SALEM, Ore. – Under sunny skies in the valley, the Western Oregon University track & field team competed in the Willamette Invitational on Saturday at the Charles Bowles Track. The Wolves had three event wins including a new school record in a relay.
 
The record came for the WOU women in the 4x400m relay as the Wolves ran away from two squads from the University of Alaska Anchorage to win the event. The team of Grayson Burke, Megan Rose, Suzanne Van De Grift and Olivia Woods won in a time of 3:49.01, a brand new school record by two seconds over the previous mark set in 2011. Nicole Maurmann took the top spot in the 1500-meter race with a time of 4:40.60 for a personal best and to improve her 10^th best time in school history. In the same race, Grace Knapp finished fifth with her fastest time on record at 4:45.14. In the field events, Amanda Short once again passed the NCAA provisional standard in the javelin finishing eighth (40.84m) while Alecia Falck (44.11m) and Sylvia Dean (43.44m) came in eighth and ninth respectively in the hammer throw.
 
The Wolves' men were led by AJ Holmberg in the 800m, as he was the top finisher in the event with a time of 1:53.02. Three other WOU runners placed in the top eight with Michael Chin placing fourth (1:54.94), Thomas Normandeau in sixth (1:55.39) and Parker Marson in eighth (1:57.72).
 
Holmberg also ran the lead leg as he and his teammates from the indoor national championship squad in the distance medley relay debuted Saturday in the 4x400m relay race. He, Dustin Nading, David Ribich and Josh Dempsey crossed in second place with a time of 3:23.23. In other track events, Aaron Whitaker took second in the 400 at 48.80 and Justin Crosswhite posted a personal best in the 1500m with a time of 4:02.91 to finish fourth.
 
WOU had three athletes finish second in various field events. Alani Troutman had an outdoor season best in the long jump posting a mark of 6.84m. In the triple jump, a 13.20-meter performance from Kolton Koenig-Rohde earned a runner-up spot. Jalon Fields had good efforts in both events finishing fifth in the long jump (6.48m) and fourth in the triple jump (12.83m). Kegan Allen placed second in the hammer throw at 48.27m while Brandon Bowen went for a personal best in the discus (6^th, 44.53m).
 
WOU will take to the Golden State next weekend participating in the Stanford Invitational and the San Francisco State Distance Carnival on Friday-Saturday, March 31-April 1.