Luckenbach leads the Big Sky

This weekend in Moscow, Idaho, both EWU men and women’s track and field teams had an outstanding performance.

Head Coaches Marcia Mecklenberg and Stan Kerr are both pleased with the results of the meet.

On the women’s side, senior Nicole Luckenbach missed the school record in the weight throw by only one inch. The record was set by Jaime Martin in 2002 with a throw of 60-9 1/2. Luckenbach now holds the second place spot in the school records at 60-8 1/2.

Erica Chaney also threw well this week, reaching a new personal record of 55-9 1/4. She now ranks fourth in school history. Emily Jacobsen also placed in the women’s weight throw, taking fifth with a throw of 52-10 1/4.

In the sprints, the women’s team stood out. Brianna Okoro set a new personal best in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.09 seconds, taking fourth in school history. Whitney Leavitt is now fifth in EWU’s record books with a time of 25.14 for the 200-meter dash.

Mecklenberg cited Sarah Frey as having an outstanding meet. Frey participated in the 60, 200 and 400-meter dash. “She did very well in the 60 and 4[00], which were her first two events,” Mecklenberg said. Frey took first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.66 and fourth in the 60 meter at 7.80.

On the men’s side, Chad Butorac and Brad Wall were both credited by Kerr for their outstanding performances. Butorac took first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.36 and Wall took third in the same race. In the 400-meter dash, however, Wall took first with a time of 48.75, and Butorac was close behind, taking second place.

In the men’s 60-meter hurdles, Steven Warner took sixth followed closely by Armon Blackwell with times of 8.44 and 8.45, respectively.

In the long-distance realm, Cody Barton stood out by qualifying in the 5,000 meter. “We thought he was ready for a breakthrough, so this came at a really good time,” Kerr said.
Three Eagles qualified for the Big Sky Conference Championships in Bozeman, Mont., Feb. 26 and 27. New qualifiers include Barton, Taymussa Miller in the high jump and Jacobsen in the weight throw.

This weekend, the Eagles will be headed to the University of Washington for the Husky Classic Friday and Saturday.