that we had good support," said Johnson.

"It was important for me to see the Western Oregon soccer, women's basketball and volleyball teams out here tonight and supported our student-athletes," said Johnson. "That is the theme of Athletes Supporting Athletes, and we are very appreciative of that."

Coming up next for the WOU track & field team will be competitions at Lewis & Clark and a variety of meets in southern California.

"Next week is big in many ways, but the team has come to be more mature in the fact that they don't have to run every race or be at every place," noted Johnson. "Next week we will be at Lewis & Clark and the races there may be as important as the races that take place at Azusa or Mt. SAC.

"It is great to go down there and get some weather we are going to continue to be selective in our racing and understand that each race has a purpose," added Johnson.