Complete women's and men's results (PDF)

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The expected. The unexpected. Doesn't matter.
 
In the past 10 days, Maliea Luquin has done it all for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Last week in Lacey, Luquin figured she would be in contention for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference heptathlon title – and she won it.
 
On Friday in Monmouth, she didn't figure to be in contention for the conference long jump championship – but won it anyway.
 
Luquin went a career-best 18 feet, 3 ¼ inches on her very first attempt. Through five more rounds of competition, no one else was able to match it, thereby securing the crown for her at Western Oregon University's McArthur Field.
 
She wound up half an inch better than runner-up Jasmine McMullin of Western Washington.
 
 
 
 
 
"I knew with the first jump it was good, but I didn't know it would stick," Luquin said. "Starting off to get that 5 57, it felt so good, and it was like, 'OK, yes – I'm a long jumper again.'"
 
The best jump for Luquin this season had been 17-5 ½ (5.32 meters) on April 23 at the Spike Arlt Invitational in Ellensburg. That had her as the No. 11 seed for GNACs – three places out of the points. She was the only Falcon to get into Friday's long jump scoring.
 
"It was nice to get out of that 5 30 realm – I needed to get out of that," Luquin said. "Generally, my best jumps are my third. I usually have to build up to it and have to get in a groove. This one, coming off the 100 hurdles (prelims), I think I was so pumped from that, it was like, 'OK – attack!'"
 
On the heels of her heptathlon title last week, Luquin (Portland, Ore.) now is personally responsible for 20 of SPU's 43½ points heading into Saturday's second and final day of competition. Field events start at 9:00 a.m., with track races at 11:00.
 
Through Friday's events, Central Washington is actually on top with 65 points, and Northwest Nazarene is second with 48.5. The Falcons sit in third with their 43.5 and Alaska Anchorage, expected to be the other primary team title contender, is sixth with 25.
 
Chances are Luquin will be contributing more points on Saturday as the Falcons seek to win a second straight outdoor team championship. She retained her top seed in the 100-meter hurdles, and is the third seed in the 400 hurdles.
 
In the 100 hurdles prelims, Luquin came across the line in 13.97 seconds, which was triply satisfying for her: It was a career-best by .01, it was her second sub-14, and, unlike the 13.98 she ran at the Spike Arlt Invitational in Ellensburg on April 23, it was wind-legal, so actually counted toward moving her up the NCAA Division II Championships qualifying list.
 
"Instantly when I heard (the time), I was like, 'Legal! It's legal!'" Luquin said
 
As of Friday evening, Luquin is tied for 18th on the national list, with the top 20 assured of a ticket to Bradenton, Fla., for nationals. Declarations for NCAAs are due on Monday, and official list of qualifiers will be released on Tuesday.
 




LEHNERT LEAPS CLOSER TO NCAAs
With a regular-season clearance of 5 feet, 7¼ inches, SPU freshman Geneva Lehnert was part of an 11-way pileup on the national qualifying list that likely was going to leave somebody – maybe even multiple somebodies – on the outside looking in the NCAAs.
 
On Friday, she lifted herself above the fray.
 
Lehnert, on her second attempt at it, got over the bar at 5 feet, 7¾ inches to grab second place in the meet and move herself into a much safer position on the national list.
 
As of Friday evening, Lehnert (Eugene, Ore.) is part of a five-way tie for ninth place, with the top 20 guaranteed a spot in the meet.
 
Taylor Fettig of Central Washington won at 5-9 ¼. Lehnert got two good looks at that bar before going out.
 
 
 
 
 
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
-- Senior Anna Patti (Renton, Wash. / Lindbergh HS) raced to fourth place in the 10,000 meters. Her time for the 25 laps was 36 minutes, 36.65 seconds. She'll run in the 5000 on Saturday afternoon.
-- When contending for a team title, it's essential to pick up points from people who aren't seeded to score them. Besides Luquin in the long jump, the Falcons had several other instances of that on Friday.
   -- Junior Sammi Markham (Gig Harbor, Wash. / Gig Harbor HS) got three for finishing sixth in the discus. She was a co-No. 9 seed.
   -- Junior Hannah Calvert (Enumclaw, Wash. / Enumclaw HS) scored one for eighth place in the 3000 steeplechase, an event she hadn't run since her freshman year. Her time of 11:22.74 was a personal best by more than a full minute from her previous PR of 12:24.23.
   -- Sophomore Jade Crawford (Buckley, Wash. / White River HS) squeezed into the last lane of the 100-meter hurdles finals with a career-best 15.11. She was seeded 11^th coming into the meet, but now has a chance to score at least one point.
   -- Junior Kyra Brannan and sophomore Becca Houk both made it into the 200 finals. Brannan (25.30) is the No. 6 seed; Houk (25.31) is No. 7. They had been seeded out of the points at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively, for the prelims.
-- Senior Lynelle Decker retained her No. 1 seed in the 800. She'll run that race and the 1500 on Saturday, in which she also is the No. 1 seed.
-- Senior Jahzelle Ambus had the fastest preliminary time in the 200 at 24.74. But defending Jamie Ashcroft of Alaska Anchorage is right there at 24.75. Ambus will be the second seed in the 400 finals at 56.17. Mary Kathleen Cross of Anchorage had a slightly faster prelim time than the defending champion, going 55.92.


NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
GNAC Championships
Friday, May 13, 2016
McArthur Field / Monmouth,Ore.
 
Team scores (through 7 of 21 events, including last week's decathlon) – 1, Central Washington 65; 2, Northwest Nazarene 48.5; 3, Seattle Pacific 43.5; 4, (tie) Concordia and Western Washington 32.5; 6, Alaska Anchorage 25; 7, Western Oregon 15; 8, Montana State Billings 9; 9, Simon Fraser 3.
 
FRIDAY FINALS
10,000 – 1, Joyce Chelimo 36:02.39. SPU placer – 4, Anna Patti 36:36.65. No other SPU competitors.
3000 steeplechase – 1, Dani Eggleston (CWU) 10:23.58. SPU placer – 8, Hannah Calvert 11:22.74. Other SPU competitor – 14, Jessica Rawlins 12:11.77.
High jump – 1, Taylor Fettig (CWU) 5-9 ¾ / 1.77m. SPU placers – 2, Geneva Lehnert 5-7 ¾ / 1.72m; T5, Naphtali Ward 5-3 ¾ / 1.62m. Other SPU competitor – T12, Jade Crawford 4-11 ¾ / 1.52m.
Long jump – 1, Maliea Luquin 18-3 ¼ / 5.57m. No other SPU placers. Other SPU competitors – 11, Geneva Lehnert 16-5 / 5.00m; 17, Kyra Brannan 12-4 / 3.76m.
Shot put – 1, Emmi Collier (WOU) 45-4 / 13.81m. No SPU placers. SPU competitor – 12, Sammi Markham 40-0 ¼ / 12.19m.
Discus – 1, Megan Mortensen (WWU) 151-2 ½ / 46.08m. SPU placer – 6, Sammi Markham 128-3 ¼ / 39.09m. No other SPU competitors.
 
FRIDAY PRELIMINARIES
100 – 1, Jamie Ashcroft (UAA) 12.24. SPU qualifiers – 4, Kyra Brannan 12.42; 6, Becca Houk 12.83.
200 – 1, Jahzelle Ambus (SPU) 24.74. Other SPU qualifiers – 6, Kyra Brannan 25.30; 7, Becca Houk 25.31. Other SPU competitors – 10, Cheryl Hong 25.74.
400 – 1, Mary Kathleen Cross (UAA) 55.92. SPU qualifiers – 2, Jahzelle Ambus 56.17; 6, Cheryl Hong 57.19. No other SPU competitors.
800 – 1, Lynelle Decker (SPU) 2:10.23. No other SPU qualifiers. Other SPU competitor – 10, Chynna Phan 2:13.86.
100 hurdles – 1, Maliea Luquin (SPU) 13.97. Other SPU qualifier – 8, Jade Crawford 15.11. No other SPU competitors.
400 hurdles – 1, Yvonne Jeschke (UAA) 1:02.78. SPU qualifier – 3, Maliea Luquin 1:03.14. Other SPU competitor – 9, Emma Lambert 1:04.78.