Complete results
MONMOUTH, Ore. -- Ryan Endresen is ready for next track season to start right now.
But he'll have to wait awhile.
Endresen capped an outstanding freshman campaign on the track with a second-place finish on Saturday in the 400-meter hurdles at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships. Endresen's personal-best time of 54.65 seconds made him the highest placer of any Falcon in the two-day competition at Western Oregon University's McArthur Field.
The Falcons finished the meet in sixth place with 37 points, exactly what they were seeded for coming in.
Along with Endresen's runner-up hurdles performance on Saturday, Seattle Pacific came up with three other performances that factored into the points.
Senior Chad Meis (Renton, Wash./Seattle Christian HS) ran fourth in the 5,000 meters in 14:49.48. That came on the heels of his awards-podium third-place run in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday night.
Freshman Nate Seely (Lynden, Wash.), hoping to add a GNAC outdoor 800-meter title to the indoor championship, had to settle for fourth on Saturday. Seely led through the first lap before runners behind him picked up the pace, and he crossed the line fourth in 1:55.93.
Junior Jace Derwin (Snoqualmie, Wash./Mount Si HS) delivered a fifth-place performance in the javelin at 188-11.
This spring was Endresen's first in the 400 hurdles. He ran the 300-meter event in high school and also ran the open 400. He said since enjoyed of them, he decided to put them together. The results spoke for themselves, as he went from an initial time of 55.51 in March to his final mark of 54.65 on Saturday, when the only one to beat him was Northwest Nazarene's Maurus Hope in 53.54.
“I hit a few hurdles today, but I think I just got caught up in it,” Endresen said. “But I PR'd, so overall, I'm happy with it -- especially my freshman year, it feels good to actually break that barrier.”
Endresen fell short of the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark of 54.65. But that gives him a starting point for his sophomore year, now that he has had a season to figure out the race.
“I had to learn how to switch lead legs, and that was a little hard,” Endresen said. “It's definitely hard to learn (the longer race), but I'm real excited now for next year.”
Endresen said he also might be interested in doing the open 400.
“Each race could help out in the other,” he said. “I really think it's a possibility.”
Western Washington beat Central Washington for the team title, 221½-182.
NCAA Men's Track & Field
GNAC championships
Saturday, May 15, 2010
McArthur Field/Monmouth, Ore.
Final team scores -- 1, Western Washington 221 1/2; 2, Central Washington 182; 3, Western Oregon 166 1/2; 4, Alaska Anchorage 130; 5, Northwest Nazarene 48; 6, Seattle Pacific 37; 7, Saint Martin's 15; 8, Montana State Billings 14.
FINALS
100 -- 1, Anthony Wright (CWU) 10.43. No SPU competitors.
200 -- 1, Wright (CWU) 21.36. No SPU competitors.
400 -- 1, Ethan Hewitt (UAA) 48.15. No SPU competitors.
800 -- 1, Alfred Kangogo (UAA) 1:54.51. SPU placer -- 4, Nathan Seely 1:55.93.
1500 -- 1, Kangogo (UAA) 3:49.03. SPU placer -- 8, Jacob Wahlenmaier 3:59.18; 10, Andrew Van Ness 4:03.11.
5000 -- 1, Marko Cheseto (UAA) 14:37.18. SPU placer -- 5, Chad Meis 14:49.48; 19, AJ Baker 16:07.16.
110 hurdles -- 1, Anthony Hogan (CWU) 15.36. No SPU competitors.
400 hurdles -- 1, Maurus Hope (NNU) 53.54. SPU placer -- 2, Ryan Endresen 54.65.
4x100 relay -- 1, Central Washington 41.10. No SPU team.
4x400 relay -- 1, Alaska Anchorage 3:16.10. SPU placer -- 7, Seattle Pacific (Nathanael Sleight, Nate Johnson, Seely, Endresen) 3:29.53.
Pole vault -- 1, Ryan Brown (WWU) 16-10 3/4 (5.15m). No SPU placers (Nate Johnson NH).
Triple jump -- 1, Matson Hardie (WOU) 47-7 1/4 (14.51m). No SPU competitors.
Discus -- 1, Ben Elder (WWU) 158-2 (48.20m). No SPU competitors.
Hammer -- 1, Michael Hoffman (WWU) 195-2 (59.50m). No SPU placers (Billy Martin foul).
Javelin -- 1, Alex Harrison (WWU) 208-5 (63.52m). SPU placers -- 5, Jace Derwin 188-11 (57.58m); 9, Nate Wagner 176-3 (53.72m).
