PHOENIX, Ariz. (January 23, 2021) – The wait was finally over for the Northern Arizona track & field programs as the Lumberjacks put together a solid showing in their season debut on Saturday at the GCU Indoor Collegiate meet hosted by Grand Canyon.
In what amounted to a dual meet between the Lumberjacks and Lopes, NAU posted a total of 11 first-place wins between the men's and women's teams. NAU swept the 60m hurdles, 600m, shot put and triple jump events between the two squads.
The Lumberjacks competed strictly in the sprints, hurdles, throws and jumps with their distance runners awaiting to make their season debuts at a later date. Although Saturday's meet was contested on an outdoor track, the results will go towards qualifying for the indoor season.
NAU's duo of senior
Parker Joens and sophomore
Carly Watts got the day started for the Lumberjacks by posting commanding wins in the men's and women's shot put. Joens, last year's bronze medalist at the Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships, crushed the field on Saturday with a mark of 18.00m – more than a meter better than his closet competitor. Watts similarly bested her competitors with a best throw of 13.10m.
The 'Jacks racked up wins in the triple jump as well as the women's long jump in the field events. Sophomore
Lily Margolis led a contingent of NAU jumpers in the women's triple jump with her first of two personal-best marks of 11.89m with sophomore
Kenashalee Kerr (11.43m) and junior
Jenna Figueroa (11.36m) right behind.
Margolis also was the top collegiate finisher in the long jump at 5.53m – also a personal-best – while sophomore
Courtney Weisenberger registered her own personal-best mark of 5.40m.
The track events got under way with the 60m hurdles as NAU came away with the top collegiate finishes in both the men's and women's races. Sophomore
Wil Peralta (8.20) was the first collegiate finisher in third overall on the men's side, while freshman
Kiana Kai made a sparkling debut with a first-place overall time of 8.73 on the women's side.
The Lumberjacks' senior sprint duo of
Jada Jackson and
Miracle Onyemaobi placed first and second respectively in the women's 200m with times of 24.97 and 25.01. Meanwhile senior
Alex Alton, in his first meet since 2019, set a new personal-best in the 400m with a first-place time of 50.56.
Both of NAU's winners in the 600m also set new personal-best times starting with senior
Ryan Lanley, who posted a time of 1:20.69 in his first race since 2019. In the women's race, junior
Melanie Loff clocked a time of 1:33.34.
While the Lumberjacks' returners shined, they also saw promising performances from a number of freshmen in their first collegiate meets. In addition to Kai, freshman
Mitchell Effing also registered a first-place finish in his event with a mark of 14.94m in the men's triple jump.
Although Saturday's meet was contested on an outdoor track, the results will go towards qualifying for the indoor season.
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Gallery: (1-23-2021) GCU Indoor/Collegiate Open
