Results

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Pacific Lutheran University men's track & field squad competed in its final tuneup before the 2024 Northwest Conference Championships on Saturday, coming away with seven personal records at Lewis & Clark College's Larry Byerly Invitational. 

"This weekend was a good final tune up for conference. We added a few more qualifiers and had some performances that are peaking at the right time," said Head Coach Trey Henderson.

George Sonko bettered his mark in the discus, placing 12th overall and second among Division III competitors with a throw of 132' 11". Sonko also finished 12th in the shot put (42' 5 1/4") while Griffin Montana was 16th (39' 10"). 

Connor Meade was fifth in the triple jump with a personal best leap of 42' 4 1/4" while teammate Cooper Claxton was ninth with a jump of 39' 11 1/2". In the long jump, Seth Kramer was seventh overall with a mark of 21' 1 1/4".

On the track, Stefans Lusis, Owen Ladinig, and Jonathan Ochoa all came away with personal best times in the 1,500-meters. Lusis lead the way after clocking a time of four minutes, 6.23 seconds with Ladinig boasting a time of 4:10.39 and Ochoa finishing in 4:37.06. Lusis additionally earned a PR in the 400-meter hurdles, flashing some speed and agility, finishing in 1:02.72. 

Kai Sorensen was 10th overall in the 800-meters, narrowly missing matching a season-best time after completing the two lap race in 1:56.77. 

Other PRs on the day included Calvin Cummings in the hammer throw and Aidan Donnelly in the pole vault.

"There are always ups and downs during a championship meet. The physical prep is done and the most important thing will be our mental approach. As a staff we are excited to watch this team compete and embrace the competition over two days!"

The Lutes are back in Oregon on Friday for day one of the 2024 NWC Championships hosted by George Fox University.