Zags Shine in the Steeplechase, 800m at Portland Distance Carnival

Saturday, May 11

Portland, OR

Gonzaga University

Portland Distance Carnival

jillian greene whitworth last chance 2024

Zags Shine in the Steeplechase, 800m at Portland Distance Carnival

5/11/2024 9:53:00 PM | Track and Field

2024 Portland Distance Carnival Results

Three Bulldogs win their events while both 800-meter records break on Saturday

PORTLAND, Ore. – In their last scheduled meet before the NCAA West Preliminary Meet in Fayetteville, Gonzaga men's and women's track made some waves at the Portland Distance Carnival at Lewis & Clark College on Saturday. Hoping to notch some qualifying times at the meet, several Zags put themselves on the cusp with the hopes of a few final scratches that would open the door.

Many seniors were racing for the final time in Gonzaga uniforms on Saturday, including Jillian Greene who set a big PR in the women's 800-meter collegiate race to secure the event win with a 2:14.02 finish. Tate Beasley also PR'd in the race, running a new fastest time of 2:14.46 right behind Greene.

In the men's collegiate 800-meter race, James Powers made a big improvement to his personal best, running a 1:59.37 for his first sub-two-minute finish of his career.

In the women's 1500-meter event, three of four Zags PR'd as Camille Broadbent (4:42.06), Catherine Vlach (4:47.26), and Molly McGeoy (4:45.30) each marked new best times.

The 800-meter was back on the track, this time for the elite portion of the evening. Ellie Armbruster kicked things off with a new program record 2:08.51 to win the event before Sam Geiger broke a nine-year-old program record on the men's side to place second overall with a time of 1:49.76.

In the women's steeplechase, Jessica Frydenlund led a strong GU charge that saw first, second, and fourth place finishes and a 3-for-3 PR sweep. Frydenlund's 10:22.64 creeps closer to that top program mark but remains second-fastest all-time, while Kate Donaldson's 10:46.82 moves higher as the fifth-fastest and Jorun Downing's 11:07.53 bumps up to seventh-fastest.

The PRs kept rolling in for the Zags in the women's elite 5000-meter race as five of the six runners improved their times. Sadie Tuckwood (17:08.44), Lucy Klebeck (17:15.44), Anika Jones (18:29.88), Kate Ferrell (18:46.08), and Ava Knap (18:56.78) each made jumps for a Gonzaga program that saw 17 total PRs on Saturday.

The men wrapped up Gonzaga's day at Lewis & Clark with three PRs in the elite 5000m race when Drew Kolodge (14:14.07), Will Thorsett (14:37.02), and Luke Alfonso (15:18.28) recorded new bests.

UP NEXT
Saturday's meet marked the last qualifying opportunity for the Zags before the NCAA West Prelims. Gonzaga will wait for others to wrap before learning who will travel to Fayetteville on May 22-25. Follow @ZagRunning on social media, and check gozags.com for the latest updates and live results.