Complete women's results (PDF)

SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific Falcons have their first outdoor track and field national-qualifying time of the season.
 
No surprise that it was posted by their most consistent national-qualifying athlete of the past three seasons.
 
That would junior Lynelle Decker, who surged ahead on the second and final lap of the 800 meters, then had a tougher homestretch battle with a headwind than she did with any other runner, and still crossed the finish line in 2 minutes, 11.64 seconds on Saturday at the Club Northwest Spring Break Open.
 
That time by Decker (Vancouver, Wash. / Mountain View HS) at West Seattle Stadium was nearly two seconds better than the Division II provisional standard of 2:13.33. As of Saturday evening, it ranks No. 4 in the country, pending the outcome of other meets this weekend.
 
"It felt pretty fun," Decker said. "The second lap, I just kind of went for it. I did want to get close to my PR (2:10.58), and I've been training to put emphasis on each race and say, 'This meet matters.' Even though it's a small local meet, it does matter. It's something I can race in to make the national time, and that's what I definitely wanted to do."
 
Decker now has made it onto the national qualifying list in each of her first three years at SPU for both indoor and outdoor track. At outdoor nationals, she ran the 1,500 as a freshman in 2013 and the 800 last spring.
 
But while Saturday's mark certainly was fast, she likely will need to go even faster between now and May. Last year's cutoff time to make the national field was 2:11.26. Decker made it into the 21-runner field her 2:10.58. She logged that time at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival, which just so happens is where she'll be next Friday.
 
"(My time today) surprised me, yes," Decker said. "But I didn't really think about it until Chris (SPU assistant coach Reed) told me that my time in this meet last year was 2:15, and then I went and ran a 2:10 the next weekend. So I'm like, 'Oh – I can do some pretty big things next weekend in San Fran."

 

Coming up with a big day of her own on Saturday was freshman pole vaulter Michelle Louie. Having come within a quarter-inch of clearing 11 feet at last Saturday's Rose City Preview in Gresham, Ore., Louie (Bellevue, Wash. / Bellevue HS) cleared it this time, getting over the bar at 11-1 for second place and an automatic berth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships.
 
Sophomore thrower Sammi Markham tied her career-best in the shot put at 39-8, far enough to win the event. Sophomore Maddi Hommes  set a career-best of 32-11 ¾ to snare fifth place.
 
Junior Jahzelle Ambus and senior Tasia Baldwin went 1-2 in the 100-meter dash, Ambus in 12.72 seconds; Baldwin a tick behind in 12.73. Sophomore Cheruyl Hong won the 100-meter hurdles in 16.63.
 

NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Club Northwest Spring Break Open
Saturday, March 28, 2015
West Seattle Stadium / Seattle, Wash.

 

Team scores – Not kept.
 
100 – 1, Jahzelle Ambus (SPU) 12.72. Other SPU placers – 2, Tasia Baldwin 12.73; 5, Kyra Brannan 12.99; 7, Kelsey Chase 13.07; 9, Ryan Conlin 13.4 (hand-held).
200 – 1, Necy Wade (Washington) 25.76. SPU placers – 2, Becca Houk 25.96*; 3, Jasmine Johnson 26.09; 8, Kelsey Chase 27.30; 9, Ryan Conlin 27.45.
400 – 1, Alexis Ford (Washingto) 57.26. SPU placers – 2, Jasmine Johnson 57.70*; 6, Jessie Mathison 1:02.62.
800 – 1, Lynelle Decker (SPU) 2:11.64#!. Other SPU placers – 6, Mary Charleson 2:21.27; 7, Hannah Calvert 2:23.63.
1500 – 1, Jamie Cheever (Club NW) 4:33.64. SPU placers – 3, Anna Patti 4:41.65; 4, Jessica Rawlins 4:45.16; 6, Sarah Macdonald 4:49.66; 8, Chynna Phan 4:55.94; 9, Hailey Kettel 5:00.60; 10, Ali Sowers 5:02.75.
3000 – 1, Jamie Cheever (Club NW) 9:46.08. SPU placer – 6, Kiley Zeitler 11:29.65.
3000 race walk – 1, Ann Tuberg (Club NW) 17:44.47. No SPU competitors.
5000 – 1, Kristen Carter Schafer (Brooks) 16:58.34. No SPU competitors.
10,000 – 1, Sofia Marikis (W. Washington) 38:56.70. No SPU competitors.
4x100 relay – 1, Seattle Pacific (Becca Houk, Jahzelle Ambus, Kyra Brannan, Tasia Baldwin) 48.83.
4x400 relay – 1, Washington 3:56.28. SPU placers – 2, Seattle Pacific (Becca Houk, Lynelle Decker, Kyra Brannan, Anna Patti) 3:57.95; 3, Seattle Pacific (Jalen Tims, Chynna Phan, Kelsey Chase, Jasmine Johnson) 3:59.94; 4, Seattle Pacific (Cheryl Hong, Jessie Mathison, Jessica Rawlins, Ryan Conlin) 4:05.33.
100 hurdles – 1, Cheryl Hong (SPU) 16.63. Other SPU placer – 2, Maddi Hommes 17.40.
400 hurdles – 1, C.J. Smith (Washington) 1:02.71. SPU placers – 2, Jalen Tims 1:06.83*; 3, Cheryl Hong 1:08.86.
3000 steeplechase – 1, Caroline Austin (Unattached) 10:42.18. No SPU competitors.
High jump – 1, Miranda Osadchey (W. Washington) 5-3 / 1.60m. SPU placers – T2, Naphtali Ward and Luisa McInnis 5-1 / 1.55m*.
Pole vault – 1, Anna Paradee (W. Washington) 12-0 ¾ / 3.68m. SPU placers – 2, Michelle Louis 11-1 / 3.38m!; 3, Michaella Kahns 10-7 / 3.23m*.
Long jump – 1, Amanda Alvarez (Unattached) 18-5 ¾ / 5.63m. SPU placers – 2, Kyra Brannan 17-7 ½ / 5.37m*; 3, Tasia Baldwin 17-3 ½ / 5.27m*; 5, Maddi Hommes 15-2 ¾ / 4.64m.
Triple jump – 1, Amanda Alvarez (Unattached) 39-10 ¾ / 12.16m. No SPU competitors.
Shot put – 1, Sammi Markham (SPU) 39-8 / 12.09m*. Other SPU placers – 6, Maddi Hommes 32-11 ¾ / 10.05m; 8, Madison Buttice 28-0 ¾ / 8.55m.
Discus – 1, Megan Mortensen (W. Washington) 143-11 / 43.86m. SPU placers – 4, Sammi Markham 116-9 / 35.60m; 7, Madison Buttice 91-7 ; 27.92m.
Hammer – 1, Tasha Willing (Valley Royals) 146-7 / 44.67m. No SPU competitors.
Javelin – 1, Selina Byer (Simon Fraser) 138-6 / 42.22m. SPU placers – 3, Michaela Farner 121-9 / 37.12m; 5, Maddi Hommes 115-10 / 35.32m; 8, Emily Corona 95-0 / 28.96m.

# NCAA provisional qualifying
! GNAC automatic
* GNAC provisional