Swanson Earns Season Best in 1,500-meter Run at SFSU Distance Carnival

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Hannah Swanson (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) of Willamette University earned a season-best time of 4:40.31 in the women's 1,500-meter run at the San Francisco State University Distance Carnival on Friday, March 31. Swanson placed 38th out of 149 competitors in the event who were divided into 12 heats against the clock.

In the men's 1,500-meter run, Willamette's Jack Kobylka (Jr., Napa, CA/Vintage HS) also recorded his top time of the season. He completed the race in 4:02.77. Kobylka was sixth out of 13 runners in the eighth of 11 heats in the event.

The Bearcats were represented by a total of six runners in the men's and women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Patrick Loftus (Jr., Santa Rosa, CA/Sonoma Academy) registered a time of 9:25.09 in the men's steeplechase to place 29th out of 74 runners. His time was a season best, more than two seconds faster than his time of 9:27.85 in the Willamette versus Corban Dual.

Keith Carlson (So., Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge HS) finished the men's steeplechase in 9:56.91. Carlson has competed in the steeplechase three times this season and has been under 9:58 in all three races.

Also for WU in the men's steeplechase were freshmen Ross Enlow (Unalaska, AK/Unalaska HS) and Michael Montague (San Diego, CA/Canyon Crest Academy). Enlow set a personal record at 9:59.15, lowering his time by more than two seconds from his previous best of 10:01.83. Montague also improved, advancing his time from 10:08.06 to a new personal record of 10:03.01.

Bearcats running in the women's steeplechase were Ami Boucher (Sr., Concord, CA/Northgate HS) and Emily Evans (So., Anchorage, AK/South Anchorage HS). Boucher completed the race in 11:54.07. Evans set a personal record at 11:56.92, as she dropped over three seconds from her previous best of 12:00.07, set at this year's Willamette versus Corban Dual.

Willamette's track and field teams also will be in action on Saturday, April 1, when the Bearcats will participate in the Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. Action is set to begin at 10 a.m. (PDT).