PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State senior Abby Regan shook off weeks of limited practice and won the women’s 800m in a meet record time Saturday at the 15th Annual Cougar Invitational track and field meet in Pullman. The WSU women won nine events and tallied nine lifetime-best marks while the Cougar men posted seven event wins and reached eight PRs.
Regan, from Coonamble, NSW, Australia, shook off the restraints of nagging injuries and ran a season-best time of 2 minutes, 8.22 seconds for the win, besting the previous record of 2:08.85 run by Courtney Zalud in 2011. WSU’s Leanne Asper was second in a lifetime-best time of 2:15.15.
“I’ve had a few rough weeks coming into the outdoor season,” Regan said. “So today I just wanted to do one race and run it fresh because it is my last chance to get one in before Pac-12s. It is interesting that when you are competing at your home track that you train on to get yourself egged-up for a race. (The pack) went out a little bit quicker than what we hoped but it was still good to get one in and it’s my last home meet as a senior. Always good to be on the home track.”
Amid one of several downpours during the day, Celena Ward (senior, Spokane) led a one-two-four Cougar charge in the javelin. Ward threw 150-0 (45.73m) and was followed by Kelsie Taylor’s 142-8 (43.49m), a season-best throw for second place, and Alissa Brooks-Johnson finished fourth with a toss of 126-2 (38.45m).
Brooks-Johnson (sophomore, Doty, Wash.) had a busy day as the heptathlete moved on to win the long jump with a PR of 18-feet, 5 3/4 inches (5.63m), and the captured the 100m hurdles win in a time of 14.23 seconds, with Andrea Smith second in 14.31, and ShaRaya Quinn third in 14.45.
The Cougar women swept the 400m hurdles with Erin Allen (senior, Kenmore, Wash.) taking the win in a time of 1:00.55 followed by Quinn in a time of 1:03.65.
Kristine Felix, 2013 Pac-12 pole vault champion (junior, Wailuku, Hawai’i), made her collegiate debut in the long jump, finishing second with a leap of 18-3 3/4 (5.58m). Felix then moved about 12-feet north on the infield to win the pole vault with a clearance at 13-1 3/4 (4.01m).
Kayla Warren (junior, Seattle) won the women’s triple jump with a leap of 40-0 3/4 (12.21m) with Charlotte Muschamp second with a mark of 39-6 1/2 (12.05m). Lateah Holmes (junior, Fife, Wash.) won the high jump after clearing the bar at 5-5 1/4 (1.66m).
Morgan Willson (redshirt sophomore, Colfax, Wash.) won the women’s 1500m with a time of 4:4:49.96.
For the WSU men in the field events, Matt Wardell (senior, Post Falls, Idaho) won the shot put with a PR toss of 54-3 1/4 (16.54m). Kyle Stevens (redshirt senior, Snoqualmie, Wash.) won the men’s javelin with a toss of 219-11 (67.04m) followed by brother Brad Stevens who threw 216-4 (65.95m) for second place.
Anden Lewis (sophomore, Kirkland, Wash.) won the men’s pole vault with a PR height of 15-7 1/4 (4.76m), and Thane Pierson (junior, Naches, Wash.) won the high jump with a clearance at 6-7 (2.01m).
On the track oval, Abu Kamara (redshirt freshman, Kent, Wash.) won the high hurdles with a time of 14.64 with Dino Dodig second in a PR time of 14.72.
The men’s 4x100m relay of Kyle Farmer, Terrance Chambers, Zach Smith and Jonnie Green won with a season-best time of 40.87. Later in the day, Chambers (junior, Federal Way, Wash.) captured the 200m dash title with a time of 21.46. The 2015 Pac-12 intermediate hurdles champion, CJ Allen, made his collegiate debut in the 200m dash with a second-place time of 21.96.
Daquon Brunson (junior, Anchorage, Alaska) won the men’s 400m dash in a time of 49.24.
Gonzaga’s Troy Fraley ran a Cougar Invitational meet record time in the 3000m steeplechase of 9:13.39, breaking Randy Reeder of Idaho State’s 2000 time of 9:14.49.
“I thought we had a great meet. We didn’t compete as many people as we were resting some after we competed on the road for quite a few weeks, and we’re getting ready for our dual meet against the Huskies next weekend,” WSU Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Wayne Phipps said. “For the people who did compete, I thought they competed really well highlighted by Abby Regan’s meet record in the 800. But also our sprinters and hurdlers performed very well. Alissa Brooks-Johnson had a huge personal best in the 100m hurdles and another multi-events athlete, Dino Dodig, had a huge PR in the 110m hurdles, battling Abu Kamara to the line as Kamara also had a PR. Kyle Stevens threw very well in the javelin and continues with a great season.”
WSU heads to Seattle for javelin competition Friday and then the rest of the meet Saturday to take on the Washington Huskies in an annual dual meet.
