TACOMA, Wash. – The temperatures somewhere in the low the 50s. The continuous gusting winds sometimes felt like they were, too, even though that wasn't really the case.
 
Then there was Isaiah Archer's time in the men's 400-meter dash at Saturday's PLU Invitational.
 
It wasn't in the 50s.
 
It was faster than that.
 
On a day when a personal-best seemed out of the question, Archer came up with an answer. The Seattle Pacific freshman got around his one lap at the Pacific Lutheran track in 49.58 seconds, winning that event and becoming the first Falcon in almost five years to break the big 5-0 on an outdoor oval.
 
"I know I wanted to take it out pretty hard to get the race started, and I think I did a good job of that," Archer said after retreating across the street to the warmth of the PLU Fieldhouse. "Coming off the corner, the wind started picking up again, so I just kind of picked it up again. Down the homestretch, the wind died down a little bit, so it was a little easier to the finish."
 
The last Falcon to run a sub-50 outdoors was Justin Ramsey, clocking a 49.54 in the Ken Shannon Invitational at the UW's Husky Track on May 6, 2017.
 




There had been one SPU time in the 49s since then – and that just happened to be by Archer on Feb. 26 at the SPU Final Qualifier, as he clocked 49.71 to wrap up the winter indoor season.
 
His only previous outdoor 400 this spring was on March 19 at the Doris Heritage Track Festival.
 
"I ran a 50.5, or something – that was a little upsetting," Archer said of coming so close to breaking 50 (His official time was 50.53.) "It felt good to get back in there."
 
Archer was coming off a personal-best performance in the 800 meters at last week's West Coast Relays in Clovis, California, running a 1:54.42 under clear skies and temps in the 70s. He's entered in both the 800 (set for Thursday afternoon) and the 400 (Friday afternoon) for this coming week's Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.
 
Given the high quality of competition in that meet, and what could be more 70-degree temperatures, Archer is looking to make further progress toward his ultimate long-term goals for the season.
 
"I want to get that (800) time down to that 1:52 range to really compete with some of the guys at conference," Archer said. "If I can break 49 (in the 400), that would be great. But if I could run 49-low, I would be very happy with that."
 
AT LAST, HOLMES IS BACK ON THE TRACK
Darius Holmes has not had an easy couple of years. The Falcon sophomore has dealt with assorted injuries, one of which led to some foot surgery and kept him sidelined during this past indoor season.
 
He says he's still working his way back to 100 percent. But Holmes looked speedy on Saturday while running the anchor leg on SPU's 4-by-100 relay and bringing the baton across the finish line in first place.
 
 

"I think it has been about a year – I can't even remember; it has been too long," Holmes said of trying to recall his last race. (For the record, it was the 4-by-400 at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships last May 15.) "To be in that race and take the baton and run across the finish, it felt real good."
 
Holmes said hamstring issues were his main challenge last season. Then last summer, he suffered a foot injury that required the aforementioned surgery.
 
Still, while it has hampered his competitive opportunities, it hasn't dampened his competitive drive.
 
"(The foot) was a little bit of a setback. But I've continuously put in the work every week," he said. "That showed in the 4-by-1 today. I'm trying to get back in the shape I need to be compete where I want to compete."
 
Through 2021 and the first part of the 2022 season, Holmes has done primarily field events – shot put, discus, and pole vault. Until Saturday, his track races have been limited to three relays, all last spring: the 4-by-100 at the Buc Scoring Invite, and both the 4-by-1 and 4-by-4 at GNAC.
 
He wants to add a few more things to his docket . . .
 
. . . eventually.
 
"Maybe the 100 – that would be cool – and the 200. And the long jump, for sure," Holmes said. "I haven't long jumped since high school, so being able to get back into that, that would be fun."
 
Holmes even has an interest in perhaps trying a decathlon at some point in the future, although that won't happen this season.

"Once I'm good and ready to go, we'll see if I can give it a shot," he said.
 
For now, his only thought at the end of one meet is to set his sights on the next one.
 
"I don't like to look too far ahead," Holmes said. "I like to focus on one week at a time."
 
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
-- While Holmes anchored the winning relay, teammates David Njeri, Jeff Gordon, and Julius Shepherd carried the baton ahead of him, as the foursome clocked a 43.65.
-- Shepherd came back later in the day and won the 400-meter hurdles in 57.28. It was his second victory of the season in that event, having done so previously at the UPS Peyton-Shotwell Invitational on March 26.
 

-- Kainoa Lee keeps going higher in the men's pole vault. He cleared a career-best 14 feet, 10 inches on Saturday to pick up his second collegiate win, the first one coming last April in a dual meet against Seattle University. Lee's PB was his second in as many weeks. It topped the 14-7 ½ he went at last Friday's West Coast Relays.
-- Evan Carpenter won heats in both of his events on Saturday. He clocked 11.25 seconds in the 100-meter dash, finishing seventh overall, and went 22.58 in the 200 for fourth place overall. The 200 was a personal-best and his first sub-23 outdoors. His previous PB was 23.36. Carpenter did go sub-23 twice indoors, with a best of 22.92.
-- Jenna Bouyer and Peace Igbonagwam went 1-2 in the women's 400. Bouyer finished in 57.07; Igbonagwam had a 57.46.
-- Madison Licari placed second in the women's pole vault at a season-best 11-8.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
PLU Invitational
Saturday, April 9, 2022
Pacific Lutheran Track / Tacoma, Wash.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
100 – 1, Dimeji Adekambi (Unattached) 10.62.  SPU – 7, Evan Carpenter 11.25.
200 – 1, Bryant Welch (WWU) 21.82.  SPU – 4, Evan Carpenter 22.58.
400 – 1, Isaiah Archer 49.58.  Other SPU – 3, David Njeri 50.35; 9, Jeff Gordon 53.20.
800 – 1, Jonah Bloom (WWU) 2:00.21.  SPU – 2, Jon Owen 2:01.19; 6, Drew Thompson 2:05.77.
1500 – 1, Ben Kerr (UPS) 3:58.94.  SPU – 11, Drew Thompson 4:13.97; 15, Ben Sheirbon 4:22.78; Rory McClelland DNF.
10,000 – 1, Jalen Javurek (WWU) 32:20.72.  SPU – 2, Brennan LeBlanc 33:18.69; 3, Gabe Endresen 33:52.04.
4-by-100 relay – 1, Seattle Pacific (David Njeri, Jeff Gordon, Julius Shepherd, Darius Holmes) 43.65.  No other SPU.
400 hurdles – 1, Julius Shepherd (SPU) 57.28.  No other SPU.
Pole vault – 1, Kainoa Lee 14-10 / 4.52m!.  Other SPU – 6, Brad Bowman 12-10 ¼ / 3.92m.
 
! GNAC automatic qualifying
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
PLU Invitational
Saturday, April 9, 2022
Pacific Lutheran Track / Tacoma, Wash.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
200 – 1, Bailey Forsyth (PLU) 24.49.  SPU – 7, Johanna Brown 26.18.
400 – 1, Jenna Bouyer (SPU) 57.07!.  Other SPU – 2, Peace Igbonagwam 57.46!; 4, Aniya Green 1:00.19; 5, Ellie Rising 1:02.21; 6, Johanna Brown 1:02.44.
800 – 1, Sophie Wright (WWU) 2:16.83.  SPU – 3, Libby Michael 2:21.80; 6, Nicki Yorges 2:27.07.
Pole vault – 1, Lily Luksich (PLU) 12-4 / 3.76m.  SPU – 2, Madison Licari 11-8 / 3.56m!; T4, Lizzy Daugherty and Charlie Hill 11-2 ¼ / 3.41m!; 13, Emily Northey 8-8 ¾ / 2.66m.
 
! GNAC automatic qualifying