LONG BEACH, Calif. – Brennan LeBlanc wasn't quite feeling 100 percent – and he still came through in one of the toughest races on the track.
 
So imagine what he'll be able to do when he is back to 100 percent.
 
LeBlanc, who has been battling an Achilles injury for the past few weeks, clocked a personal-best of 9 minutes, 38.30 seconds in the 3000-meter steeplechase on Friday morning at the Beach Invitational.
 
His time for 7½ laps around Jack Rose Track was a 2½-second improvement from his previous best of 9:40.88 March 22 at the Mangrum Invitational in San Marcos.
 
And LeBlanc wants way more than that in the final few weeks of the season.
 
 

"I'm really hoping to get as close to 9:20 as I can," he said. "That's 18 seconds, and it's going to be a lot. But I think with the fitness that I have right now, if I can just get a little more efficient over the barriers and have a little more confidence, I think that goal will be achievable by conference. If I can keep the inflammation in the Achilles down, that will allow me to continue to do workouts and long runs, and that will be good.
 
The injury flared up about three weeks ago, which has forced LeBlanc to alter his training schedule.
 
"I've been having to take off days in between (workouts) just to cross-train to keep the swelling down," LeBlanc said. "I felt it before the race, but it usually goes away with an adrenaline rush. I just need to stretch out more and really focus on flexibility and make sure I'm taking care of my body more."
 
SPU assistant coach / distance coach Eric Hansen, who worked with national-caliber steeplers at Wayne State in Michigan before joining the Falcons coaching staff last fall, believe LeBlanc can come within reach of his lofty goals, and liked what he saw on Friday.
 
"He hasn't been able to do what he would normally do at practice lately. So the fact that he weas able to still come out with a PR today was a pretty good sign," Hansen said. "He had a nice little pack that he was able to have some back-and-forth with for the majority of the race. He came out with a PR, so all things considered, we'll take it."

 

LeBlanc had a solid cross country season last fall. He was Seattle Pacific's lead runner in all six meets and ran to best-ever finishes at both the GNAC Championships (22nd) and at NCAA West Regionals (61st). That sport, with its hilly courses, is an ideal way to train for the breath-sapping nature of the steeplechase.
 
"When you have a good cross country season, you come back confident," he said. "Even though at the beginning of the (track) season you have some slower times, you have the confidence that you have the fitness to carry it over to conference and be able to go and have a competitive championship race. It's all the world of a difference."
 
Not only is LeBlanc getting faster, he's having more fun doing it.
 
"I am liking it more, When you first start (doing steeple), you're at the back of the pack. You know you're more fit than a lot of the guys you're racing against, but you just don't have the experience or hurdling ability," he said. "As you get more used to it, it' gets better and better, and you're able to compete more.
 
"I'm getting more excited, and hopefully, I'm going to be able to translate that into racing," he said. "I have two more opportunities, including conference, and I'm hoping to continue cutting down that time."
 
MORE HEPTATHLON BESTS FOR CHANG
Having already set a pair of personal-best marks on Thursday's first day of the women's heptathlon at the Bryan Clay Invitational, Hannah Chang followed up with two more on Friday's final day.
 
The sophomore polished off the seven-event test with a six-second drop in the meet-ending 800-meter run. She finished her two laps around the Cougar Athletic Stadium oval at Azusa Pacific in 2 minutes, 30.54 seconds. That gave her 686 points and a career-best final total of 4,346.
 
 

Her previous 800 best was 2:36.53 at last year's GNAC Multi-Event Championships, which was her first heptathlon. Her point total from that one was 4,253.
 
On Thursday, Chang came up with best-ever marks of 4 feet, 11 ¾ inches in the high jump and 26.38 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
 
"I was pretty happy with my performance, and I feel like I had some solid marks," Chang said. "There are definitely some areas of improvement that I can take back with me to practice. But I feel pretty good overall."
 
Looking back at her first hep last spring, Chang said there was "definitely a night-and-day difference from that one to this one.
 
"I felt a lot more confident because I have a better idea of what to expect – especially in the 800," she said. "Coach and I talked about just a different race plan with more of a focus on that 600-meter (portion) of really pushing out instead of settling back. That was my main focus today."
 
Chang was particularly happy with high jump. After getting over at 4-11¾, she had three tries at 5-1. It didn't happen this time, but that's her aim through the rest of the season.
 
"I had so much fun doing high jump. I think things are starting to click with me," she said, "and I'm really hoping to jump 5 feet this year."
 
Chang's big focus between now and the GNAC multis on April 29-30 at Bellingham's Civic Stadium will be on the shot put and javelin.
 
"Shot did not go that well for me," she said. "I need to go back and practice that some more, and I'm definitely focusing on the javelin and just cleaning things up with my technique."
 
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
-- Brennan LeBlanc wasn't the only Falcons with a PB in the steeplechase on Friday. Freshman teammate Silas Demmert clocked 10:17.34, nearly eight seconds better than his inaugural steeple of 10:25.19 in San Marcos on March 22.
-- Isaac Venable and Nathaniel Gale both clocked huge time drops 10,000 meters. Venable finished in 32 minutes, 27.17 seconds, an improvement of 29 seconds from his previous best of 32:56.24 on March 1 at the Ed Boitano Invite in Tacoma. Gale was 37 seconds better than ever, finishing his 25 laps in 32:55.68. His previous best, also on March 1, was 33:33.01.
-- Freshman Paige Kessler came within half an inch (1 centimeter) of her best mark in the high jump, going 5-1¼ (1.56). Her best is 5-1¾ (1.57).
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons wrap up their trip on Saturday on the final day of the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa. The first event for SPU will be at 8:30 a.m. with the women's 5000 meters.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Beach Invitational
Friday, April 12, 2024
Jack Rose Track / Long Beach, Calif.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
400 – Winner TBD.  SPU – Charisma Smith 1:02.11
3000 steeplechase – 1, Hannan Ackerman (Boise St.) 10:25.09.  SPU – 5, Maya Ewing 11:23.95.
High jump – Winner TBD. SPU –Paige Kessler 5-1¼ / 1.56m.
 
 
Bryan Clay Invitational
Thursday-Friday, April 11-12, 2024
Cougar Athletic Stadium / Azusa, Calif.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
HEPTATHLON
Final standings (through 7 of 7 events; last 3 events on Friday) – 1, Olivia Keller (St. Thomas-Minn.) 4,758; 2, Eucabeth Kivikangas (N. Dakota) 4,732; 3, Jazzmine Davis (UC Irvine) 4,706; 4, Grace Blanchett (Hawaii) 4,542; 5, Payton Phillips (Pittsburg St.-Kan.) 4,539; 6, Jacqi Rae (Minn.-Duluth) 4,371; 7, Hannah Chang (SPU) 4,346; 8, Laura Sangiacomo (UC Irvine) 4,253; 9, Isabelle Vally (UC Santa Barbara) 4,211; 10, Kayla Beach (Air Force) 4,199; 11, Chaselyn Amos (UC Irvine) 4,074; Josie Liebl (St. Thomas-Minn.) DNF.
 
THURSDAY EVENTS
100-meter hurdles – 1, Olivia Keller (St. Thomas-Minn.) 14.49 (910 points).  SPU – 2, Hannah Chang 14.53 (905).
High jump – 1, Josie Liebl (St. Thomas-Minn.) 5-2¼ / 1.58m (712 points).  SPU – T2, Chang 4-11¾ / 1.52m (644)
Shot put – 1, Jacqi Rae (Minn.-Duluth) 44-3¼ / 13.49m (760 points).  SPU – 12, Chang 25-3¾ / 7.69m (379).
200 – 1, Jazzmine Davis (UC Irvine) 24.88 (898 points).  SPU – 5, Chang 26.38 (764).
 
FRIDAY EVENTS
Long jump – 1, Olivia Keller (St. Thomas-Minn.) 18-10 / 5.74m (771 points).  SPU – 8, Hannah Chang 16-2½ / 4.94m (543).
Javelin – 1, Eucabeth Kivikangas (N. Dakota) 122-1 / 37.22m.  SPU – 9, Chang 89-5 / 27.26m.
800 – 1, Keller (St. Thomas-Minn.) 2:19.59 (829 points).  SPU – 4, Chang 2:30.54 (686).
 
 
NCAA MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Beach Invitational
Friday, April 12, 2024
Jack Rose Track / Long Beach, Calif.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
400 – Winner TBD.  SPU – Evan Carpenter 53.31.
1500 – 1, Jacob Porter (Salt Lake) 4:08.57.  SPU – Jonathan Lieb 4:15.80.
3000 steeplechase – 1, Emmanuel Correl (Grand Canyon) 9:19.02.  SPU – 6, Brennan LeBlanc 9:38.30; 10, Silas Demmert 10:17.34.
10,000 – 1, Michael Moffat (Utah St.) 29:53.07.  SPU – 14, Isaac Venable 32:27.17; 18, Nathaniel Gale 32:55.68.
 
 
 SPU SOCIAL 

• Twitter - @SPUSports & @SPUXCTF
• Instagram - @SPUSports & @spuxctf
• Facebook - /SPUSports

Seattle's only NCAA Division II Scholarship Program | #GoFalcons