ELLENSBURG, Wash. – For far too much of his college career, various injuries have kept Ben Sheirbon from getting onto the track or cross country course as often as he would like.
 
On Saturday, the Seattle Pacific distance runner was not only on the track …
 
… he was first across the finish line.
 
Sheirbon and Falcon teammates Isaac Venable and Nathaniel Gale all came charging down the homestretch together in their heat of the 1500 meters, and Sheribon stopped the watch ahead of the others at the Wildcat Invitational.
 
 

Sheirbon's time of 4 minutes, 13.53 seconds at the CWU Recreation Sports Complex was a season best by four-plus seconds.
 
The win in his heat was his first college victory of any kind in either cross, indoor, or outdoor track. He wound up 10th overall.
 
"That felt like my first real good break," Sheirbon said. "Once I'm over the initial shock, it was like, 'Man – it's about darn time!'"
 
Sheirbon ran just one cross country race last fall and just one indoor track meet this past winter while dealing with what he said was "a really bad stress reaction in my shins. It wasn't a full-on stress fracture, but it was pretty close. It was the same type of injury I had last season – two years in the same place." (Sheirbon also missed most of the 2022 cross country and 2023 indoor track seasons.)
 
He raced in the first five outdoor meets this spring, doing the 1500 three times and the 800 twice. In the 15, he started at 4:35.43 on March 16 at the PLU Open, dropped to 4:25.85 at the Mangrum Invitational in San Marcos, California, on March 22, and clocked 4:17.68 at the Doris Heritage Invitational in Renton on April 5.
 
Then came Saturday.
 
 

"It was big breakthrough for him, and it was great to see him get the win," Falcons assistant coach / distance coach Eric Hansen said. "He has been putting in the work. Sometimes, it takes time to show it in races. He ran a good race, put himself in there, mixed it up in the front with a group of his teammates, and he found a gear in the last 150 meters that not a lot of guys have."
 
Sheirbon was right with teammates Venable, Gale, and Jonathan Lieb at 700 and 1100 meters. Venable and Gale had moved slightly to the front with 200 meters to go. As the far curve straightened out into the final 75 meters of straightaway, Sheirbon surged ahead and stayed there for his final time of 4:13.53. Venable was right behind in 4:14.39, then it was Gale in 4:14.09.
 
"Last time we were in the 1500, Nathaniel beat me. So the only thing I was thinking coming around (the turn) is that I can't let that happen again. That ticked me off last time. So I'm like, 'You know what? Let's just see.' I just wanted to get as many as I could."
 
The midpoint of the race was key for Sheirbon.
 
"It was coming through two laps and not doubting myself and feeling comfortable," he said. "Usually, I come through one lap and I'm always in my head, too aware of how I feel. (Today), I was really locked in on racing instead of noticing how I feel and I think that made a big difference. I had two laps (left) and still felt good, and that's real confidence-inspiring."
 
With two more meets left before the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on May 10-11, Sheirbon is feeling much better about where he currently is.
 
"I've been struggling with confidence the whole season," he said. "To have this means a whole lot to me."
 
Added Hansen, "We know it's in there. It was nice to see him get a win and persevere through some of the stuff that he's had to deal with this year and kind of have that reminder that he does have that in him."
 
 

FIRST 'W' FOR EWING
Falcons sophomore Maya Ewing put her first college victory into the book, winning the women's 1500. Ewing made a big surge in the final 800 meters, passing teammate Matise Mulch and stretching it out all the way to the finish line.

Ewing recorded a season-best time of 4:48.49.
 
Prior to that, Ewing had a pair of second-place finishes on her record: the 5000 meters at the Ed Boitano Invitational on March 2 and the 3000 at last year's Wildcat Invitational.
 
 

IT JUST TAKES ONE
Last Friday at the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, California, freshman Paige Kessler came up one centimeter – half an inch – short of her personal best in the high jump. She went 5 feet 1¼ inches (1.56); her PB was 5-1¾ (1.57).
 
On Saturday, it was one centimeter – and half an inch – in the other direction. Kessler cleared 5-2¼ (1.58).
 
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
-- Hannah Chang came up with another personal-best performance in the 100-meter hurdles, clocking 14.30 seconds. Her previous best was 14.37 at the Point Loma Invitational in San Diego on March 23. Chang finished third behind Central Washington's Lauryn Chandler (13.99) and Ellie DeGroot (14.08).
-- Johanna Brown also came through with a PB, going 57.31 in the 400 dash. She nearly had the win, going stride for stride with Madison Vu of Saint Martin's. Vu got the edge at the finish line at 57.30.
-- Brown also ran the 100-meter dash for the first time ever, winning her heat in 13.04. That wound up fourth overall.
-- Emily Thomason was second and Lizzy Daugherty took third in the women's pole vault. Both cleared 12 feet, 1½ inches. Thomason got the higher spot on the fewer-misses tiebreaker.
-- David Njeri is still nursing a minor injury, so didn't do the long or triple jump on Saturday. But he did try the shot put for the first time, The best of his three attempts was 25 feet, 2¾ inches.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons head north to Bellingham next Saturday for the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational. Competition at Civic Stadium begins at 9:30 a.m. in the field and 11:30 a.m. on the track.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Wildcat Invitational
Saturday, April 20, 2024
CWU Recreation Sports Complex / Ellensburg, Wash.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
100 – 1, Anna Miller (WWU) 12.83.  SPU – 4, Johanna Brown 13.04; 11, Maliyah Hicks 13.76.
200 – 1, E'lexis Hollis (CWU) 24.16.  SPU – 14, Charisma Smith 26.48.
400 – 1, Madison Vu (Saint Martin's) 57.30.  SPU – 2, Johanna Brown 57.31; 4, Aniya Green 58.17; 10, Charisma Smith 1:01.77; 15, Anika Segall 1:06.40.
800 – 1, Mia Crocker (WWU) 2:18.06.  SPU – 6, Anika Segall 2:38.52.
1500 – 1, Maya Ewing (SPU) 4:48.49.  Other SPU – 3, Matise Mulch 4:54.32; 10, Katelyn Flolo 5:14.60.
100 hurdles – 1, Lauryn Chandler (CWU) 13.99#.  SPU – 3, Hannah Chang 14.30.
High jump – 1, Hannah Cooper (MSUB) 5-6 / 1.68m.  SPU – 3, Paige Kessler 5-2 ¼ / 1.58m.
Pole vault – 1, Lauryn McGough (CWU) 13-1 ¾ / 4.01m.  SPU – 2, Emily Thomason 12-1 ½ / 3.70m; 3, Lizzy Daugherty 12-1 ½ / 3.70m.
Long jump – 1, Hannah Polkinghorn (WWU) 17-7 ½ / 5.37m.  SPU – Maliyah Hicks, foul.
Javelin – 1, Kaylee Wright (WOU) 128-10 / 39.27m.  SPU – 11, Hannah Chang 88-4 / 26.92m.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Wildcat Invitational
Saturday, April 20, 2024
CWU Recreation Sports Complex / Ellensburg, Wash.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
200 – 1, Josh Green (CWU) 21.38.  SPU – 13, Evan Carpenter 23.44.
400 – 1, Kevin Angarita (UAA) 47.86.  SPU – 11, Evan Carpenter 52.27.
800 – 1, Johan Correa (CWU) 1:51.02.  SPU – 15, Jonathan Lieb 2:03.37; 17, Ethan Erickson 2:06.69; 19, Kade Franco 2:21.87.
1500 – 1, Samuel Lingwall (WWU) 3:59.28.  SPU – 10, Ben Sheirbon 4:13.53; 11, Isaac Venable 4:14.38; 12, Nathaniel Gale 4:15.09; 14, Jonathan Lieb 4:17.87; 15, Silas Demmert 4:18.31.
5000 – 1, Brody Kemble (NNU) 14:41.95.  SPU – 7, Gabe Endresen 16:27.35.
Pole vault – 1, Drew Klein (CWU) 15-7 ¼  / 4.76m.  SPU – 3 Kainoa Lee 14-1 ¾ / 4.31m; 4, Mason Hrcek 13-5 ¾ / 4.11m; Mikel Saxon no height.
Shot put – 1, Wes Kriete (CWU) 50-8 ¼ / 15.45m.  SPU – 22, David Njeri 25-2 ¾ / 7.69m.


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