 "Photo: Neil Gardner")
Senior Sharla Manuele captured a spot in Nationals for the indoor season, broke a school record and took six seconds off her mile time at the University of Washington, while the remainder of the track teams’ outdoor season opener at University of Nevada Las Vegas also proved successful.
Manuele said the race was set up perfectly for her before she crossed the finish line in 4:39.82 minutes, which set a personal record for her and a new school record.
“It hasn’t completely set in yet that I really did that, but I’m excited for sure,” she said. “I’m glad I ran as fast as I did and I feel like I can run faster so that’s good too, since I’m going to nationals.”
Nationals will be in Arkansas next weekend, where Manuele will finish her indoor season.
T-Bird head track coach Eric Houle said he’s excited for Manuele to go nationals.
“It will be huge for (the team),” he said.
Meanwhile, junior Cam Levins was disappointed with his 4:05-minute time and will not know for sure if he qualified to travel with Manuele to compete in Nationals until today.
“My (3:59.80) mile might actually still get me into nationals,” he said. “I’ll find out Monday.”
At UNLV, freshman Shaye Maurer won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.12 seconds, which is marked to be the fifth fastest in school history in the event.
Houle said by Maurer coming into the outdoor season at a high level he could see her “get where Sharla is sooner.”
Other titles and marks on the women’s team, which made the season better than last year’s outdoor season, were senior Jacki Stoddard, who took first place in the high jump with a 5-foot 7.5-inch jump, freshman Chelsea Morley, who tied for first in the pole vault clearing 9 feet, 4.25 inches and the 4x400-meter relay team took first with a time of 3:50.75 minutes.
Houle said the team is already doing better than they were at the beginning of last outdoor season.
“(The team) looks good for not over-working on the first meet,” he said.
Others who made personal bests were seniors Kristi Koplin and Ashley Morrison, who placed second and third in the hammer throw with a throws of 179 feet, 11 inches and 179 feet, 10 inches.
“It was a good meet, “Koplin said. “ I was able to improve distances and make good marks.”
She said she was happier with the meet than she was last year and she hopes she can throw in the 190’s at regionals and take make one of the top 12 spots, because by making top 12 she can go to nationals.
Koplin said the team did well for just coming out of conference championships and to the first meet of outdoor season.
Morrison said she likes the outdoor season better than indoor.
“I had a good solid start,” she said. “I did good in the hammer and the shot, so the only way to go now is up.”
Morrison said she hopes do her best throughout the season and conference championships as it gave her a good perspective and mind set for the outdoor season.
“It’s really rewarding to come back and throw well,” she said. “Indoor helped prepare me mentally for outdoor.”
The team will do well this season and with how well the season has begun it could bring them the conference champions in the end, Morrison said.
The men’s team also marked well with senior Carlos Valle’s first place-win in the discus with a 163-foot 7-inch throw.
He said he was happy with his performance and he wants to mark a new school record in the discus this season.
Other performances on the men’s team were sophomore Daney Nelson’s high jump win with 6 feet 8.75 inches, sophomore Adam McInelly’s third place and senior Forrest
Ledbetter’s fourth place throws in the Javelin with 167 feet, 3 inches and 164 feet, 11 inches.
The men’s 4x400-meter relay also took first place with a time of 3:17.94 minutes and freshman Gary Hatch and sophomore Adam McDonald took third and fourth places in the 800-meter with times of 1-minute 55.83 seconds and 1-minute 55.85-seconds.
McDonald said he has not been healthy and has been unable to train the way he would have liked, but was happy for his performance despite being completely healthy at the meet.
The teams will continue the season in San Diego, Calif., at the Aztec Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
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