The Saint Martin’s track and field program recorded a strong showing this weekend at the John Knight Twilight in Monmouth, Oregon, April 10 and April 11. The Saints earned 14 top-10 individual placements and five top-10 all-time program marks.
Janess Blackburn, a Rainier High School graduate, continued her stellar outdoor season, winning the women’s discus with a throw of 43.71 meters. She also placed fifth in the women’s hammer throw with a best toss of 44.68 meters.
Gage Pedro, a Timberline product, had a terrific day, placing second in the men’s hammer throw with a career-best mark of 54.99 meters — a mark that ranks fifth all-time in the Saint Martin’s record book. Pedro also placed fourth in the men’s discus with a throw of 46.52 meters.
Kekaihulali Halpern recorded strong performances in distance events, placing second in the women’s 1,500 meters with a career-best time of 4:38.88, ranking fifth in Saint Martin’s history. She also placed fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:16.
Matthias White placed second overall in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, clocking in at 10:01.01. In the women’s steeplechase, Kekaimalino Halpern placed seventh with a time of 12:03.53, while Olivia Mitchell placed 10th with a time of 12:27.15. Halpern’s time is a career best that ranks third in the Saint Martin’s record book.
In the women’s 5,000 meters, Samantha Schweppe was the second overall collegiate finisher with a time of 19:44.7. Alyssa Duncan, a Tumwater graduate, placed fourth in the women’s triple jump with a leap of 10.77 meters.
LaMarcus Hinton finished fourth in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 13.91 meters, a new career-best score that ranks third all-time at Saint Martin’s. Zack Takeshita placed seventh in the men’s pole vault with a height of 3.90 meters, and Rainier graduate Zander Peck placed seventh in the men’s javelin with a throw of 55.21 meters.
In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Hugh Ruttledge earned 10th place with a time of 15.57 seconds. Tumwater grad Reid Crumley placed 14th in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.96 seconds, a time that ranks 10th all-time at Saint Martin’s.
The men’s 4x100 relay team, made up of Joseph Aguilar, LaMarcus Hinton, Hugh Ruttledge and Lorenzo Zimmermann, placed sixth out of nine teams.
Saint Martin’s next meet is scheduled for April 16 to April 18 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California. The Saints will also compete at the L&C Larry Byerly Invite in Portland, Oregon, on April 18.
