April 16, 2008

WALNUT, Calif. - Western Washington University is sending 13 track and field athletes to compete in the 50th annual Mt. SAC Relays Collegiate Invitational on Thursday and Friday at Hilmer Lodge Stadium.

Three other Viking athletes are competing in the Azusa Pacific University Invitational on Friday and the balance of Western's squad participates in the Central Washington University Spike Arlt Invitational on Saturday.

Competing Thursday at the Mt. SAC Relays are four Viking distance runners - Bennett Grimes (So., Pocatello, ID/Century) and Jordan Welling (Fr., Burlington/Burlington-Edison) in the men's 10,000 meters, Sarah Porter (Fr., Hockinson) in the women's 10,000 and Keever Henry (Sr., Kelso) in the men's 3,000 steeplechase.

Grimes, Porter and Welling are all looking to post NCAA Division II national provisional qualifying times. Welling and Grimes are ranked 1-2 among the Great Northwest Athletic Conference leaders in the 5,000 with respective times of 14:34.09 and 14:42.57.

Western participants Friday at the Mt. SAC Relays are Keefe Brockman (Fr., Richland/Hanford) in the men's high jump, Ryan Brown (Fr., Bellingham/Squalicum) in the men's pole vault, Sarah Brownell (Fr., Yelm) in the women's 400, Clara Cook (Jr., Wenatchee) in the women's high jump, Heidi Dimmitt (Jr., Wenatchee) in the women's 400 hurdles, Michelle Howe (Fr., Lakewood) in the 100 hurdles, Megan O'Connell (Fr., Sammamish/Skyline) in the women's 400 and Megan Zukowski (Fr., Maple Valley/Tahoma) in the women's 100.

Dimmitt leads the GNAC with a national provisional time of 1:02.78 in the 400 hurdles. Zukowski tops the league with a 12.53 100 as does Brownell in the 400 at 58.55.

Brownell, Dimmitt and Zukowski also are running 4x100 and 4x400 legs. O'Connell completes the 4x400 quartet and Joana Houplin (Fr., Olympia) is the fourth 4x100 runner, Western leading the GNAC with a 48.72 clocking.

The Viking trio competing in the Azusa Pacific meet are Monika Gruszecki (So., Lynnwood/Meadowdale) in the women's javelin, Keith Lemay (Sr., Lynden/Lynden Christian) in the men's 800 and 1500, and Kevin Myhre (Jr., Edmonds/Meadowdale) in the men's 400 hurdles.

Gruszecki, the defending national champion, already has a provisional mark of 1449 this spring. Lemay has the league's top time in the 800 of 1:53.39.