Link to Results 
 
Eastern Washington University was in Spokane Wash., on Saturday (April 10) for the Sam Adams Classic hosted by Whitworth University. 
 
Highlighting the performances on the women's side was Vernice Keyes in the hammer throw. She had an all-time best of 186-6 to place first. She also moved up on Eastern's all-time top-10 list to No. 5.
 
Other victories in the women's throwing events included Hailey Leeking, who starting the day with a win in the discus (136-5), followed by Kaitlyn Paller in the shot put (43-2 1/2), then Emmanuella Engle notched another win in the javelin (141-9), and to finish out the day was Vernice Keyes with the win in the hammer.
 
"Vernice earned the throw of the meet," said women's head coach Marcia Mecklenburg. "She hit a six-foot personal-record throw on her fourth attempt to come up from behind and beat Washington State University's powerhouse crew of hammer throwers."
 
"Another highlight was the women's throwers winning all four of the throwing events," added Mecklenburg. "It has been a while since we have done that."
 
The women's pole vault squad swept the event with Savannah Schultz's season-best jump of 13-7 3/4 – ranking her at No. 3 on the Eagle top-10 list. To continue the sweep, Katrina Terry took second by matching her season best (12-11 3/4), and Morgan Fossen had the same jump (12-11 3/4) but placed third due to attempts. 
 
"It's great to see these girls come out and compete like that," mentioned pole vault coach Eric Allison. "They have been doing well and it's great to see their progress. Hopefully it points towards good things in the future."
 
For the men, Zach Klobutcher continued the excitement with his improvement in the pole vault, a PR of 16-9 1/4. This jump moved him to No. 2 on the Eagle top-10 list.
 
"Zach's performance was exciting," said Allison. "We've known that he could do something like this and we've just been waiting for him to have his moment. It was great to finally see it happen and I know there's a lot more to come." 
 
"Piecing together his all-time best performance in the pole vault, Zach showed that he is ready-to-go for the conference title in a few weeks," mentioned men's head coach Stan Kerr.
 
"The solid competition, warm weather, and being ready to compete were all factors in the numerous lifetime and season-best performances today," added Kerr.


Other Men's Top Performances

Of the total first-place finishes, the men earned four of them. Bobby Say kicked-off the performances with a win in the triple jump (47-10 1/2), Daniel Gaik was victorious in the 400 meters with a new best (48.42), Colton Kautz had a huge throw in the hammer (190-10), and Klobutcher had the win in the vault (16-9 1/4).
 
Other noteworthy performances included Dimeji Adekanbi in the 100 meters (10.71) and 200 meters (22.03), Trey McAdams in the 400 meters (49.32), Jayce Freeman in the 400 meters (49.99), and Alec Kness in the 800 meters (1:54.80).
 
Additionally, Alex Bishop had a new best in the high jump (6-6) and Caleb Johnson placed the highest for Eastern in the shot put (50-6 3/4).
 

Other Women's Top Performances
  
The women earned a total of seven first-place finishes. Aside from those already mentioned, other victors included Faith Kennedy in the 400 meters (58.50), and the women's 4x100-meter relay team, which consisted of Samiah Kuntz, Marieke Visscher, Ashley Herrera, and Katie Petsch.
 
Other noteworthy performances included Carissa Stovall in the shot put (41-7), Kaitlyn Paller in the discus (133-4), Hadassah Ward in the hammer (170-3), Kallie Schaplow in the javelin (134-3), and Alyssa Oates in the high jump (5-3). 
 
Additionally, Madelyn Knight in the 100-meter hurdles (14.84), Alyssa Hoffman in the 100-meter hurdles (14.87) and 400-meter hurdles (1:04.21), and Samiah Kuntz in the 100 meters (12.20). 
 
Also, two distance runners competed in their first 10,000-meter races of the season – Phoenix Aguilar (41:24.85) and Erika Leinweber (41:51.55).
 

Comments from Men's Head Coach Stan Kerr
 
"It was good to see Colton Kautz win the hammer throw and finally crack the 190-foot barrier."
 
"Alex Bishop was another who had his best performance of the season, in the high jump."
 
"Bobby Say is Mr. Steady with another good mark and victory in the triple jump."
 
"Alec Kness enjoyed a solid 800 race and is nearing a breakthrough in that event."
 
"The 400m crew showed great depth today by placing 1-2-4-5. Freshman Daniel Gaik led the way for the group and also had a season-best time.
 
"Dimeji has continuously been improving in the 100 & 200. He's making the adjustments from junior college to NCAA D1 and will hopefully be a strong force at the conference championships."
 
"Overall, everyone has contributed towards the goal of getting better at every meet. It's exciting to be in the final stretch of the season and approaching the conference championships. The rate of improvement is a great sign of the performances that lie ahead."
 

Comments from Women's Head Coach Marcia Mecklenburg
 
"We couldn't have asked for a better day for a meet and it definitely showed with the abundance of personal records."
 
"The pole vaulters swept the event once again and this week it was Savannah Schultz who came out on top with a big personal record."
 
"After a grueling two-day heptathlon, Madelyn Knight came back to race under 15 seconds again in the 100 hurdles. That consistency is really going to help as we get closer to conference."
 
"Faith Kennedy had another great day as she won the 400 and placed second in the 200. Her times are coming down and to double-back in that 200 - after running the 400, is a huge boost to the team."
 
"I am excited to see Samiah Kuntz run in the low 12's again in the 100. That has to be a confidence boost for her."
 
"This week Alyssa Hoffman came out on top for Eastern as she placed second in the 400 hurdles. It is great to see her continuing to chip away at her time."
 
"The distance runners finally got to run the 10,000. Both Phoenix Aguilar and Erika Leinweber ran PR's in the heat of the day. Although the warm weather is nice for our meets, a twilight race for the 10,000 will definitely be a great opportunity to bring their times down even more."
 
"The team is moving in the right direction with their improved performances. It is right where we need to be as we head into the second half of the season."

 
On the Horizon  

Eastern track and field will be competing at the Idaho Invitational next weekend (April 23-24), in Moscow, Idaho. Field events will start at 10 am Pacific Time, and running events will begin at 12 pm. Meanwhile, Eastern will also be sending 10 athletes to Phoenix, Ariz., for the Canyon Invitational which will begin Saturday (April 24) at 1 pm Pacific Time.
 
Canyon Invitational Athletes and Scheduled Events:
 
Saturday, April 24 
1:00 pm
o  Emmanuella Engle - Javelin, 156-11
3:00 pm
o  Morgan Fossen - Pole vault, 13-8 1/2
o  Savannah Schultz - Pole vault, 13-7 3/4
o  Katrina Terry - Pole vault, 12-11 13/4
5:00 pm | 8:00 pm
o  Parker Bowden - 110-meter hurdles, 13.87
o  Zach Klobutcher-Pole vault, 16-9 1/4
o  Bobby Say - Long jump, 23-2 | Triple jump, 48-4 3/4
6:00 pm | 8:00 pm
o  Jonah Mathews - 100 meters, 10.52 | 200 meters, 21.29
o  Joe Gauthier - 100 meters, 10.52 | 200 meters, 22.35
8:00 pm
o  Justin Roosma – 3,000-meter steeple chase, 9:19.10
 

EWU Top-10 Lists 
 
Updates Include: 
  
·       Zach Klobutcher, No. 2 – Pole vault| 16-9 1/4
·       Savannah Schultz, No. 3 – Pole vault | 13-7 3/4
·       Vernice Keyes, No. 5 – Hammer throw | 186-6

 
2020-21 Remaining EWU Outdoor Track & Field Schedule
 
Fri/Sat - April 23-24, 2021 - Idaho Invite - Moscow, Idaho - 10 am
Fri/Sat - April 23-24, 2021 - Canyon Invitational - Phoenix, Ariz. - 1 pm
Fri/Sat - April 30-May 1, 2021 - Oregon State High Performance Meet - Corvallis, Ore. - TBA
Thursday - May 6, 2021 - Whitworth Twilight - Spokane, Wash. (Whitworth) - 2 pm
Wed/Th - May 12-13, 2021 - Big Sky Combined Events - Ogden, Utah - TBA
Fri/Sat - May 14-15, 2021 - Big Sky Outdoor Championships - Ogden, Utah - TBA
Th/Fr/Sat - May 27-29, 2021 - NCAA West Regional Championships - College Station, Texas (A&M)
We/Th/Fr/Sat - June 9-12, 2021 - NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships - Eugene, Ore. - TBA
Fr-Sun - June 18-27, 2021 - U.S. Olympic Trials - Eugene, Ore. - TBA