2023 Men's Track and Field Roster

Paul Merca

Jon Owen

  • Position Distance
  • Class Junior
  • Hometown Valrico, FL
  • Highschool Bloomingdale

Biography

SPU: Four-year letterwinner.

Junior (2023):  INDOOR – Placed 16th in the mile at the GNAC Championships in 4:27.53.  ... Ran the leadoff leg (1200 meters) on the 8th-place 4000 distance medley relay at GNAC. ... Ran three regular season meets. ... Posted a personal-best 9:08.75 in the 3000 meters at the season-opening Spokane Invitational on Dec. 10.  OUTDOOR – Placed 12th in the 1500 meters at GNAC in 4:02.58. ... Broke the 4-minute barrier in the 1500 for the first time, finishing in 3:59.01 on April 14 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. His previous best had been 4:00.87 at the 2022 GNAC meet. ... At that same Bryan Clay meet, posted a PB of 1:57.01 in the 800. ... The weekend after those two races at the Clay, broke 9 minutes in the 3000 for the first time, logging an 8:59.97 at the CWU Wildcat Open in Ellensburg. It was his first outdoor 3K. His indoor PB was that 9:08.75 in Spokane.

Redshirt sophomore (2022);  INDOOR – Placed 13th in the 800 at GNAC in a personal-best time of 1 minute, 57.10 seconds. Also was 11th in the mile in 4:28.80. ... Did all five meets in the schedule, primarily in the 800 and the mile. ... In a rare opportunity to run a 1000, took 4th place at the UW Indoor Preview in 2:40.80.  OUTDOOR – Finished 14th in the 1500 at the GNAC Championships in a personal-best time of 4:00.87. ... Ran 10 meets altogether, and posted four 2nd-place finishes: two in the 800 (Doris Heritage Track Festival and PLU Invitational) and two in the 1500 (Peyton-Shotwell Invitational and CWU Wildcat Invitational). ... Ran on the winning 4-by-400 relay at the Doris Heritage meet.

Redshirt freshman (2021):  INDOOR – Season canceled.  OUTDOOR – Set a personal-best of 4 minutes, 12.70 seconds in the 1500 meters at the Doris Heritage Track Festival on March 20. ... Ran a PR 1:58.62 in the 800 in the Buc Scoring Invitational on April 30 at Whitworth. ... Broke 2:00 in the 800 for the first time with a 1:59.91 on March 27 in the Ed Boitano Invitational at Puget Sound. ... Ran in seven meets.

Freshman (2020):  INDOOR – Ran in four meets. … Placed 16th in the 5000 at GNAC in 16:12.22, and 28th in the 3000 in 9:11.25. … Set at 3K personal best of 9:09.47 at Portland Indoor Two on Feb. 9. … Ran the mile once.  OUTDOOR – Placed 13th in the 1500 and 16th in the 800 meters at the season-opening Ed Boitano / Puget Sound Invitational. Clocked 4 minutes, 18.78 seconds in the 1500 and 2:09.64 in the 800. … Rest of the season canceled because of the coronavirus.

Bloomingdale High School: Reached the track regionals twice in the 3200 meters, topped by a 13th-place finish as a senior in 2019. … Led off a regional-qualifying 4-by-800 relay as a junior in 2018. ... On the cross country course, ran in three consecutive regional championship cross country meets with a  top place of 33rd as a junior in 2017.


INDOOR PERSONAL BESTS
800:
     1:57.10 (2/21/2022)
1000:   2:40.80 (1/15/2022
Mile:    4:25.80 (1/29/2022)
3000:   9:08.75 (12/10/2022)
5000: 16:12.22 (2/212/2020)


OUTDOOR PERSONAL BESTS
800:
   1:57.01 (4/14/2023)
1500: 3:59.01 (4/14/2023)
Mile:  4:27.53 (3/18/2023)
3000: 8:59.97 (4/22/2023)


CAREER RESULTS