Setting the Scene: The Lutes host their third and final meet of the season today, welcoming local squads back to the home oval for the PLU Spring Invitational.
About the Lute Men's Track & Field Team: PLU completed in two meets over spring break, finishing third at the Westmont Classic in southern California California back on March 22 while placing third at the Peyton Shotwell Invitational seven days later in Tacoma.
Kellen Meade and Stefans Luis headlined the Westmont meet for the Lutes, both winning events in Santa Barbara, California. Meade won the 200-meters in a season-best time of 22.34 seconds and was runner-up in both the 100-meters (11.08) and 4x100-meter relay (43.37).
Lusis won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:49.85 while getting third place finishers from Kai Sorensen (800-meters), Stracke (mile), and Daniel Zimmer (steeplechase).
In the field events, Micha Ragaza-Bourassa was second in the hammer throw with a mark of 159' 3" while Darius Chaffin was runner-up in the javelin (194' 6").
At last Saturday's Peyton-Shotwell Invitational, Grady Lemma won the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 56.98 while also getting a win from the 4x100-meter relay team.
Connor Meade was runner-up in the javelin (164' 3") while George Sonic was second in the shot put (44' 2") and third in the discus (138' 8").
All-Star Attaways: The Lutes have had five student-athletes win NWC Athlete of the Week honors this spring. Grady Lemma (Track) and Seth Kramer (Field) swept the first NWC awards of the season back on March 3 before getting another sweep the following week courtesy of Ryan Stracke (Track) and Micah Ragaza-Bourassa (Field). Bridger Hanis (Field) is the fifth Lute to be recognized, snagging the accolade on March 17.
About the Lute Women's Track & Field Team: PLU finished third as a team at the Westmont Classic to open Spring Break and closed the week with a runner-up finish at the University of Puget Sound's Peyton Shotwell Invitational.
Eva Wirth tallied a pair of wins in California, taking the top spot in the discus with a throw of 118' 4" and securing the hammer with a winning toss of 150' 7" while Alessandra Valmonte was second in the hammer (149' 6").
Kyleigh Archer won the triple jump (37' 0 1/2") with Madison Downey taking second billing. On the track, Addison Hering was second in the 100-meter hurdles (16.22) and third in the 400-meter hurdles (1:10.28).
Hering would win the 400-meter hurdles last Saturday at the Puget Sound meet, crossing the tape in 1:07.83 with teammate Lilly Achterling third overall. PLU was second in both relays while getting runner-up finishes in the field events from Kyleigh Archer in the triple jump (35' 10"), Madison Downey in the long jump (15' 10 1/4"), Ki Neir in the pole vault (10' 8"), and Abi Caprye in the high jump (4' 10 1/4").
Lutes in the National Rankings: PLU has three student-athletes ranked in the top 25 in NCAA Division III this outdoor season. Ryan Stracke holds the 17th best time in D3 in the 1,500-meters and the 20th best effort in the 5,000-meters. Grady Lemma ranks 23rd in the 110-meter hurdles while in the field events, Darius Chaffin holds the 21st best javelin throw this season.
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 Meet:
Apr. 14-15: NWC Multi-Events Championships in Newberg, Ore.
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