SPOKANE, Wash. – Mountaineers Track & Field battled cold conditions on Friday afternoon at the inaugural Whitworth Peace Meet. Eastern Oregon tallied a handful of top-five finishes as multiple athletes hit qualifying marks for the outdoor conference championships in May.

The one-day meet was not kind to athletes as Mother Nature brought temperatures of below 50 degrees upon Boppell Track. Wind gusts and cold temperatures made for a challenging day across the boards.

On the men's side, distance runner Hunter Nichols had a solid performance on the track with two top-three finishes and he hit an NAIA B standard time in one. Nichols' best finish was in the 800-meter run, placing second in a time of 1:54.60, but he hit an NAIA qualifying time in the 1,500-meter run. Nichols ran a 3:56.16 and placed third overall. His time is currently 16th in the NAIA and third fastest in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

In the 1,500, Jonathan Wind was fourth in the race right behind Nichols with a time of 3:57.99. His time is 25th now all-time in program history. He placed fifth in the 800 with a time of 1:55.76, which is now the 20th best time in program history.

Improving on his NAIA B standard mark was Moses McAninch in the javelin throw. He chucked the metal spear a distance of 182-9, which is 16th best in the NAIA. His mark also moves him up to fifth on the CCC qualifying list.

Highlighting the day for the women was a number of quality performances. Freshman Katie Brown continued to impress in her freshman year. Also having a solid day was Emmy Williams and Kendall Bonzani on the track.

Brown finished fifth in the 100-meter dash, running a 12.47. She was fourth in the 200-meter dash with a 25.76, which is 11th fastest in program history. Williams was ninth in the 100 with a time of 12.92. Her time is 23rd in EOU history for the outdoor season. For Bonzani in her first career collegiate steeplechase, she ran the 23rd fastest time in school history. She clocked a 13:16.14 in the 3,000-meter race.

In the field, Maggie Ledbetter continued to dominate. She was third in shot put with a 44-3 ¼ and nearly missed an NAIA A qualifying mark in the event. She was fourth in the discus with a throw of 132-10. She also placed in the top-10 in the hammer throw with a mark of 153-5 to place ninth.

Placing 10th in the hammer throw was Kenna Woodward. She hit a mark of 150-0 even, which has her 11th on the EOU all-time list. In the pole vault, Briana Church moved up to 20th on the all-time list with a height of 9-4 ½ and finished 11th. Faith Wagner led the vaulters, placing eighth in the event with a mark of 9-10 ½. JoAnna Campbell was ninth in the event, also clearing 9-10 ½.

In the men's 200, Bryce Peters was fifth with a time of 22.71. Lauryn Mitchell led the long sprints with a 60.91 in the 400-meter dash to place fourth. In the 400-hurdles, Mason Nichols clocked a 58.29 to place sixth. In the women's 800, Katie Jo Gebhardt ran a 2:23.26 to place seventh.

Gebhardt was also ninth in the 1,500 with a time of 4:56.55. Michelle Herbes had the highest finish at seventh, running a 4:52.62. In the women's steeplechase, Kendra Blake placed seventh, running a 13:18.70. Bennett Welch was fourth in the men's steeplechase with a time of 10:27.88. Emma Hollon ran in the 5,000-meter run and placed fifth in a time of 19:35.13.

In the throws, Adam Kopf led the charge for men in the discus. He placed seventh with a mark of 138-5. He also had the highest finish in the hammer throw at 16th with a mark of 134-7. In the vertical jumps, Tyler Jones was fourth in the high jump with a height of 6-2.

On the women's side, Karli Bedard was the lone competitor in the high jump. She placed sixth, clearing 4-11 ½. In the women's javelin, Allie Best led the way, placing fifth with a throw of 122-8. Lainy Jacobsen was seventh with a mark of 118-3. Darrian Walker led the men's pole vaulters with a third place finish in the event. He cleared 15-1 ½ to place in the top three.

Tanner Nett had a good showing in the shot put once again. He placed fifth with a throw of 49-5. The next highest finisher was Kopf in 12th with a throw of 40-11 ¾. In the horizontal jumps, Allexander Kosel and DJ Wilson placed in the top-10 of the triple jump, respectively. Kosel was second, leaping 45-9, while Wilson placed sixth with a jump of 42-0 ½. On the women's side, Taylor McCarrell placed fourth with a mark of 34-4.

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