PLNU COLLEGIATE SCORING: Bruins Shine with Top Marks in Pt. Loma Mega-Meet

Complete Results (M)

Complete Results (W)

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - In a track and field meet with almost 500 athletes competing, the George Fox University Bruins shone brightly with three first-place finishes and several marks that could take over as the best in the Northwest Conference during the Point Loma Nazarene University Collegiate Scoring Challenge Saturday here at the Point Loma track.

In team standings, the Bruins placed 5th out of 12 teams in the men’s division with 171 points, while the George Fox women were 8th out of 12 with 114.50 points.  The men’s champion was Azusa Pacific University with 313.50 points, and host Point Loma won the women’s division with 303 points.

The top individual mark for George Fox was turned in by Joel Krebs, who won the men’s javelin with a throw of 203-7 (62.06m).  His throw should move to the top of the charts in the conference when all of this weekend’s results are finally in, and it currently ranks 2nd nationally to a 209-10 (63.97m) by Kyle Mazur of Juniata College.  He easily surpassed the NCAA provisional mark of 188-7.75 (57.50m), and fell a foot-and-a-half short of the automatic qualifier of 205-1 (62.50m).

Other first-place finishes by the Bruins included Sam McKenzie’s leap of 44-11.0 (13.69m) in the men’s triple jump, and a throw of 159-8 (48.68m) by Ben Burgess in the men’s hammer.  McKenzie improved his 1st-place standing in the NWC triple jump, while Burgess was barely short of his current 4th-place NWC mark in the hammer.

Other marks achieved by the Bruin men which are likely to be the best in the NWC this week were a time of 10.97 in the 100 meter dash by Dakari Kongela (he finished 2nd in the Point Loma meet); a time of 55.49 in the 400 meter hurdles by John Zaganiacz (4th in the meet); and the 4x400 meter relay team of David Dillow, Nate Dillow, Ryan Forbes and Garrett Blizzard, who ran a 3:21.56 (3rd in the meet).

Blizzard took over 2nd in the NWC in the 400 meter dash with a mark of 49.99 (5th in the meet), while McKenzie moved into 2nd in the high jump with a height of 6-5 (1.96m, 3rd in the meet).  Nate Dillow was 13th in the pole vault, but his clearance of 13-5.25 (4.10m) is 3rd in the NWC.

For the George Fox women, Irene Johnson and Cindy Walsh had marks that improved the 1st-place standings they already held in the conference.  Johnson posted a time of 15.35 in the 100 meter hurdles (7th in the meet), while Walsh leaped 17-10.25 (5.44m) in the long jump (2nd in the meet).  Walsh missed provisional qualifying by an inch-and-a-quarter.

Emily Hodgin moved into 2nd in the NWC in the triple jump with a mark of 34-9.75 (10.61m), placing 7th in the meet.  The 4x400 meter relay team of Mollie Honan, Johnson, Abby Reed, and Bethany Strutz, while placing 10th in the meet, still posted the 2nd-best mark in the conference this season with a time of 4:14.81.  Honan took over 3rd in the NWC in the 400 meter dash (1:00.50), finishing 7th, and Marlee Zakrevsky took over 4th in the conference while placing 5th in the meet in the hammer with a throw of 139-0 (42.36m).

With spring break at an end, the Bruins will now turn their attention to the Willamette Invitational coming up Friday-Saturday, April 3-4.  Friday’s events begin at 3:00 p.m. and will include the 1500 meter run, 3000 meter steeplechase, 5000 meter run, 10,000 meter run, hammer, and pole vault.  Saturday’s events begin at 10:00 a.m.