Track & Field | 5/11/2013 6:41:00 PM

2013 GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS - COMPLETE RESULTS

MONMOUTH, Ore. – A one through three sweep in the men's 800-meter hurdles highlighted a strong day for the Western Oregon track & field teams at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday as the men's squad finished third overall with the women placing fifth.

“We had our best outdoor meet of the season this week and I thought everyone came prepared and ready to compete,” head coach Mike Johnson said. “We had some bad luck on the men's side to open the meet; but, we had some guys really step up and produce a good result.”

WOU made its mark in the men's 800 meters as the Wolves captured 24 out of a possible 39 points in the event. Chris Olsen, who earned All-American honors at the indoor championships, paced the Wolves, winning the GNAC title with a time of 1:51.08. Ryan Hansen was not far behind, finishing in a time of 1:51.73 while Josh Hanna completed the podium sweep with a mark of 1:52.23.

Olsen's mark established a new lifetime record for the senior as he improved on his NCAA provisional mark.

In other men's highlights, the trio of Hansen, Olsen and Hanna helped WOU finish second in the final event of the day, the 4x400-meter relay. WOU finished with a time of 3:18.36 as Harrison Leep also had a strong split for the Wolves in the event.

Jeff Howard had a tremendous showing in the 200-meter finals as he raced to a second-place finish with a mark of 21.75. The freshman nearly caught GNAC Athlete of the Meet Rimar Christie; however, the sprinter from Northwest Nazarene held off Howard, finishing with a time of 21.47.

WOU also had a strong showing in the 400-meter hurdles as Stan Wester raced to a second-place finish with a mark of 54.68. Kody Rhodes finished in fifth-place for the Wolves as his time of 55.95 allowed WOU to claim 12 points in the event.

In the field events on the men's side, WOU scored seven points in the javelin throw as Shane Brooks finished in third with a tow of 207-10.25 while Justin Larson finished in eighth with a mark of 182-01.

Sprinter Madison McClung led the WOU women as she scored a combined 16 points in the 100 and 200-meters. The junior finished just behind Grace Morgan of Alaska Anchorage in both events, racing to a second-place finish In the 100-meters with a mark of 12.23 while finishing second in the 200-meters with a time of 24.87.

McClung also helped WOU race to a second-place finish in the 4x100-meters as she joined Audrey Hellesto, Shelby Peterson and Shanai Campbell to establish a new school record in the event. The team raced to a time of 47.51, breaking the old mark of 47.58 established during the 2005 season.

The WOU women also had a strong showing in the triple jump as the Wolves finished second and third in the event. Rebecca Laible finished second in the event with a leap of 38-09.75 while Alexis Anderson finished in third with a mark of 38-08.75. Meanwhile, Anderson teamed with Shelby Peterson to finish tied for fourth in the women's high jump, finishing with a mark of 5-03.75.

Freshman Emmi Collier completed a solid day for the WOU women in the field events, finishing in second in the shot put with a mark of 43-01.50.

Western Washington captured the men's team title while Alaska Anchorage captured the women's team crown. Ali Worthen of Seattle Pacific was named GNAC Female Athlete of the Meet.

WOU will return to action on Thursday, May 23, when the Wolves travel to Pueblo, Colo., for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

2013 GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS - FINAL TEAM RESULTS
Men's Team Scores  – Western Washington 183 1/2 , Central Washington 141, Western Oregon 137, Alaska Anchorage 129, Northwest Nazarene 63, Saint Martin's 56, Simon Fraser 33 ½, MSU Billings 33, Seattle Pacific 26. Outstanding Performer – Rimar Christie, Northwest Nazarene.

Women's Team Scores  - Alaska Anchorage 169, Seattle Pacific 146, Western Washington 118, Northwest Nazarene 95 ½, Western Oregon 80, Simon Fraser 73, Central Washington 65 ½, MSU Billings 21, Saint Martin's 10. Outstanding Performer – Ali Worthen, Seattle Pacific.