Setting the Scene: The Lutes get to enjoy the comforts of home for the second straight week, serving as host of the PLU Invitational. It's the second of three home meets for Pacific Lutheran this spring, also hosting the PLU Spring Invitational on April 4-5.
Competition Field: In addition to the Lutes, nine total colleges will be competing at the PLU Open, representing NCAA Divisions II and III along with the NAIA and junior college ranks.
From Division II will be Saint Martin's University and Western Washington University. From Division III will be the Lutes along with in-state rivals University of Puget Sound and Whitman College. The Evergreen State College and Northwest University represent the NAIA while Green River College and Olympic College will be competing from the junior college ranks.
About the Lute Men's Track & Field Team: Ryan Stracke and Kai Sorensen both won distance events, pacing the Pacific Lutheran University men's track & field team on Saturday at the PLU Open.
Stracke was in midseason form in the 5,000-meters, winning the 12 ½-lap race in a comfortable 14 minutes, 43.13 seconds. The senior enjoyed an 11-second gap on the next closest competitor and his time is the fastest 5K effort ever recorded by a Lute on the home oval, overtaking Dave Hale's previous Lute best on the home track, a mark of 14:46.7 that has stood since March 27, 1985. The Puyallup, Washington native's time additionally stands as the fastest in Division III this outdoor season.
Kai Sorensen turned on the jets in the 800-meters, winning the event in 1:56.15— a time that currently ranks as the second best time during the outdoor season this spring.
Stefans Lusis was the top D3 finisher in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing fourth overall in 9:45.78. It's a time that ranks as the fourth best in D3 this season while teammate Daniel Zimmer was seventh overall in the event in 10:28.25.
PLU's 4x100-meter relay team was second overall in 43.22, achieving that time with a squad of Kaimana Satterfield, Kellen Meade, Steele Swinton, and Grady Lemma. The Lutes also registered a sixth place showing in the 4x400-meter relay to close out the meet, finishing in 3:37.81.
Darius Chaffin was fifth in the 110-meter hurdles (17.47) while Kellen Meade finished eighth in the 100-meter dash (11.07).
Micah Ragaza-Bourassa set the tone for the meet during Friday's hammer throw, finishing as the top D3 competitor with a toss of 156 feet, three inches. His effort put him fourth overall while the following day finished seventh in the shot put (42' 2 ¾").
Bridger Hanis was runner-up in the high jump, clearing 5' 9 ¾" and was the top D3 athlete while Seth Kramer soared to third place in the long jump with a leap of 21' 7 ½".
George Sonko was fourth in the discus with a toss of 141' 4" while placing fifth in the shot put (41' 10 ¾"). Teammates Wangyu Leeming was eighth in the discus (128' 7") while Griffin Montana was eighth in the shot put (41' 10 ¾").
Aidan Donnelly was the top Division III pole vaulter at the meet, clearing 13' 5 ¼" to snag fourth place while Blake Leahy was fifth (13' 5 ¼") in the same event. Chaffin was fifth in the javelin (172' 0") while Connor Meade was fourth in the triple jump (41' 7 ¾").
All-Star Attaways: The Lutes swept the first NWC Athlete of the Week awards of the season on March 3 with Grady Lemma earning NWC Track Athlete of the Week while Seth Kramer was the NWC Field Athlete of the Week.
About the Lute Women's Track & Field Team: Eva Wirth cemented her name among the nation's best last Friday and Saturday, pacing the Pacific Lutheran University women's track & field team at the PLU Open.
Wirth opened the meet with a bang during Friday's hammer throw competition, finishing as the top Division III competitor with a toss of 145 feet, 10 inches to place third overall. The senior's toss currently ranks as the fifth best throw in all of Division III this spring. On Saturday, the senior continued where she left off, uncorking a throw of 122' 10" in the discus to secure fourth overall. It's a mark that also sits fifth nationally in D3 through the opening two weeks of the outdoor season.
Kyleigh Archer soared 35' 4 ½" to place third in the triple jump, finishing behind a pair of Division II athletes. Archer currently holds the seventh best jump in D3 this season. Teammates Madison Downey (34' 4") and Jennie Brown (31' 5 ¼") finished fifth and sixth, respectively,
Sydney Sparks cleared 4' 9 ¾" for third place in the high jump with Allie Youngs and Downey tying for fourth after clearing the same height but having more missed attempts. Lilly Achterling was the fourth Lute inside the top eight, finishing seventh with a clearance of 4' 7 ¾".
Alessandra Valmonte was fourth in the hammer throw with a distance of 136' 9" while Taylor Kenaston was sixth in the javelin with a toss of 77' 8". Tajanai Huff placed seventh in the shot put, throwing almost a foot better than her debut performance last week, boasting a toss of 36' 8 ½".
In the pole vault, Ki Neir soared over 10' 0" to finish fifth while Downey was sixth (9' 0 ¼"). Sarah Brandt and Jennie Brown finished sixth and seventh respectively in the long jump with marks of 15' 6 ¾" and 14' 5".
On the track, Jessalyn Robles was sixth in the 800-meter run, finishing the two-lap race in a personal best time of 2:28.29. Fellow distance runner Victoria Lindley was sixth in the 5,000-meters in 20:37.92 while the 4x400-meter relay squad was fourth overall to close the meet, crossing the tape in 4:34.13.
PLU also received a fifth place finish from the 4x100-meter relay team (51.71) while Addison Herring was sixth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:14.35) and eighth in the 100-meter hurdles (16.05) while Adalia Olmos was seventh in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:15.75.
Lutes in the National Rankings: Two weeks into the outdoor season and 10 different Lutes rank in the Top 10 nationally in NCAA Division III.
Grady Lemma continues to own the fastest time in D3 in the 400-meter hurdles (55.76) and the third swiftest effort in the 110-meter hurdles (14.95) with Seth Kramer holding the crown for best long jump at 22' 4 1/4".
Ryan Stracke is third nationally in the 10,000-meters (31:07.56) and fourth nationally in the 5,000-meters (14:43.13) while distance runners Kai Sorensen (6th in 800 meters) and Stefans Lusis (ninth in 3,000-meter steeplechase) both rank in the top 10 nationally.
Eva Wirth sits fifth nationally in the discus throw (122' 11") and sixth in the hammer throw (145' 10"). Other ranked Lutes include Kyleigh Archer in the triple jump (eighth), Samayia White in the hammer throw (eighth), and Micah Ragaza-Bourassa in the hammer throw (10th).
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
This spring PLU became just the second Division III school in the nation and the first school in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every Lute student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Next Home Meet:
Apr. 4-5: PLU Spring Invitational
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu
Credits:
Lindsey Clark