Swanson, Mancl and Thorp Win Events at Saints Open

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

GRESHAM, ORE. -- Willamette University track and field athletes won three events at the Saints Open on Saturday, March 14. The meet, which featured multiple heats in most events, was hosted by Mount Hood Community College. Competitors also had to battle win and rain throughout the day.

Daniel Swanson took first place in the men's 1,500-meter run, while Olivia Mancl (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) led a 1-2-3-5-6-8 finish by the Bearcats in the women's 1,500-meter run. Kaeleigh Thorp (Sr., Sam Leandro, CA/Encinal HS) won the women's hammer throw.

Swanson's winning time out of 48 runners in the men's 1,500 was 4:02.82. Yonny Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS) of Willamette placed sixth at 4:06.75.

Mancl won the the women's 1,500 in 4:41.41. She was followed by teammates Michaela Freeby (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) in second at 4:49.22 and Taylor Ostrander (Jr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS) in third at 4:52.40. Hannah Swanson (Fr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) of WU was fifth in 4:57.56.

Also finishing in the top eight out of 29 runners were Juliet Farnan (Jr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) in sixth at 5:01.12 and Jessica Talbot (Fr., San Francisco, CA/Gateway HS) in eighth with a time of 5:04.32.

Thorp prevailed in the women's hammer with a distance of 140' 9". Angela Turpen (So., Alsea, OR/Alsea HS) of Willamette was fifth in the hammer with a throw of 129' 9", while Kelsey Engstrom (Sr., Clinton, WA/South Whidbey HS) was sixth at 129' 7".

Other top results for the Bearcat men's team:

Grant Lindley (Fr., Monmouth HS/Central HS) was second in the 400-meter run with a personal record time of 50.14 seconds. The event was won by unattached runner Marcus Gaylor, who earned a time of 49.91 seconds.

Tyler Higley (Sr., Aloha, OR/Aloha HS) registered third place finishes in shot put and the hammer throw. His top distance in the shot put was 47' 9.25". He achieved a top throw of 147' 9" in the hammer.

In the men's 110-meter hurldes, RoShaan Rogers (Fr., Roseville CA/Woodcreek HS) took fourth place in 15.82 seconds. The winner of the event was Joshua Turner from Mount Hood CC with a time of 15.49 seconds. Rogers placed sixth in the 400-meter hurdles at 59.47 seconds.

Parris Joyce (Jr., Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel School) finished in fifth place in the 800-meter run while setting a personal record at 1:58.84.

Other top results for the Willamette women's team:

Maura Forbush (So., Hollister, CA/San Benito HS) placed second in the 400-meter run. Her time was a personal record of 58.54 seconds and moved her into 10th place on Willamette's all-time list. Shanice Lakes of Mount Hood won the 400 in 58.23 seconds.

Forbush also helped Willamette place second in the 4 x 100-meter relay. The Bearcats' relay team included Bridgette Peirce (Fr., Reno, NV/Earl Wooster HS), Forbush, Carmela Roberts (Jr., Santa Cruz, CA/Santa Cruz HS) and Kylea Johnson (Jr., Onalaska WA/Onalaska HS). WU's time was 50.71, just 0.30 behind Linfield College at 50.41.

Turpen claimed fourth place in the discus with a throw of 116' 0".

Johnson finished fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.86 seconds. Club team runner Taryn Smiley won the 100 in 12.40 seconds. Also achieving a fifth place result was Maya Bowton (Jr., Spokane, WA/Ferris HS) in the high jump, as she cleared 4' 9.75".

Elisa Ahern (Sr., Lake Forest Park, WA/Shorecrest HS) took sixth in the long jump at 16' 4.25", while Molly Bond (Sr., Clarkston, WA/Asotin HS) tied for seventh at 16' 1".

Up next for the Bearcats:

Willamette will compete against nearby rival Corban University in a dual meet at Charles Bowles Track on Thursday, March 19. The meet will get underway at 3:30 p.m. (PST).