Bulldog Track Battles Elements As Weather Hampers Marks
4/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
SPOKANE, Wash. - With conditions less than ideal, Gonzaga University's men's and women's track teams finished with some respectable marks Saturday at the Sam Adams Classic at Whitworth University.
Jordan McCann, Ned Fischer and Brent Felnagle came up with individual victories for the Bulldogs.
"We were battling the elements today," head coach Pat Tyson said. "There was nothing earth shattering today which makes sense. We had some rain, we had some hail and it was extremely windy."
McCann won the women's 800 meters in 2:18.80, catching Taylor Lucero of the University of Great Falls in the final 25 meters.
"Jordan was our standout of the day in some tough conditions," assistant coach Patty Ley said. "She ran a season best and then came back and helped lead a strong 4x4. It was a great day for her given the conditions."
With Shelly Davis, Lindsey Drake, Kelsey Tracy and Lara Tuthill in the line-up, Gonzaga's 4x400 relay team ran a 4:16.93 to finish second behind Whitworth which finished in 4:15.80.
Ley also praised Shelly Davis who finished fourth in the 800 meters in 2:24.34 and second in the 1500 meters in 4:48.18.
"Shelly had a good day with double in 1500 and 800. She had a good, solid run in the 1500 and is learning to be confident," Ley said.
Otherwise, Ley said, the rest of the team ran solidly.
"They are disappointed with their times but the weather was pretty crummy," Ley noted of the wind in particular. "I told them you can't PR all the time and they are still moving forward. I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks to see the progress they'll make."
On the men's side, Gonzaga runners took the top seven spots in the 1500 meters led by Fischer in 3:55.71. Andy Phillips was second in 3:57.37 and Robert Walgren, running unattached as he is redshirting this season, was third in 3:57.85.
In the 5000 meters, Brent Felnagle and Kyle Branch finished 1-2 for the Bulldogs. Felnagle won in 15:20.73 with Branch right behind in 15:22.76.said.
"Today it was just a matter of go compete," Tyson said. "It was really windy during the 5000. You just throw the time away. Felnagle and Branch got out there and did their thing."
The Bulldogs did get a surprising PR out of Braeden Van Deynze who finished fourth in the 1500 meters with a 3:58.53 as the freshman broke the 4-minute barrier early in his career.
"He got out there early in the race and was one of the surprises of the day. He's one of those guys we hope continues to break through," Tyson said.
The Bulldogs will turn their attention to WAR VI next Saturday at Spokane Falls Community College and to the Oregon Relays in two weeks as the next two big meets of the spring.
