PORTLAND – Mountaineers Track & Field racked up a baker's dozen wins over the weekend at the Lewis & Clark Invite. Weather once again challenged competitors throwing storm delays, rain, snow, lightning and wind chill at them. Nonetheless, EOU made the most of the weekend.

Having a solid performance in the field events was Maggie Ledbetter as she secured a triple crown, winning the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. She heaved the rock 43-11 ¾ to win the shot put. In the discus, she cleared a mark of 141-3, while in the hammer throw she hit 155-1. All three of her marks were a minimum three feet further than second place. Her mark in the discus is also an NAIA B standard mark, which ranks 19th and it is the second best mark in the CCC

Also securing multiple wins was Allexander Kosel who took home the crown in both long jump and triple jump. In the long jump, he leaped 23-0 ½ and edged out second by nearly three feet. In the triple jump, Kosel cleared 45-11 ¼ and was over three feet ahead of second place. Both his marks are now the top marks in the CCC.

Having a solid afternoon on the track was TJ Davis who earned a pair of individual event wins and was the second leg on a winning relay team. He won both hurdle races and was on the 4x100 meter relay squad. In the 100 hurdles, he clocked a 14.86 for the win. In the 400 hurdles, Davis ran the seventh fastest time in EOU history at 54.45. His time in the hurdles also leads the CCC and is an NAIA B standard time that currently ranks 17th.

In the 4x100, Davis along with DJ Wilson, Bryce Peters, and Cody Milmine ran a collective time of 42.27 for the win. The quartet's time is now the fifth fastest time in program history for the outdoor season. The group's time is currently the second best time in the CCC as well.

Rounding out winning performances in the field events was Moses McAninch in javelin and Darrian Walker in pole vault. McAninch did not improve his B standard mark of 18-29 from a week ago, but still walked away with the win. He chucked the spear a distance of 181-1 to beat second by just four inches. In the pole vault, Walker was one of two athletes to clear 15-1, which was the top height. Walker ultimately secured the win on attempts.

The only other wins on the track for EOU came in the women's 100-meter dash and the men's 800-meter run. Katie Brown once again shined in the straight line race, clocking a 12.51 for the win. Hunter Nichols was the winner in the 800 and he added a NAIA B standard time to his win. He cleared the two-lap race in 1:53.59, which is the fifth fastest time now in the CCC and ranks 16th in the NAIA.

In the short sprints, the Mounties nearly had a sweep in the 100 and 200. Brown was second in the 200, running a 25.86. Morgan Bayes also clocked a pair of top-five performances in both races. In the 100, Bayes ran a 12.70 to place second and her time is 15th fastest in EOU history. In the 200, she placed fourth, running a 26.46.

The 3,000-meter steeplechase saw EOU rack up four top-10 finishes, with three coming on the women's side. Dierdre McKay led the way for the women, placing fifth in a time of 12:34.61, which is 15th best in program history. Kendall Bonzani was sixth in a time of 12:51.45. Her mark is 20th in EOU's all-time top-25. Kendra Blake was seventh, running a 12:58.50. 

On the men's side, Bennett Welch was second in the steeplechase. He clocked a time of 10:05.86 to earn his runner up finish. In the 1,500-meter run, Michelle Herbes led the way placing eighth in a time of 4:43.68. Teammate Katie Jo Gebhardt was just outside the top-10, finishing 11th in 4:50.79. Gebhardt's time is 19th in EOU history. In the men;s race, Jonathan Wind was seventh, running a 3:58.52. 

The 5,000-meter run had three Mounties place in the top-five, with two coming on the men's side. Justin Ash clocked the 25th fastest time in program history, running a 15:01.55 for the second place finish. Winston Telford placed fifth with a time of 15:22.75. On the women's side, Emma Hollon finished fourth in a time of 19:30.50. In the women's 800, Lauryn Mitchell ran a 2:21.87 to finish eighth and her time is now 25th fastest in program history.

In the horizontal jumps, DJ Wilson was second in the triple jump behind Kosel. He cleared 42-4 ¾ to place in the top-three. In the women's triple jump, JoAnna Campbell had the best finish at fourth with a mark of 30-11 ¾. In long jump, Karli Bedard was seventh, leaping 15-4. In high jump, Davis and Tyler Jones tied for the 16th best mark in program history. Both athletes cleared 6-5 ½, but Jones had the better finish based on attempts. He placed second, with Davis behind him in third.

In the women's hammer throw, Trinity Hill improved her all-time top-25 mark with a throw of 131-9. Her mark still ranks 25th in program history. On the men's side, Adam Kopf was the top finisher, placing sixth with a mark of 139-8. In shot put, Kenna Woodward was second behind Ledbetter with a mark of 39-11 ½. Tanner Nett also finished second on the men's side, with a throw of 45-2 ¼. 

In the discus throw, Gabe Heckman and Joseph Wylam both placed in the top-five on the men's side. Heckman was fourth with a throw of 133-2, while Wylam was fourth with a mark of 125-6. Woodward was the second highest finisher on the women's side, placing sixth with a throw of 121-2. Allie Best led the way in the women's javelin with a second place finish. She threw 120-10 for the runner-up finish. Lainy Jacobsen was fifth in the javelin with a mark 117-2.

The Mountaineers are home this week for a pair of meets they will host. The first meet is the 2022 CCC Multi-Event Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, April 21-22. They will then host the Eastern Oregon Open on April 22. 

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