TACOMA, Wash. – Annika Esvelt is back on the starting line. And while how high she placed or how fast she ran weren't necessarily at the top of her priority list on a cold Saturday afternoon …
 
… she was first to the finish line, too.
 
The Seattle Pacific distance running standout, who missed the winter indoor track season with an injury, fended off a challenge down the closing stretch and won the 1500 meters at the outdoor season-opening Ed Boitano Invitational.
 
 

Esvelt's time on the Baker Stadium track was 4 minutes, 45.73 seconds. That was fast enough to hit the wire just ahead of Alisha Saucedo from Saint Martin's Saucedo clocked 4:46.66.
 
"It was just getting out there and just using whatever opportunity there was," Esvelt said. "There were a lot of really good girls in the race, so that was nice. I just had to get out there and do it.'
 
The most recent race for Esvelt was the NCAA West Regional cross country meet last Nov. 19 in Billings, Mont. She started that one, but a lingering tendon injury forced her out before she was able to finish.
 
Esvelt dealt with that and a corresponding foot injury throughout the winter, so did not compete indoors.
 
By the time Saturday's outdoor opener arrived on the calendar, she was ready, and a bit anxious, to give it a go.
 
"It was a lot of fun," she said. "It's all a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I was preparing for it to be very painful, but it wasn't that bad. I had a little bit of pain. But for the most part, it's significantly better. I had a lot of fun racing and just being with my team."
 
The 1500 is not Esvelt's primary event on the track. She is a three-time All-American at longer distances: first team indoors and second team outdoors in the 5000 (both in 2022), and first team outdoors in the 10,000 (also 2022).
 
But on Saturday, the 15 was an ideal way to get back into competition.
 
"There's not as much pressure, and it's shorter," she said. "It's sort of like ripping off the Band-Aid."

Falcons associate head coach / distance coach Chris Reed enjoyed watching her race as much as Esvelt enjoyed racing.
 
"She ran with a lot of joy today, and we got to see her competitive side, too," he said. "There was no real race plan at all, just go out there and see how it goes. She found herself naturally inclined to compete. It's one of my favorite things about her is when she steps on the line, she brings her best, and she did the same thing today."
 
GREEN SNARES FIRST INDIVIDUAL WIN
Aniya Green has been a big part of SPU's 4-by-100 relay, helping the Falcons win that event three times last spring, including a triple record-setting performance at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships (school, overall GNAC, and GNAC meet records).
 
 

But she had never won an individual event.
 
Now, she has. Green outkicked teammate Johanna Brown to the line in the 200-meter dash, stopping the watch in 26.43 seconds. Brown was next in 26.71.
 
Prior to Saturday, Green's highest finishes in any event had been fourth (once in the 100, twice in the 200).
 
Green still got in some relay work, albeit on the 4-by-400 this time. She led off the foursome that was followed by Libby Michael, Brown, and Marissa Crane, and they won in 4:02.29.
 
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
-

- Lizzy Daugherty opened the outdoor season with a W in the women's pole vault. Daugherty cleared 11 feet, 9 ¾ inches. Lily Luksich of Pacific Lutheran also got over at that height, but Daugherty took the top spot because she got over on her second attempt; Luksich made it on her third. It was Daugherty's second college win. She took first place at the Linfield Open last May 7.
-- SPU made it a sweep of the relays, as the as the men also won. Julius Shepherd, Jon Owen, Jeff Gordon, and Isaiah Archer came around in 3:29.65.
 

-- Owen had a pair of top-5 finishes in the men's distance events. He was third in the 800 at 1:59.22, just barely off his personal-best of 1:59.13, and took fifth in the 1500 at 4:05.00.
-- Kainoa Lee and Brad Bowman both were among the top 5 in the men's pole vault. Lee went 14-2 for second place, and Bowman was over at 13-8 ¼ for fourth.
-- The Falcons did not have any 3000-meter steeplechase performances last spring on either the men's or women's side. But they had one on Saturday as Brennan LeBlanc took sixth place in 10:15.46.
-- Seattle Pacific was sixth in both the men's and women's team scores. The women totaled 67 points, and the men had 45. Whitworth was first in both with 111 for the women and 153 for the men.

UP NEXT
The Falcons are slated to head back to Tacoma next Saturday for the PLU Open at the Pacific Lutheran track. Field events start at 10:30 a.m., and the first track race is at 11:00. The last event of the day is set for 3:40 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Ed Boitano Invitational
Saturday, March 4, 2023
Baker Stadium @ Univ. of Puget Sound / Tacoma, Wash.
 
Team scores – 1, Whitworth 111; 2, Pacific Lutheran 106; 3, Central Washington 83; 4, Colorado College 73; 5, Saint Martin's 68; 6, Seattle Pacific 67; 7, Spokane CC 48; 8, Western Washington 44; 9, Puget Sound 38; 10, Olympic College 27; 11, Evergreen State 17.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
100 – 1, Jordyn Lungo (Whitworth) 12.87.  SPU – 14, Charlie Hill 14.43.
200 – 1, Aniya Green (SPU) 26.43.  Other SPU – 2, Johanna Brown 26.71; 6, Marissa Crane 27.34; 8, Hannah Chang 27.51; 14, Maliyah Hicks 28.74.
400 – 1, Jacklyn Lewis (UPS) 1:00.08.  SPU – 5, Charisma Smith 1:02.39; 9, Maliyah Hicks 1:06.42
800 – 1, Ella Fullerton (Colorado College) 2:22.74.  SPU – 10, Katelyn Flolo 2:33.11; 11, Maya Ewing 2:35.79.
1500 – 1, Annika Esvelt (SPU) 4:45.73.  Other SPU – 10, Libby Michael 5:01.73; 11, Maya Ewing 5:02.60; 12, Katelyn Flolo 5:05.78; 18, Nicki Yorges 5:19.47.
10,000 – 1, Sarah Paquet (PLU) 37:04.01.  SPU – 6, Matise Mulch 38:22.99.
4x400 relay – 1, Seattle Pacific (Aniya Green, Libby Michael, Johanna Brown, Marissa Crane) 4:02.29.  Other SPU – 3, Seattle Pacific (Charisma Smith, Maya Ewing, Mariyah Hicks, Hannah Chang) 4:22.59.
High jump – 1, Monica Kaylor (Whitworth) 4-10 ¼ / 1.48m.  SPU – Hannah Chang, no height
Pole vault – 1, Lizzy Daugherty (SPU) 11-9 ¾ / 3.60m.  Other SPU – Charlie Hill, no height.
Javelin – 1, Ava Nelson (PLU) 151-9 / 46.27m.  SPU – 7, Hannah Chang 98-5 / 30.00.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Ed Boitano Invitational
Saturday, March 4, 2023
Baker Stadium / Tacoma, Wash.
 
Team scores – 1, Whitworth 153; 2, Western Washington 129.5; 3, Central Washington 98; 4, Pacific Lutheran 97; 5, Saint Martin's 49; 6, Seattle Pacific 45; 7, Colorado College 37; 8, Puget Sound 36; 9, Spokane CC 30.5; 10, Tacoma Running Club 6; T11, Olympic College and Club Northwest 5.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
100 – 1, Keola Sanchez (PLU) 10.99.  SPU – 24, Nate Thomas 12.01; 26, Brad Bowman 12.06.
200 – 1, Josh Williams (Colorado College) 22.37.  SPU – T6, David Njeri and Julius Shepherd 23.16; 8, Evan Carpenter 23.39; 27, Brady Boun 24.56; 34, Nate Thomas 25.03; 41, Gabe Woodard 25.71.
400 – 1, Josh Williams (Colorado College) 49.92.  SPU – 13, Jeff Gordon 53.10; 22, Gabe Woodard 55.62.
800 – 1, John Farrell (Saint Martin's) 1:58.26.  SPU – 3, Jon Owen 1:59.22; 6, Isaiah Archer 2:00.42; 13, Brennan LeBlanc 2:06.22; 14, Kade Franco 2:06.26; 18, Lucas Reyes 2:13.54; 19, Ben Sheirbon 2:16.22.
1500 – 1, Kevin McDermott (WWU) 3:51.41.  SPU – 5, Jon Owen 4:05.00; 12, Ben Sheirbon 4:10.74; 21, Kade Franco 4:20.18; 29, Lucas Reyes 4:33.42
10,000 – 1, Andrew Ostun (WWU) 29:41.91.  SPU – 9, Colin Boutin 31:59.54; 17, Gabe Endresen 33:20.38; 25, Nathaniel Gale 33:35.62; 27, Isaac Venable 33:42.83.
3000 steeplechase – 1, Jeret Gillingham (WWU) 8:55.62.  SPU – 6, Brennan Leblanc 10:15.46.
4x400 relay – 1, Seattle Pacific (Julius Shepherd, Evan Carpenter, Jeff Gordon, Isaiah Archer) 3:29.65.  Other SPU – 13, Seattle Pacific 'B' 3:50.66.
Pole vault – 1, Drew Klein (CWU) 14-8 / 4.47m.  SPU – 2, Kainoa Lee 14-2 / 4.32m; 4, Brad Bowman 13-2 ¼ / 4.02m.
Long jump – 1, Isaiah Webster (CWU) 21-10 ¼ / 6.66m.  SPU – 9, Nate Thomas 20-0 ¼ / 6.10m; 18, Brady Boun 18-11 ¾ / 5.78m.