Complete JD Shotwell women's results (PDF)
        JD Shotwell video: Sammi  Markham

TACOMA, Wash. – A 1-2-3-4 finish in one race helped clinch No. 1 in the women's team race for Seattle Pacific.
 
Becca Houk, Tasia Baldwin, Jasmine Johnson, and Cheryl Hong took the top four places in the 200-meter dash on Saturday afternoon, giving the Falcons 29 team points on the way to a final winning total of 129 in the JD Shotwell Invitational.
 
SPU also got individual victories from Jahzelle Ambus in the 400 meters and Ali Sowers in the 800 at Baker Stadium on the University of Puget Sound campus.
 
The Falcons won a tight three-way battle with GNAC rivals Western Washington and Central Washington. The Vikings finished with 127; Central had 124.
 
 

Houk (Oregon City, Ore.), a freshman, got to the finish line in 25.33 seconds, just ahead of seniors Baldwin (Tacoma, Wash. / Foss HS, 25.70) and Johnson (Federal Way, Wash. / Federal Way HS, 25.75). Hong (Federal Way, Wash. / Jefferson HS), racing in another heat, clocked 25.96.
 
Falcons junior Ambus (Portland, Ore.) led most of the way in the 400, winning in 57.90 seconds. Johnson was third in that race (58.41) and Hong took fifth (58.71).

 

Sophomore Sowers (Lacey, Wash. / Northwest Christian  HS) went back and forth with Alison Wise of Puget Sound through the final lap of the 800. Wise took the lead going into the final turn, but Sowers passed her for good about 40 meters from the finish line. She won in 2:18.82, just beating Wise's 2:19.19.
 
Houk finished second in the 100 in 12.23. Both that time and her 200 were SPU personal bests.
 
Luisa McInnis (Santa Rosa, Calif.), a junior, and freshman Naphtali Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash. / Gig Harbor HS) went 2-3 in the high jump. Both cleared 5-2 ¼; McInnis got the higher place on fewer misses. Junior Michaela Farner threw a season-best 130-1 to take second in the javelin.
 
MARKHAM GETS THAT 40-FOOTER
For her entire season as a freshman and her first month as a sophomore, the 40-foot arc in the shot put pit had eluded Sammi Markham.
 
But it only takes one to get there. And on Saturday morning, the first one is all it took.

 

Markham's initial attempt kicked up just enough gypsum dust to be measured at 40 feet, ¾ of an inch, giving her fourth place in the JD Shotwell Invitational.
 
She had come close twice this season, going 39-8 at the season opening UPS Outdoor Preview in the same Baker Stadium pit, then matched that last weekend at the Club Northwest Spring Break Open in West Seattle.
 
"My PR indoors is 42, 43 (42-10 ¾, to be exact), so I would like to get there," Markham said. "It's good to know that I'm working toward it."
 
Markham (Gig Harbor, Wash. / Gig Harbor HS) had to wait for the official measurement on Saturday to know for sure that she was officially a 40-footer outdoors.
 
"I didn'tknow if it would be 40, because the lines ae sometimes off," she said. "But I was excited that I got that far."
 
Markham is already a provisional qualifier for next month's Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships, and is easily within the top 16 to get into that meet. Saturday's distance leaves her just four inches short of the 40-4 ¾ automatic mark. But she doesn't want to stop there.
 
"In a perfect world, I would get 45," she said, cutting loose with a smile. "In a good world, I would get back to my (Indoor) PR of 42 or 43 feet. I think I can do it."
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
JD Shotwell Invitational
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Baker Stadium / Tacoma, Wash.

Team scores – 1, Seattle Pacific 129; 2, Western Washington 127; 3, Central Washington 124; 4, Mount Hood CC 64; 5, Saint Martin's 51; 6, Pacific Lutheran 41; 7, Puget Sound 39; 8, Everett CC 27; 9, Trinity Lutheran 23; 10, Olympic College 20; 11, Alaska Fairbanks 12; 12, Christ Life 10; 13, Simon Fraser 5; 14, Green River CC 4; 15, Clark College 1.
 
100 – 1, Princess Joy Griffey (Christ Life) 1215. SPU placers – 2, Becca Houk 12.23!, 5, Kelsey Chase 12.77; 13, Ryan Conlin 13.29.
200 – 1, Becca Houk (SPU) 25.33*. Other SPU placers – 2, Tasia Baldwin 25.70*; 3, Jasmine Johnson 25.75*; 4, Cheryl Hong 25.96*; 9, Kelsey Chase 26.40.
400 – 1,  Jahzelle Ambus (SPU) 57.90*. Other SPU placers – 3, Jasmine Johnson 58.41*; 5, Cheryl Hong 58.71*.
800 – 1, Ali Sowers (SPU) 2:18.82. Other SPU placers – 3, Jessie Mathison 2:20.48; 6, Chynna Phan 2:23.07
1500 – 1, Katelyn Steen (W. Washington) 4:42.79. SPU placer – 4, Chynna Phan 4:49.70.
5000 – 1, Taylor Guenther (W. Washington) 17:53.84. SPU placer – 15, Kiley Zeitler 20:06.37.
4x100 relay – 1, Pacific Lutheran 49.48. No SPU team.
4x400 relay – 1, Central Washington 3:58.49. No SPU team.
100 hurdles – 1, Courtney Andre (Mt. Hood CC) 14.82. No SPU competitors.
400 hurdles – 1, Emily Bland (Everett CC) 1:04.47. No SPU competitors.
3000 steeplechase – 1, Katelyn Steen (W. Washington) 10:32.92 (meet record, breaks old record of 10:59.99 set by Brittany Hodgson in 2008). No SPU competitors.
High jump – 1, Miranda Osadchey (W. Washington) 5-4 ¼ / 1.63m. SPU placers – 2, Luisa McInnis 5-2 ¼ / 1.58m* (judge's decision); 3, Naphtali Ward 5-2 ¼ / 1.58m*.
Pole vault – 1, (tie) Elizabeth King (UPS) and Anna Paradee (W. Washington) 10-10 ¾ / 3.32m. SPU placers – 3, Michaella Kahns 10-10 ¾ / 3.32m* (judge's decision); 4, Michelle Louie 10-4 ¾ / 3.17m*; Madi Webster no height.
Long jump – 1, Brandi Williams (Unattached) 18-0 ½ / 5.50m. SPU placer – 3, Tasia Baldwin 16-0 ½ / 5.09m.
Triple jump – 1, Shanice Lakes (Mt. Hood CC) 36-4 / 11.07m. No SPU competitors.
Shot put – 1, Kahili Novikoff (Saint Martin's) 41-7 ¾ / 12.69m. SPU placer – 4, Sammi Markham 40-0 ¾ / 12.21m*; 19, Madison Buttice 29-0 ½ / 8.85m.
Discus – 1, Megan Mortensen (W. Washington) 146-7 / 44.69m. No SPU competitors.
Javelin – 1, Kathryn Walker (Saint Martin's) 152-10 / 46.59m. SPU placers – 2, Michaela Farner 130-1 / 39.65m*; 11, Emily Corona 108-9 / 33.16m.

! GNAC automatic qualifying
* GNAC provisional