Seven schools join EWU to honor Arnie Pelluer in twilight meet at Roos Field

The Eastern Washington University track and field team will host the 40th Annual Pelluer Invitational Friday (April 29) under the lights on Roos Field. The next day, the Eagles will compete in the Duane Hartman Invitational at Spokane Falls Community College.

Field events Friday are scheduled to begin at noon with the men’s hammer, the women’s discus, the women’s javelin and the women’s long jump. Running events are slated to start at 4 p.m., with the women’s 3,000 meters. The remainder of the running events will follow a rolling schedule.

Teams scheduled to compete are Montana, Montana State, Whitworth, Seattle, Community Colleges of Spokane and Gonzaga. Also taking part will be individual athletes from Carroll College and several unattached competitors.

The meet is dedicated to Arnie Pelluer, a former track and cross country coach at Eastern in 1970-71, and also a coach at Whitworth College and Yakima Valley Community College. After starting the twilight meet in 1971, later that year he died in a swimming accident. The event was renamed in his honor the following year.

On Saturday, the Eagles will compete in the Duane Hartman Invitational at Spokane Falls Community College. Field events will get underway at 10 a.m. with the men’s hammer throw. Events on the track will start at 10:30 a.m., with the 3200-meter relay.

A total of 39 Big Sky Conference qualifying standards have now been met by the Eagles (18 by the men and 21 by the women.) Nine marks were attained at the Oregon Relays last Friday and Saturday (April 22-23). In addition, five of Eastern's performances either entered EWU's all-time best list or were improvements on the list. In total, 13 edits have been made to the record books so far this outdoor season.

Freshman Morena Mannucci continues to climb EWU’s all-time rankings and is also nearing a school record. The triple jumper from Rome, Italy, bounded to a second-place position on EWU's all-time best list when she had a mark of 38-10 1/4 in Saturday's competition. She is now just under a foot from Teanna Meinhold's school-record mark of 39-7. Mannucci's best mark out of high school in the event is 40-9.

Two-time BSC champion Aaron Mettler reached a lifetime-best mark in the javelin as the senior placed fourth in the elite section with a distance of 225-3. He bettered his previous mark by more than five feet and remains fourth on EWU's all-time best list. Mettler now leads the Big Sky Conference rankings and is 14th in the West Region.

Eastern standout Erica Chaney placed first in the elite section of the shot put, throwing 50-3 to once again threaten the school-record mark of 50-11, which was set by Nancy Kuiper in 1991. Chaney broke Kuiper's indoor record of 50-11 earlier this year at the Bronco Open in Nampa, Idaho, when the senior from Spokane, Wash., had a throw  of 51-7 3/4.

Upcoming Meet –
40th Annual Pelluer Invitational – April 29 – Cheney, Wash.
Meet Info -- http://www.goeags.com/sports/c-track/index

Duane Hartman Invitational – April 30 – Spokane, Wash.
Meet Info-- http://athletics.spokane.edu/getdoc/101f4f5a-2e09-40f7-95ae-a8fc95fa0597/HartmanInviteScheduleb-(1).aspx

Previous Meet
Oregon Relays – April 22-33 – Eugene, Ore.
Results --http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/415220.htm?ATCLID=205142062&SPSID=4364&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500

Men's Qualifiers/Records

Big Sky Championships – May 11-14 - Sacramento, Calif.
First Round NCAA Championships – May 26-28 - Eugene, Ore.
NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships – June 8-11- Des Moines, Iowa

School Records Broken: None

Total Big Sky Championships Qualifying Marks Attained: 18 (New: Three; Arakawa in the discus, Ebding in the 5K and Okoro in the 200.)

400 Hurdles - 55.27 – Kersee Lind – Hermiston, Ore. (Hermiston HS '07)
High Jump – 6-8 – Adam Stewart – Yakima, Wash. (Davis HS '07)
High Jump – 6-6 – Stephen Praast – Ravensdale, Wash. (Tahoma HS '06)
Pole Vault – 15-11 – Efrain Sanchez – Toutle, Wash. (Toutle Lake HS '06)
Hammer Throw – 192-0 – Jordan Arakawa – Olympia, Wash. (Capital HS '10)
Shot Put – 54-1 1/4 - Jon Buchanan – Yakima, Wash. (East Valley HS '09)
Shot Put – 52-5 1/4 - Marlyn Anderson – Snohomish, Wash. (Snohomish HS '09)
Javelin – 223-3 – Aaron Mettler – Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla HS '07)
400 Meters – 47.58 – Brad Wall – Vancouver, Wash. (Evergreen HS '08)
Triple Jump – 46-00 – Kurt Williams – Snohomish, Wash. (Snohomish HS '06)
Hammer Throw – 174-6 – Jon Buchanan – Yakima, Wash. (East Valley HS '09)
800 Meters – 1:53.83 – Tim Pettit – Covington, Wash. (Kentwood HS '10)
Triple Jump – 47-6 1/2 – Andre Moore – Kent, Wash. (Kent Meridian HS '09)
Discus Throw – 152-11 – Cody Humphrey – Hermiston, Ore. (Hermiston HS '10)
Long Jump – 23-8 3/4 – Kurt Williams – Snohomish, Wash., (Snohomish HS)
Discus Throw – 155-5 – Jordan Arakawa – Olympia, Wash. (Capital HS '10)
5,000 Meters – 14:38.41 – Bowe Ebding – Walla Walla, Wash. (DeSales HS '07)
200 Meters – 21.96 – Michael Okoro – Lakewood, Wash. (Clover Park '10)

Women's Qualifiers/Records

Big Sky Championships – May 11-14 - Sacramento, Calif.
First Round NCAA Championships – May 26-28 - Eugene, Ore.
NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships – June 8-11- Des Moines, Iowa

School Records Broken: None

Total Big Sky Championships Qualifying Marks Attained: 21 (New: Six; Okoro in the long jump, Leavitt in the 100, Murillo in the discus, Tauvela in the discus, Dye in the 5,000 and Slaughter in the steeplechase.)

Discus – 154-8 1/4 – Erica Chaney - Spokane, Wash (Gonzaga Prep '06)
Shot Put – 50-7 1/4 - Erica Chaney - Spokane, Wash (Gonzaga Prep '06)
Hammer Throw – 178 – Olivia Midles – Olympia, Wash. (Capital HS '10)
100 Meters – 12.03 – Krystal Deyo – Castle Rock, Wash. (Castle Rock HS '06)
Hammer Throw – 159-2 – Vania Tauvela - Orting, Wash. (Orting HS '09)
Javelin Throw – 134-4 – Haley Tank - West Richland, Wash. (Hanford HS '09)
3,000 Steeplechase – 11:39.50 – Stephanie Dye – Chatteroy, Wash. (Riverside HS '08)
3,000 Meters – 11:37.84 - Stephanie Dye – Chatteroy, Wash. (Riverside HS '08)
100 Meters – 12.28 – Brianna Okoro – Lakewood, Wash. (Bellarmine Prep HS '08)
High Jump – 5-5 – Elise Jepsen – Kennewick, Wash. (Kamiakin HS '09)
Pole Vault – 11-5 3/4 – Rachel Jordan – Milwaukie, Ore. (Milwaukie HS '09
Long Jump – 18-6 1/2 – Krystal Deyo – Castle Rock, Wash. (Castle Rock HS '06)
Triple Jump – 38-10 1/4 – Morena Mannucci – Rome, Italy (Anco Marzio HS '10)
Javelin – 144-6 1/4 – Emma Murillo – Kennewick, Wash. (Southridge HS '10)
Long Jump – 18-4 1/2 – Taymussa Miller – Richland, Wash. (Hanford HS '09)
100 Meters – 12.20 – Whitney Leavitt – Benton, Wash. (Kiona Benton HS '09)
Long Jump – 18-9 3/4 – Brianna Okoro – Lakewood, Wash. (Bellermine Prep HS '08)
Discus Throw – 140-11 – Emma Murillo - Kennewick, Wash. (Southridge HS '10)
Discus Throw – 142-4 – Vania Tauvela – Orting, Wash. (Orting HS '09)
3,000 Steeplechase – 11:29.61 – Danielle Slaughter – Spokane, Wash. (Shadle Park HS '06)
5,000 Meters – 17:55.26 - Stephanie Dye – Chatteroy, Wash. (Riverside HS '08)

Season Notes

Big Sky Conference Preseason Polls

Voting is calculated with each team receiving nine points for a first place vote, eight points for a second place vote, etc. Coaches are allowed to vote for their respective teams. Below are the final results with the number of first place votes in parenthesis.    

Men's Poll 

Team, Points
Sacramento State (4) 75
Northern Arizona (3) 73
Weber State (2) 62
Montana State 55
Eastern Washington 43
Idaho State 36
Montana 33
Northern Colorado 16
Portland State 12

Women's Poll

Team, Points
Sacramento State (8) 80
Idaho State (1) 66
Montana 66
Weber State 52
Northern Arizona 46
Montana State 35
Portland State 27
Eastern Washington 24
Northern Colorado 9

Returning All-Big Sky Athletes
The following Eagle athletes have earned All-Big Sky Conference honors (top three finish) in previous Big Sky Conference track and field championships (indoors and outdoors):

Aaron Mettler - (2009 and 2008 Outdoor: Champion in javelin; 2010 Outdoor: 2nd in javelin)
Adam Stewart - (2010 Indoors: 2nd in high jump; 2009 Indoors: Champion in high jump; 2008 Outdoors: 3rd in high jump; 2010 Outdoors: 3rd in high jump)
Stephen Praast - (2009 Outdoors: Champion in high jump; 2009 Indoors: 3rd in high jump)
Brad Wall – (2010 Outdoors: Champion in 400; 2011 Indoors: Champion in 400)
Andre Moore – (2011 Indoors: 3rd in triple jump)
Kyle King – (2011 Indoors: Champion in 5,000, 3rd in 3,000)
Jonathan Buchanan – (2011 Indoors: 3rd in shot put)
4x400 Relay (2010 Outdoors: 2nd)

Chelsi Friese - (2009 Indoors: 2nd in pole vault)
Krystal Deyo - (2009 Outdoors: 2nd in 100 meters; 2009 Indoors: 2nd in 60 meters; 2011 Indoors: 2nd in long jump)
Erica Chaney - (2010 Indoors: 2nd in shot put; 2008 Indoors: 2nd in shot put; 2010 Outdoors: 2nd in discus, 3rd in shot put; 2011 Indoors: Champion in weight throw, 2nd in shot put)
Brianna Okoro - (2010 Outdoors: 3rd in 100, 3rd in long jump, Champion in 200)
4x100 Relay - (2009 Outdoors: Champion; 2010 Outdoors: Champion)

Top Season Performances

Stephanie Dye              Jr.                    (Chatteroy, Wash.)
Junior Stephanie Dye qualified for the Big Sky Conference Championships in the 3,000 steeplechase, running a time of 11:39.41 after altitude adjustments at the Al Manuel Invitational (4/2/11). The time was a personal record by 20 seconds for Dye. She is seventh on EWU's all-time best list. She qualified in the 3,000 meters, running a time of 11:37.84 at the Beach Invitational (4/16/11). At the Oregon Relays (4/23/11) Dye ran a conference-qualifying time of 17:55.26 in the 5,000 meters, moving her to eighth in the record books.

Olivia Midles                     Fr.           (Olympia, Wash.)
Freshman Olivia Midles qualified for the Big Sky Conference Championships in the hammer throw in her first Eastern appearance at the Dusty Lane Open (3/19/11). She bettered her season-best mark at the Al Manuel Invitational (4/2/11) when she placed second with a mark of 169-2 to rank her seventh on EWU's all-time best list. She fifth-place position when she threw 178 feet at the Mt. SAC Relays (4/15/11). The mark was a lifetime personal best for Midles.

Erica Chaney                      Sr.           (Spokane, Wash.)
Erica Chaney won the elite section of the shot put with a mark of 48-2 1/2 at the Stanford Invitational (3/25/11) to qualify her for the conference championships. She is ranked second in the league standings. In the same competition, Chaney placed second in the discus throw with a mark of 154 feet, which ranks her second in the league and qualified her for the championships. Chaney has earned All-Big Sky accolades seven total times in her career, including one win during the indoor season in the weight throw. Chaney broke the school record in the women's shot put this indoor season. Her mark of 51-7 surpassed the 20-year-old record of 50-11, which was set by Nancy Kuiper in 1991. Chaney came within four inches of the outdoor school record in the shot put after her performance at the Mt. SAC Relays (4/15/11). Her throw of 50-7 1/4 inched her closer to Nancy Kuiper's record of 50-11, which was set in 1991. Chaney capped her weekend with a second 50-plus throw in the shot put at the Beach Invitational (4/16/11) when she had a mark of 50-3 3/4.

Brad Wall                            Sr.           (Vancouver, Wash.)
Just a month after winning the Big Sky Conference indoor 400 with a new school-record time, Wall opened his outdoor season with a BSC qualifying time of 47.88 to win the event at the Stanford Invitational (3/25/11). The junior from Vancouver, Wash., is the school-record holder in the 400 meters with a time of 46.78, which he set last outdoor season when he won the event at the BSC Championships in Ogden, Utah. Wall won the 100-meter dash at the Al Manuel Invitational (4/2/11) with a time of 11.19 and anchored both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays to victories. He placed fourth in the Olympic development heat at the Mt. SAC Relays (4/16/11), running a season-best time of 47.58. He also ran a season-best in the 200 meters, clocking a time of 22.09.

Aaron Mettler                   Sr.           (Walla, Walla, Wash.)
Aaron Mettler qualified for the BSC Championships in the javelin with a mark of 199-10 to place him fourth in the elite section of the Stanford Invitational (3/25/11). He later moved to leader of the BSC rankings and 14th in the region when he reached a lifetime-best mark and placed fourth in the elite section at the Oregon Relays (4/23/11) with a distance of 225-3. He bettered his previous mark by more than five feet and remains fourth on EWU's all-time best list. Mettler was the 2008 and 2009 Big Sky Conference champion in the javelin, and in 2010 he placed second.

Kersee Lind                        Jr.            (Hermiston, Ore.)
Junior Kersee Lind qualified for the conference championships in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.27 to place him second in the Dusty Lane Open (3/19/11). Lind holds the school record in the indoor heptathlon with 5,033 points and is second on the decathlon all-time best list with 6,611 points. At the Spokane Multi (4/13/11), Lind qualified in the decathlon, scoring 6,668 points in the two-day competition to rank second in school history and second in the league standings. He is now within just 300 points of the school record, which was set by Eric Boyd in 2000. Lind had personal records in the high jump (6-6) and the 110-meter hurdles (15.57), assisting him to a 57-point personal record, overall. Lind broke the school record in the indoor heptathlon in 2009 when he scored 5,033 points, surpassing Matt Ludwigson's record of 4,951, which was set in 2007.

Adam Stewart                   Sr.           (Yakima, Wash.)
Senior Adam Stewart, the 2009 BSC indoor high jump champion, met the league's outdoor qualifying mark at the Dusty Lane Open (3/19/11), clearing a height of 6-6 to send him to the championships. He has had four All-Big Sky performances in his career. Stewart had a season-best performance in the high jump at the WAR IV (4/9/11) when he placed second with a mark of 6-8 to place him second in the league standings.

Jordan Arakawa                Fr.           (Olympia, Wash.)
Freshman Jordan Arakawa placed first in the hammer throw with a Big Sky Conference-qualifying mark of 177-10 at the Dusty Lane Open (3/19/11). He broke into Eastern's all-time best list at the Al Manuel Invitational (4/2/11) when he placed second in the hammer with a mark of 184-7. At the WAR IV (4/9/11) Arakawa again bettered his mark in the hammer throw to 191-7 3/4 to move him up to ninth on EWU's all-time best list and fourth in the conference standings. At the Oregon Relays (4/23/11) Arakawa qualified in the discus throw with a mark of 155-5.

Jon Buchanan                    Fr.           (Yakima, Wash.)
Freshman Jon Buchanan placed second in the shot put at the Dusty Lane Open (3/19/11) with a Big Sky qualifying mark of 52-8 3/4. Buchanan qualified in the hammer throw at the Al Manuel Invitational (4/2/11) with a throw of 166-3 to place him third in the competition. He had a two-foot season personal record in the shot put at the Beach Invitational (4/16/11). His throw of 54-1 1/4 placed him seventh in the competition.  Buchanan earned All-Big Sky accolades at the indoor championships when he placed third in the shot put with a mark of 52-6.

Kurt Williams               Sr.        (Snohomish, Wash.)
Senior Kurt Williams had a season-best mark in the long jump, leaping 23-9 3/4 to place him sixth at the Beach Invitational (4/16/11). He also had a lifetime-best time in the 100 meters, running a time of 10.97. Williams qualified earlier in the season in the triple jump with a mark of 46 feet.

Morena Mannucci         Fr.        (Rome, Italy)
Freshman Morena Mannucci continues to climb EWU’s all-time rankings and is also nearing a school record. The triple jumper from Rome, Italy, bounded to a second-place position on EWU's all-time best list when she had a mark of 38-10 1/4 at the Oregon Relays (4/23/11). She is now just under a foot from Teanna Meinhold's school-record mark of 39-7. Mannucci's best mark out of high school in the event is 40-9.

Links:
EWU Track and Field - http://goeags.com/sports/c-track/index
Big Sky Conference Men's Track and Field - http://www.bigskyconf.com/index.aspx?tab=outdoortrackandfield&path=motrack
Big Sky Conference Women's Track and Field - http://www.bigskyconf.com/index.aspx?tab=outdoortrackandfield2&path=wotrack
NCAA Track and Field - http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-itrack/ncaa-c-itrack-body.html
Direct Athletics Performance List - http://www.directathletics.com/view_list.html
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