Meet Schedule

TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's and women's track & field teams will be taking to the track at home on Saturday, hosting the annual PLU Open.
 
The Lutes started off the outdoor season strong last weekend at Linfield College's Erik Anderson Memorial Icebreaker with a handful of student-athletes obtaining conference qualifiers in their respective events. One such athlete was senior distance captain, Kyle Rapacz.
 
Rapacz competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, rounding the track in nine minutes, 34.44 seconds to take first place. Rapacz's performance currently ranks as the top time in NCAA Division III in the event. 
 
"I felt like I had a good performance last week at the Linfield Icebreaker," said Rapacz. "I took away a lot of positives from my race, and I also have some things I can improve on before I race steeplechase again later this season but overall it was a great way to start my outdoor season!"
 
Rapacz has high hopes for another great race this coming weekend. He will be taking part in the Tom Pfeifle Memorial 800-meter race, helping to honor one of his friends. 
 
"This race is a really special opportunity for the PLU track & field team to remember Tom's legacy at PLU during his far too short time here and to honor his memory. For the seniors who were Tom's teammates this will be a particularly special race because it will be the last time we race the 800 at our home meet as PLU athletes."
 
Rapacz also has a couple of pre-race rituals that prepares him for his race.
 
"I eat generally the same breakfast, I have a pre-meet playlist I listen to, I wear wrist tape, and I have run every race I have run as a PLU athlete in the same blue headband."
 
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Rapacz has a list of other things that he wants to accomplish,
 
"My goals for this year are two-fold. First, I really want to enjoy this season as much as possible. I know that after this season I will really miss being a part of a team, and training and competing with my teammates. This means that I need to make the most of my time remaining with my teammates over the next few months. Secondly, I want to qualify for the national championships in the steeplechase. I was on the cusp of qualifying last year in the steeplechase, and being so close last year and missing out has lit a fire in me to push myself towards that goal this year. I want to make this season count since it is my last chance to compete at a national championship, which would be an amazing opportunity."
 
Aside from running, Rapacz is an active member of the PLU community. He is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president and also an active member of the choral program.
 
"I have been a member of the University Chorale for the past four years. Being able to participate in choir and athletics was one of the factors that really excited me about becoming a Lute when I decided to attend PLU."
 
Another student-athlete who had an outstanding performance at Linfield last weekend was junior throws captain Vakeaemanu Hunkin. Hunkin competed in the shot put, hammer throw, and discus. She took home first place honors in both the shot put with a toss of 41 feet, 9 ¾ inches, and hammer throw with a hurl of 134 feet, 2 inches. Hunkin also put up a solid performance in the discus, finishing 8th with a throw of 105 feet, 11 inches. 
 
"I'm very happy with how I did last week. I finished shot put with a 12.78-meter throw which is farther than anything I've done this past year, and I opened with a 40 meter hammer throw. It was the best season opener for me, and I qualified for both shot and hammer. Discus didn't go as planned but I'm not too worried about it. This is just the beginning and I only plan on going up from here."
 
Hunkin looks to have another great outing this weekend at the PLU Open. She will once again be taking part in the shot put, hammer throw, and discus. Heading into the meet, Hunkin has a couple of goals that she is working towards,
 
"For shot put, my goal is to be more explosive out of the back and to not rush my finish. In hammer, I just want work on not tensing up and bailing on my throws. It would also be nice to get a PR in any of these events, but I know it'll come with completing these smaller goals first."
 
Hunkin also has some rituals that help her to prepare for her competition.
 
"My pre-meet ritual consists of braiding my hair the night before, and a lot of visualization on the day of the meet. I also tend to blast my music to zone out any outside noise and to help me focus on how I want to perform."
 
She would like to give some credit to the throwing coach Trey Henderson for her great start to the season. 
 
"Trey has been super flexible with practice hours. I wasn't able to be with the team in our off-season training because of class conflicts, but I was still able to do the work and practice because Trey always made time for us." 
 
She is also very thankful that she is entering the season injury free and is set to compete well this season. In addition to classwork and throwing, Hunkin additionally balances working a job and doing volunteer work at her high school. 
 
"I don't do much outside of track & field. I live a simple life. If I'm not in class, I'm at practice and if I'm not at practice, I'm either at work or at home. I work on base stocking shelves at the commissary. Also, when I have the time to, I volunteer at my high school and help out as an assistant throws coach. I also babysit on occasion."
 
The PLU Open will commence on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. with field events while running events get underway at 10 a.m.