Complete results
BELLINGHAM -- Natty Plunkett is looking forward to longer and better things on the track when postseason competition starts in May.
But on a cool, damp night in April, shorter worked out just as well -- and worked out plenty fast -- for the Seattle Pacific sophomore.
Plunkett, setting her sights on the 5,000 meters for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships, took advantage of a rare opportunity to race 3,000 meters, and put an 11-second personal-best onto her ledger, along with a second-place finish, at the Western Washington Twilight Meet at Civic Stadium.
Plunkett's time of 10:14.12 easily eclipsed her previous best of 10:37.22, which she set last year as a Falcon freshman.
“This was a really good race for me,” said Plunkett (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS). “I felt really good, and I was being really competitive. My splits were pretty consistent and pretty close, and I had a good kick.”
The only runner who had a better kick was Chandler Olson, a ninth-grader running unattached, who surged in front coming around the final turn and crossed the line in 10:12.27. But Plunkett said it was equal parts fun and beneficial to have Olson in the same race.
“Right before the race, her coach introduced me to her, and we talked about maybe trading leads in the race. We ended up doing that, and it worked so well for both us,” Plunkett said.
Plunkett already has an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying time in the 5,000, having gone 17:27.11 a the Stanford Track & Field Invitational on March 26. She saw Friday's race a perfect tune-up opportunity for the longer one.
“This was fabulous. The speeds I was going here make me feel confident for my slightly slower 5K,” Plunkett said. “If I can do this, then I've got the speed to do my 5K. This was really confidence-building, and I felt good.”
Sophomore Brittany Aanstad (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) won the javelin for SPU, and freshman Katy Gross (Everett, Wash/Cascade HS) tied for first in the high jump on Friday. Aanstad tossed the jav 135-4, and Gross cleared 5-4¼ in the high jump.
The strongest events of the night for Seattle Pacific were the long jump and the 400 meters. In the long jump, Not only did freshman Kira Lewis (Yakima, Wash./West Valley HS), junior Crystal Sims (Portland, Ore.) and Gross finish 2-3-4, they all became GNAC automatic qualifiers.
Lewis, in her first long jump performance as a Falcon, flew 17 feet, 8 inches for second place. Sims went 17-4¾, way beyond her previous best of 15-9½ at the Cal Multi Meet in Berkeley, Calif., on March 25. Gross went 17-3¼, exactly a full foot farther than her previous best in the season-opening UPS Outdoor Preview on March 6.
Sims took second in the 400 in 57.88, freshman Emily Quatier (Portland, Ore.) was third in 57.46, and senior Lisa Anderberg (Edmonds, Wash./Kamiak HS) ran fourth in 58.35. All three times were PRs, with Sims and Quatier breaking into the 57s for the first time this season.
A select group of Falcons will compete at the Oregon Relays next Friday and Saturday, April 30 and May 1, in Eugene. Most everyone else will stay closer to home, competing at the Saint Martin's Invitational in Lacey on May 1.
NCAA Women's Track & Field
Western Washington Twilite
Friday, April 23, 2010
Civic Stadium/Bellingham, Wash.
Licensed to Western Washington University
Team scores -- Not kept.
100 -- 1, Veronica Luedke (Com. Cougars) 12.75. SPU placers -- 6, Trinna Miranda 13.30; 9, Karie Chamberlain 15.23.
200 -- 1, Luedke (Com. Cougars) 25.87. No SPU competitors.
400 -- 1, Sarah Brownell (W. Wash.) 57.85. SPU placers -- 2, Crystal Sims 57.88; 3, Emily Quatier 57.96; 4, Lisa Anderberg 58.35; 9, Jocelyn Charette 1:01.74; 11, Kelsey Brown 1:02.64.
800 -- 1, Courtney Olsen (W. Wash.) 2:13.89. No SPU competitors.
1500 -- 1, Rachael Johnson (W. Wash.) 4:39.72. SPU placer -- 2, Kate Harline 4:40.85.
3000 -- 1, Chandler Olson (Unattached) 10:12.27. SPU placers -- 2, Natty Plunkett 10:14.12; 11, Kayla Wilkins 11:20.06; 13, Krysta Carrick 11:31.07; 14, Laura Moser 11:51.22.
5000 -- 1, Sarah Porter (W. Wash.) 17:00.69. SPU placer -- 11, Margaret Hanscom 22:06.56.
100 hurdles -- 1, Michelle Howe (W. Wash.) 14.76. SPU placers -- 3, Kira Lewis 15.64; 14, Brittany Tri 17.87.
400 hurdles -- 1, Kendra Peters (Valley Royals) 1:03.78. SPU placers -- 2, Jennifer Pike 1:04.68; 3, Natalie Nobbs 1:05.13.
3000 steeplechase -- 1, Julia Johnson (Northwest U) 12:12.70. No SPU competitors.
4x100 relay -- 1, Western Washington 48.38. No SPU team.
4x400 relay -- 1, Central Washington 4:13.76. No SPU team.
High jump -- 1, (tie) Katy Gross (SPU) and Caroline Soules (UW) 5-4 1/4 (1.63m). Other SPU placer -- T5, Jacquie Mattson 5-0 1/4 (1.53m).
Pole vault -- Not completed because of rain; 7 vaulters cleared 9-4 1/4 (2.85m). No SPU competitors.
Long jump -- 1, Emily Warman (W. Wash.) 17-10 1/4 (5.44m). SPU placers -- 2, Kira Lewis 17-8 (5.38m); 3, Crystal Sims 17-4 3/4 (5.30m); T4, Katy Gross 17-3 1/4 (5.26m); 7, Brittany Aanstad 16-11 1/2 (5.17m); 8, Miranda 16-11 1/4 (5.16m); 11, Nobbs 16-8 1/2 (5.09m); 18, Pike 15-6 1/4 (4.73m); 22, Tri 14-9 1/4 (4.50m).
Triple jump -- 1, Nicole Vielma (UW) 37-5 (11.40m). SPU placer -- 4, Athena Alvarez 34-7 3/4 (10.56m).
Shot put -- 1, Krissy Tandle (Unattached) 45-8 1/2 (13.93m). No SPU competitors.
Discus -- 1, Lindsay Currier (Seattle U) 136-0 (41.45m). No SPU competitors.
Hammer -- 1, Torrie Self (C. Wash.) 179-4 (54.67m). No SPU competitors.
Javelin -- 1, Aanstad (SPU) 135-4 (41.26m). Other SPU placers -- 6, Carly Andrews 123-5 (37.62m); 9, Pike 121-7 (37.07m); 11, Sims 107-5 (32.74m); 13, Tri 102-1 (31.11m).
