Results

Day 1 Recap

NEWBERG, Ore. — Grady Lemma won two conference titles on Saturday, powering the Pacific Lutheran University men's track & field squad to a third place showing at the 2024 Northwest Conference Championships at George Fox University's Stoffer Family Stadium. 
 
PLU scored 104 points at the two-day meet, finishing third overall and enjoying a 34-point edge on fourth-place Linfield University. Host George Fox won the league title, securing 221 points while Whitworth University was runner-up with a team tally of 192.
 
"As a staff we are really proud of our team. We started well and finished the meet the way we wanted too. Grady winning two titles was amazing. Regardless of the result, each athlete gave it their all and represented PLU the right way and that's all you can ask for. Control what you can control and I thought we did that," said Head Coach Trey Henderson. 
 
Lemma entered Saturday with the top qualifying times in both the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles and he didn't disappoint. The Walla Walla, Washington native secured the NWC crown in the 110-meter hurdles after zooming down the track in 14.97 seconds, enjoying a 0.23 second gap on second place Blake Smith from the host Bruins. Lemma seized his second league title later in the meet, winning the 400-meter hurdles with a season-best effort of 54.93 seconds.
 
Ryan Stracke was runner-up in the 1,500-meters by a split second, looping the track in a season-best 3:51.61 before finishing second in the 5,000-meters later in the meet with a season-best effort of 14:39.42. 
 
In the sprints, Keola Sanchez was runner-up in the 100-meter dash, zooming down the straightaway in a personal record time of 10.73. Sanchez's blazing time is the fourth fastest time in school history. Teammate Kellen Meade was seventh in 11.10. Meade additionally placed sixth in the 200-meters in 22.18. 
 
Kai Sorensen was seventh in the 800-meters, finishing in 1:57.88. 
 
PLU's 4x100-meter relay team was sixth in 42.47 while the Lutes' 4x400-meter relay squad also logged a sixth place finish (3:22.70). 
 
In the field events, Carson Olmstead was runner-up in the javelin, uncorking a personal record throw of 197' 6" that currently ranks 12th in NCAA Division III this season. Darius Chaffin was fifth with a toss of 179' 7" while Connor Meade was ninth (162' 3"). 
 
Micah Ragaza-Bourassa was sixth in the shot put with a personal record heave of 45' 1 ¾" while in the jumps, Cooper Claxton was ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 41' 6 ½".
 
"There were great performances across the board in each event group!"
 
The Lutes opened the NWC Championships on Friday afternoon, a day that was headlined by Owen Ladinig winning the league title in the 10,000-meters. 
 
The Lutes are back in action on Saturday, heading north to Bellingham, Washington for the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational.