Top Track Athletes to Compete at Oregon Twilight

By Timothy Walsh, Athletics Communications Writer

EUGENE, ORE. -- One week after achieving outstanding performances at the Northwest Conference championships, Willamette University's top track and field athletes will compete at the Oregon Twilight, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on Friday, May 3.

The meet, hosted by the University of Oregon, is scheduled to begin at 3:40 p.m. (PDT).

The Bearcats will have five representatives in the women's events, led by a trio of first-place finishers from the NWC meet: Erynn Rebol (Sr., Cottonwood, CA/Red Bluff Union HS) in the 800-meter run, Michaela Freeby (So., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Bekah Daniel (So., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS) in the triple jump.

Stevie Gildehaus (Sr., Spokane Valley, WA/University HS), who placed third in the 1,500-meter run at the conference championships, will run in the 1,500-meter run B section, while Meka Townsend (Fr., Okanogan, WA/Okanogan HS) will look to build on her fourth-place javelin throw.

Willamette will have three individual entries on the men's side, highlighted by Tom Fiechtner (Jr., Poway, CA/Cathedral HS) and Dylan Jones (Fr., Santa Maria, CA/Ernest Righetti HS), who will both compete in the 200-meter dash. Fiechtner finished first at the NWC championships, while Jones placed fourth.

Fiechtner and Jones will also run for the Bearcats' 4 x 100-meter relay team, along with Chris Luetjen (Jr., Lake Oswego, OR/Lake Oswego HS) and Matt Paparella (Fr., Glendale, AZ/Ironwood HS). Their winning time of 42.06 seconds at the NWC meet was just .07 away from Willamette's school record, set in 1992.

Rounding out the field for the Bearcats will be Kit Kingstad (Jr., Beaverton, OR/Beaverton HS), who will participate in the 1,500-meter run after placing second in that event at the conference championships.

The Oregon Twilight will be webcast live for free on the Pac-12 Live Stream, with former Oregon track coach Tom Heinonen and Jesse Fukawa handling the announcing duties. Live Results will be posted once the meet starts.

Both Willamette squads moved up in the latest NCAA Division III West Region rankings released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) this week. The Willamette women's team advanced two spots to #4 in the Region, while the Bearcat men's team went up four spots to #6.