ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Western Washington University sophomore Seren Dances holds the first day lead in the decathlon to highlight solid performances by four members of the WWU Track & Field team at the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Combined Event Championships at the CWU Recreation Sports Complex.

 

Dances (Port Townsend, WA) scored top-two finishes in three of the decathlon's first five events to take the day one lead with 3,528 points. Dances won the long jump (6.79m/22-3.5) and the high jump (1.94m/6-4.25), while also placing 2^nd in the 100m (11.20).

 

Freshman Ian Rinefort (Ashland, OR) is in 5^th place after the first five events of the decathlon with 3,421 points, recording three event finishes in the top three of the 14-competitor field. Rinefort set a personal best in the 100m finishing 3^rd in 11.34.

 

Freshman Cooper Cummings (Lake Stevens, WA/Arlington) is in 13^th place with 2,910 points, setting personal-best marks in four of the five events that took place on Monday.

 

Concordia senior Giovanni Brown leads a close chase group behind Dances in second place at 3,482 points. Central Washington senior Michael Forster sits 3^rd at 3,429 points, followed by Alaska Anchorage sophomore David Sramek at 3,424, Rinefort in 5^th and Central Washington sophomore Braydon Maier, the defending champion, at 3,409 points in 6^th place.

 

The decathlon wraps up Tuesday with the final five events (110m Hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin, 1,500 Meters) at 10 am.

 

In the heptathlon, WWU freshman Aliyah Dawkins (North Mankato, MN) is in 7^th place out of 14 competitors after totaling 2,574 points in the first four events. Dawkins recorded a personal best in all four of Monday's events, highlighted by a 2^nd-place finish in the high jump. The freshman cleared 1.63m/5-4.25 to earn 771 points. Her previous best in the high jump was 1.60m/5-4.25.

 

Dawkins is 7^th out of 14 competitors after the first four events, with the long jump, javelin and 800m concluding the two-day competition tomorrow with an 11 am start. Central Washington's HarLee Ortega leads the field with 3,118 points, winning both the high jump and shot put. Seattle Pacific's Scout Cai (2,945) and Concordia's Chelsea Bone (2,855) are in 2^nd and 3^rd place. Central Washington sophomore Sidney Trinidad is in 4^th place at 2,830 points while Seattle Pacific sophomore Renick Meyer, the depending heptathlon champion, is one point behind at 2,829 points.

Here is a look at the results from the four WWU athletes that competed Monday at the first day of the 2019 GNAC Multi Championships.

 

Personal Best

 

Personal Best

 

The WWU Track & Field team concludes the 2019 regular season this 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.