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Track and Field: Washington takes first at GNAC Championship
May 4, 2008
Ellensburg, WA – Saint Martin’s freshman Sam
Washington made some noise at his first Great Northwest Athletic
Conference track and field championship meet taking first place in the
men’s shot put at Tomlinson Stadium. Both the Saints’ men’s and women’s
teams finished eighth overall.
Washington posted a throw of 54’6 ½” good enough to
put him 11th in the Division II rankings and qualify him for nationals.
To follow up that outstanding performance,
Washington then tossed the discus 155’10” to take second. The throw was
just shy of a national qualifying mark. Both throws set new school
records.
“Sam had the impartial spectators appreciating his
throws especially in the shot circle where his winning mark was almost
five feet better than the second place throw.”
The Saints had a total of eight other top eight
finishes on the day, two on the men’s side and six on the women’s.
John Riak finished third in the men’s 10,000m with a
time of 32:27.60 while Bill Richardson took third in the high jump at
6’6”.
On the women’s side Chelsi Claussen found herself in
the top eight multiple times. She finished sixth in the 400m hurdles in
1:05.45 and seventh in the 100m hurdles in 15.75. Claussen was also part
of the 4 x 400m relay team that broke the school record with a time of
4:05.95, five seconds faster, to finish sixth. The team also included
Amy Layton, Jessica Pendon and Annie Laweryson.
Laweryson also improved on her recent 800m school
record in the preliminaries to qualify for finals with a time of 2:18.62
then ran a 2:19.00 to take seventh.
Jessie Dunnam finished fifth and Helen Camden
finished sixth in the 10,000m with times of 40:12.92 and 40:48.42
respectively.
Jill Blake threw a season’s best in the javelin at
118’9” to take ninth.
The Saints will take part in the Last Chance Meet in
Seattle, on May 10th.
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