BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's and women's track & field program hosted the 38^th Annual Ralph Vernacchia Track & Field Meet on Saturday at Civic Stadium in Bellingham.

 

The Vikings recorded 10 event victories and recorded four new entries into the program record book to highlight the competition on Saturday.

 

Freshman sprinter Karlington Anunagba made his collegiate debut in the 200m, finishing 2^nd out of 35 runners in 21.68. The time is 3^rd-fastest in WWU history tailing only 20.93 by Alex Donigian (2016) and 21.4 by Marc Hill (1994). The mark is 2^nd-fastest in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this season. 

 

Junior Ed Kiolbasa finished 2^nd in the 5,000m Invitational in 14:47.71, setting a personal best and recording the 10^th-best time in WWU history.

 

Junior Amanda Short set a personal best and moved into a tie for 8^th in WWU history as the top collegiate finisher in the women's javelin invitational. Short threw 47.62m/156-3 to place behind former Viking All-Americans Katie Reichert (48.36m/158-8) and Bethany Drake (47.97m/157-4). Short now has the top mark by a Viking javelin thrower this season to rank No. 6 in NCAA Division II. Five WWU javelin throwers have recorded an NCAA II provisional qualifying mark this season, all ranking in the top 25 nationally.

 

Sophomore Devon Olson placed 3^rd in the triple jump with a top mark of 11.10m/36-5 to enter the WWU all-time top-10 in the No. 10 spot.

 

Senior Daniel Jones set a pair of personal-bests in the 200m (22.22) and 400m (50.64).

 

The WWU Track & Field program honored nearly 20 of its seniors during the meet for their great contributions to the program. All senior student-athletes introduce themselves to the crowed with their name, hometown and event specialty. Head coach Pee Wee Halsell presented each senior with a flower and his trademark candy giveaway. Each senior will be presented with a WWU framed "W" at the annual Dub-Dub-Blue Award BBQ in June.

 

WWU Track & Field seniors were honored at Saturday's final home meet

 

The Ralph Vernacchia Meet is named in honor of the long-time mentor of the men's track & field and cross country programs at WWU. Vernacchia's career included one cross country and seven track & field district titles along with countless NAIA All-Americans and NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Vernacchia retired in 2011 from WWU, where he was a professor in the PE Department, and from USA Track & Field, where he was co-chair of the Sports Medicine & Sciences' Psychological Services subcommittee. He served as a psychologist for the 2000 USA Track & Field Olympic team in Sydney.

The 2019 season is quickly closing in on the postseason, with the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships beginning early next week (Monday, April 29) at the CWU Recreation Sports Complex on the Central Washington University campus in Ellensburg. WWU could have up to five entrants in the GNAC Multis, with Seren Dances, Ian Rinefort and Cooper Cummings in the decathlon and Aliyah Dawkins in the heptathlon. Rinefort (No. 15) and Dances (No. 21) both have NCAA II provisional marks in the decathlon this season to rank in the top 25 in the nation, with Rinefort moving up to 3^rd in WWU history with 6,682 points set at last week's Bryan Clay Invitational.

WWU has one more regular-season meet next Saturday, May 4 at the Ken Shannon Invitational hosted by the University of Washington. The 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held May 10-11 at McArthur Field on the Western Oregon University campus in Monmouth, Oregon.