Both the men's and women's teams performed well for Corban on Saturday in the first meet of the year.
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Corban University track & field team experienced great success at the first meet of the 2015 campaign, registering solid marks throughout the day at the Linfield Ice Breaker. Overall on the day, not counting the relays, the Warriors racked up 17 individuals who recorded Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Championship-qualifying times.
“It was a great start to the season,” said head coach Norm Berney. “We had several PRs on the first day of the season, which is very exciting. Some of our performances from our freshman were very exciting as well. Overall, it was a great team effort.”
The Warriors began the meet with a bang as the talented men’s 4x100 Relay uncorked a winning time of 42.09 for top honors at the meet. The quartet of senior Brett Johnson (Bellingham, Wash.), freshman Christian Bohuslvizki (Santa Margarita, Calif.), freshman Nathan Martin (Turner, Ore.), and sophomore Michael Trofimchik (Salem, Ore.) ran past the rest of the field, finishing over a half-second faster than the next closest team.
And if the 4x100 Relay was great for Corban on the men’s side, the Warrior men shined in the 4x400 Relay as well, clocking a meet-winning time of 3:19.64. The foursome of Bohuslvizki, Trofimchik, sophomore Amadi Amaitsa (Keizer, Ore.) and senior Nathan Swanson (Newberg, Ore.) combined for the winning mark, finishing more than three seconds faster than the next closest competing team.
The Warrior women’s 4x400 Relay put together a solid early-season showing in the 4x400 as well, crossing the finish line in 4:08.27 for fifth place. For Corban, it was junior Chelsea Reifschneider (Sisters, Ore.), senior Emily Childers (Milton-Freewater, Ore.), senior Haley Holboke (Vancouver, Wash.), and junior Cecilee Russell (Hillsboro, Ore.) leading the charge in that race.
One of the other big highlights of the day was junior Sarah Taylor (Bend, Ore.) and her first-place showing in the high jump. While competing amongst a very competitive field, she registered a great early-season height, clearing the bar at 5’ 2.25”, tying for first place at the meet.
Staying on the women’s side, Reifschneider continued her strong day with a time of 16.21 seconds in the 100 Meter Hurdles, taking fifth overall.
In the men’s 400 Meters, Swanson finished in second place overall with a time of 48.94, while Trofimchik crossed the finish line in fourth place with a mark of 49.37.
In the middle-distance 800 Meters, freshman Trey Hargrove (Salem, Ore.) ran a sub-two minute mark, taking fifth overall with a time of 1:58.28, while sophomore teammate Zane West (Independence, Ore.) also broke the two-minute barrier, finishing in eighth place with a time of 1:59.49. Additionally, in the 5000 Meters, senior Justin Holden notched a top-five finish, taking fifth with a time of 15:39.52.
In the field events, junior Allie Ehrhardt (Rogue River, Ore.) took fourth place in the triple jump with a distance of 35’ 0.25”, while Corban men’s sophomore Timothy Yee (Calexico, Calif.) notched a career-best jump by over two feet to take eighth with a distance of 41’ 2.50”.
In the men’s Discus, junior Dane Walker (Anchorage, Alaska) finished in fourth place with a mark of 138’ 2”. Elsewhere, freshman Jason Bracken (Battleground, Wash.) performed well throughout the day while competing in the decathlon. In the high jump portion of the event, he tied for third by clearing a height of 6’ 2.75”.
Corban returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Gresham, Ore., for the Saints Open. The meet is set to begin at 10 a.m.