2008 Woodie Awards
Tracksters place first, second at GNACs
Amanda Miles One streak continued, but another ended for the Western track and field squads at th
One streak continued, but another ended for the Western track and field squads at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships on Saturday, May 7. The meet was hosted by Central Washington University at Tomlinson Field in Ellensburg.
The women’s team won its third conference title in a row while the men failed to win the conference title for the first time in 10 years. Western’s lady tracksters defeated a talented and deep Seattle Pacific squad by a nail-biting 217.5 to 209.5 margin. Western Washington University won the men’s crown with 221 points. Western narrowly edged Central Washington for second by a score of 186-184.5.
Both teams had plenty of highlights over the course of the meet, especially the women. Perhaps the biggest shining star was senior Monica Smith, who scored 51 points while competing in nine events. Smith was named the co-Outstanding Performer of the meet, along with Seattle Pacific junior multi-eventer Danielle Ayers-Stamper. In addition to her third place in the heptathlon on April 25-26, Smith placed second in the 100 (12.30), second in the 200 (25.0h), second in the 100-meter hurdles with a new school record (14.15), third in the high jump (5-06.5) and seventh in the long jump (16-10.75).
Smith also ran legs on Western’s victorious 4x100-meter and 4x400 meter relay teams. Smith teamed with junior Bonnie Galloway, senior Katy Kociemba and junior Keyanna Jenkins on the short relay, which ran to a GNAC conference and meet record with its 47.73 clocking.
The long relay of Smith, Galloway, Kociemba and junior Bridget Johnson won with a time of 3:55.88. Both times were the second-fastest in school history (the short relay established a new school record with a time of 47.58 at the Ken Foreman Invitational in Seattle Wash., on May 14).
Other standouts for the women’s team included Galloway, who won the 100 (12.26) and 200 meters (24.9h, a meet and conference record) in addition to her relay duties; Kociemba, who chipped in points in the 200 (fourth, 25.6h), 400 (third, 58.53), long jump (second, 18-08.5) and triple jump (second, 36-09); Johnson, who won the heptathlon the previous week, placed fourth in the 400 (59.37), seventh in the 100 hurdles (15.25), second in the javelin (143-00) and second in the shot put (39-05.25); senior Jaci Cederberg, who placed second in the discus (136-04) and won the hammer throw (174-08); and senior Kari Konrad, who repeated in the 1,500 meters (4:47.92) and placed fourth in the 800 (2:22.27).
Highlights on the men’s team included junior Ethan Barrons, who won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a new meet and personal record-time of 9:08.2h and placed fourth in the 1,500 (3:58.69); sophomore Carlos Aguilar, who won the hammer throw (180-10), placed third in the shot put (50-10.25) and third in the discus (150-06); senior Brad Brolin, who placed third in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters (15:35.27 and 32:32.14, respectively); freshman Blake Herrington, who placed in both the long jump (third, 21-04.75) and triple jump (second, 45-11.25) and sophomore hurdler Sam Hobbs, who won the 400-meter hurdles (55.52) and placed third in the 110-meter hurdles (15.34).
The track squads will next cap off their season at the NCAA Division II National Championships, which will be held in Abilene, Texas, on May 26-28. The men’s and women’s teams will send a combined six athletes to compete in eight events. National championship qualifiers include Cederberg (hammer), Kociemba (long jump), Smith (high jump, 100 hurdles), Johnson (heptathlon, javelin), Konrad (1,500 meters) and Barrons (3,000-meter steeplechase).
“I am really excited about this group,” said track and field Head Coach Mike Johnson in a school press release, who was named GNAC Coach of the Year on the women’s side. “With the women, competing in seven events is the most that we have had at the national level since moving to Division II. Ethan has made huge improvements this year; he is a great representative of what we are trying to become. These are good people, good students, very good athletes.”