AZUSA/LA VERNE, Calif. Thursday’s results from Western Colorado’s participation in a pair of meets in Southern California were full of best times and NCAA provisional marks.
Mountaineer track & field’s distance group has competitors at both the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific University and the Leopard Invitational at the University of La Verne. And at both venues, career best times and provisional times were at nearly every finish line.
Haley Wood and Kyle Partin raced at the Leopard Invite, competing in the women’s and men’s, respectively, 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Wood was first up and crushed her previous career best clocking by 45 seconds, finishing second overall with a time of 10 minutes, 45.30 seconds – well ahead of the provisional time standard of 11:00.51 and with a time that will likely finish the weekend in the top 20 of the NCAA Division II performance list in the event.
Partin toed the starting line next in the men’s steeplechase, and he, too, set both a new PR and earned an NCAA provisional cut. Partin trimmed 15 seconds off his previous best to finish fifth overall with a new PR of 9:05.32, six seconds ahead of the provisional cut and possibly within the top 15 on the national performance list by the end of the weekend.
Mountaineer runners at the Bryan Clay scored four NCAA provisional performances.
Allison Beasley posted a career-tying best time in the women’s 5,000m run, 16:23.33, to crush the provisional standard (16:59.79) and post a time that could well end up within the top 10 nationally by weekend’s end.
Teammate Lauren Willson, running in her first collegiate 5,000 on a track, also cruised to an NCAA provisional mark with a time of 16:41.39, and could end up in the top 20 nationally with her performance.
Slashing 33 seconds off her previous career best in the event was Gretchen Slattum. She clocked a time of 16:46.60 and might close the weekend in the top 25 of the NCAA list.
The men’s 5,000 saw John Houdeshell earn a new PR and an NCAA provisional cut. He bested his previous PR by 13 seconds to earn his provisional with a time of 14:08.65.
Earlier in the day at the Bryan Clay, Emma Kjellsen and Peyton Weiss ran in the heats of the women’s 800m run.
Kjellsen posted her best 800 time of the year, placing 62nd of 167 in the Open division with a time of 2:13.73.
Registering a best time for this spring’s outdoor season was Peyton Weiss in the Invited division of the 800, finishing with a time of 2:14.70.
UP NEXT
Both the Bryan Clay and the Leopard Invites conclude with Friday’s events.
Kjellsen, Willson and Houdeshell will race in their respective 1,500m events at the Bryan Clay.
At La Verne, Emma Berg, Lacey Kunz and Wood will compete in the women’s 5,000, and Branden Davis, Oliver Diaz, Eddie Siuda, Jacob Tyburski and Partin will run in the men’s 5,000 heats. Slattum and Weiss are scheduled to compete in the women’s 1,500.
