(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Track and Field athletes competed in two meets this past week in preparation for the NAIA Outdoor National Championships. The national meet will be held in Gulf Shores, Alabama beginning Thursday, May 24. Several Warriors produced qualification marks to gain entry into the championship event.
Competing in the Azusa Pacific Twilight Meet on Friday, Michael Oldach won the men’s 1500 meters with a time of 3:50.27 to earn an automatic qualification into the national championship. The time was the 10th best in Westmont history and the fastest by a Westmont athlete in nearly 16 years.
The next day at the Occidental Invitational, Oldach shaved nearly 15 seconds off his best time this season in the 5,000 meters, posting a time of 14:32.49. His 5,000 meter time netted him an additional automatic qualification.
Kristen Germann won the women’s javelin with a throw of 40.35 meters (132-4). The career-best performance for Germann earned her a national championship provisional qualification mark.
Madison Herrera posted a season-best 4,358 points in the women’s heptathlon at Azusa Pacific and is currently listed as 14-best in the NAIA this season. The top 16 athletes qualify to compete in the national championship. The deadline for submission of scores is 10:00 a.m. PDT tomorrow.
Four athletes who had already produced qualifying marks met standards again during the two meets. Emily Parks, posted a time of 62.37 in the 400 meter hurdles at Azusa Pacific, then finished in 61.84 the following day at Occidental. Seth Wilmoth cleared 4.60 meters (15-1) in the men’s pole vault. Dana Bowers and Chena Underhill both posted marks of 3.71 meters (13-2) in the women’s pole vault, which tied them for the fifth best vaults in Westmont history.