UI’s Dahlgren wins pole vault at Mt. SAC

Idaho track and field athlete K.C. Dahlgren won the women’s open pole vault Saturday with a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying height of 13 feet, 1 1/2 inches at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.

On the men’s side, Idaho’s Jacob Boling finished third in the hammer throw at 197-0, fifth-best in UI history.

Western Washington University senior Chad Portwood (Cheney High) posted a national provisional qualifying time of 31 minutes, 8.52 seconds in the men’s 10,000 meters.

Portwood’s time was eighth-best in school history.

•Whitworth’s Brandon Howell broke a 42-year-old team record while winning the 800-meter run at the Sam Adams Classic at Boppell Track in the Whitworth Pine Bowl.

Howell won the 800 in 1:51.34, breaking the record of 1:51.44 set by Loren McKnight in 1965.

Other highlights included Eastern Washington’s Steve Keith sweeping the 100 (11.10) and 200 (22.72). CC Spokane’s Kurt Williams (first, long jump, 21-2 3/4) and Dave Howard (first, shot put, 49-7 1/4) were also victorious.

On the women’s side, EWU’s Crystal Williams won the 100 in 12.87 and Whitworth’s Emily Hurd took the 1,500 in 4:56.20.

Baseball

Tommy Medica went 3 for 4 with two runs as Santa Clara topped Gonzaga 5-3 in a West Coast Conference game at Schott Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Jon Karcich and Gabe Alcantar each hit home runs for the Broncos (18-18, 5-3).

Shadle Park graduate Brandon Harmon took the loss for GU (22-17, 5-3) after allowing five runs on nine hits in seven innings.

•Whitworth (11-18, 8-9) scored three runs in the first and coasted to a 9-6 win over host Puget Sound in the first game of a Northwest Conference doubleheader at Logger Field in Tacoma.

Ryan Webb hit a solo homer and J.J. Jones added a two-run single for the Pirates.

In the second game, Whitworth stranded 10 runners and fell 5-3. Shaun Kiriu went 2 for 3 with two runs to lead the Loggers (13-16-1, 12-8).

Softball

Kelcey Cavan allowed no runs and two hits while striking out 10 in a complete game as North Idaho blanked Southern Idaho 5-0 in the first game of a Scenic West Athletic Conference doubleheader at Sawtooth Field in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Alysha Krier went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs for the Cardinals (33-18, 21-11).

In the second game, Jody Zillner pitched a complete-game one-hitter as Southern Idaho won 2-0.

Rochelle Noren finished 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI for the Golden Eagles (28-24, 19-13).

•Ninth-ranked Whitworth swept Lewis & Clark (4-26, 2-18) in a Northwest Conference doubleheader in Portland.

In the opener, Jessie LaPlante hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning and Whitworth won 11-8. LaPlante (13-0) also picked up the win for the Pirates.

In the second game, Amber Fowler hit two homers, leading Whitworth (23-3, 18-0) to a 12-0 rout in five innings.

Fowler hit a two-run shot in the second and a grand slam in the Pirates’ seven-run third.