Results

PORTLAND, Ore. — Ryan Stracke won his second conference title in as many days while Kai Sorensen won the 800-meters, powering the Pacific Lutheran University men's track & field squad to a fourth place finish at the 2025 Northwest Conference Championships on Sunday.

The Lutes closed out the two-day meet with 106.5 points in the team standings, finishing 4.5-points shy of third place Willamette University and was 37-points ahead of crosstown nemesis and fifth place University of Puget Sound. George Fox University secured the team title, racking up 215 points with Whitworth University finishing runner-up among the nine teams with 167 points.

Stracke still had plenty in the tank on Sunday after winning the 10,000-meters the previous day in a school record time. The senior made 12 ½ laps around the oval in 14 minutes, 36.36 seconds to win the 5,000-meters with Owen Ladinig 11th overall in 14:57.15. Stracke won the race by over five seconds, an effort that came after placing fourth in the 1,500-meters (3:55.35) earlier in the day.

All told, Stracke scored 25 points for the Lutes during the meet and was tabbed the NWC's Outstanding Track Athlete of the Year at the end of the championships. The Puyallup, Washington native is the first Lute to win a major award since Masum Real was the Outstanding Field Athlete back in 2022 and the first runner to do so since Brad Hodkinson won the honor in both 2017 and 2018. 

Kai Sorensen won the 800-meter title, finishing the race with a blazing final 400 split of 56.08 seconds to finish atop the field in one minute, 53.387 seconds. The junior sat third overall after one lap of racing before turning on the jets on the bell lap, becoming the second Lute over the last four years to win the event, following in the footsteps of Hezekiah Goodwin who won the title in 2022. 

Bridger Hanis secured a spot on the podium with a third place finish in the high jump. Hanis cleared the opening three heights on his first attempt before clearing 6 feet, ¾ inch on his second attempt to solidify third overall. Nathan Atkinson was sixth overall after clearing 5' 10 ¾" on his first attempt.

Grady Lemma was third in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing in 15.30 before logging a runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.69. 

Kellen Meade placed sixth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.32 with Steele Swinton seventh overall. 

PLU's 4x100-meter relay team of Lemma, Kellen Meade, Swinton, and Lebron Smith finished fifth overall in 42.78 while the Lutes' 4x400-meter relay team of Lemma, Sorensen, Seth Kramer, and Kellen Meade was seventh in 3:25.47. 

In the field, Connor Meade was fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 43 feet, 0 ¼ inches while George Sonko was fifth in the discus with a personal best throw of 150' 0". Micah Ragaza-Bourassa finished 10th in the shot put with a season best toss of 43' 10". 

"It was a strong finish to the weekend! Ryan finishing off his day with a win in the 5K was special and Kai getting the win in the 800 was great to see. He works really hard and deserved to get that win today," said Head Coach Trey Henderson.

"The team battled and represented themselves and the University incredibly well. As a staff we are really proud of them."

The Lutes are back in action on Saturday, returning to Oregon for the Portland Twilight meet.