The RiverHawk Track and Field teams were represented in three separate locations this past weekend. Opening up his season for the RiverHawks was Zachary Holland at the Texas Relays. Zach, a freshman from Glide High School, threw a new Junior College national record with a 78.80m/258'6". That mark ranks him #2 in the USA and #16 in the world. The mark also meets the qualifying standard for the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June.
The rest of the team split between the Willamette Invitational in Springfield, OR and the Pacific Preview in Forest Grove, OR. At the Willamette Invitational, the Hawks picked up first place finishes in the men's 200m by Christopher Penn, men's 400m by Donovon Bruce, and men's pole vault by Keith Sorenson. Also performing well was Jadyn Vermillion in the long jump and Shakiya Candelaria in the sprints. Jadyn jumped a season best of 5.35m/17'6.75" to finish 4th in the competition. Her jump now ranks her #2 in the conference. Shak ran a personal best of 12.87 in the 100m and a 27.00 in the 200m. Her 200m ranks her #4 in conference and her 100m ranks her #5 in conference.
At the Pacific Preview, Leonie Samuels continued her shot put dominance with a win and a toss of 13.08m/42'11". Also finishing top three was Eve Elmore. Eve also picked up a 3rd place finish in the discus and the hammer. All three were lifetime best throws, and her tosses in the discus and hammer are just short of the automatic qualifying standard for the NWAC championships. Danielle Christenson also picked up a third place finish in the women's javelin in just her second time ever throwing the implement. For the men, Jaylen Allen and Alex Duguid-Green led the way with second place finishes in their events. In the long jump, Jay hit a mark of 6.11m/20'0.5" to break the school record. Alex threw 40.64m/133.4" in the discus, and he also finished third in the men's hammer.
In the first month of the season, the RiverHawks have broken nine school records and have 39 top ten performances in the conference. Most of the team will be at the Linfield Jenn Boyman Invitational on Saturday April 2. Javelin throwers Zach Holland and Colby Neron will be competing at the Hayward Premiere Friday night, with Chris Penn competing in the 100 and 200 on Saturday in Eugene, OR.
