COLLEGE TRACK: Records fall at Hartman Invite

The record book got a thorough editing Saturday at the Duane Hartman Invitational at Spokane Falls Community College – or you might say they threw it out.

Meet records in all four men’s throwing events – and 12 in all – fell, two of them to University of Idaho redshirt Russ Winger and another in a sensational javelin competition at the annual track and field meet at Spokane Falls Community College.

Winger capped the day by adding more than four feet to his meet record in the shot put with a heave of 66 feet, 11 1/4 inches – which would be the top NCAA Division I throw of the spring if he wasn’t redshirting and competing unattached. Earlier, he’d boosted his meet standard in the discus to 194-3, winning that event by nearly 35 feet.

Things were considerably more competitive in the javelin.

Former Community Colleges of Spokane standout Shae Murray reached 237 feet for the second straight weekend to outlast a challenge from current Sasquatch sophomore Pat McCormick – who broke Murray’s school record with a 234-7 toss. Their coach, Ryan Weidman, was third at 228-6 as all nine finalists topped 203 feet.

Matt Wauters, another Idaho redshirt, got the other meet record in the throws, upping his hammer mark to 209-3.

On the track, the day’s outstanding effort belonged to Whitworth freshman Emmanuel Bofa, who ran away from the field in the 800 meters with a 53-second opening lap and clocked a lifetime best 1 minutes, 52.23 seconds – an NCAA Division III provisional qualifying mark.

That was just part of a strong day for the Pirates. Sophomore Kory Kemp got an automatic qualifier in the javelin with a 205-1 throw, Cody Stelzer won the high jump at 6-8 3/4 and the 4x400 relay team narrowly missed a qualifier with a 3:17.76 run against no close opposition.

For the hosts, Deji Adebayo lowered the meet record in the 100 meters by a bare .01 to 10.67, while Eastern Washington’s Curtis Suver slashed six seconds off the meet mark in the 1,500 with a 3:51.44 run.

Idaho athletes claimed two of the three new women’s marks, rewriting their own records – Melinda Owen in the pole vault (13-5 1/4) and Christie Gordon in the 100 hurdles (14.39).

Besides Winger, double winners included Idaho’s Alisha Murdoch in the 800 and 1,500, and Eastern’s Krystal Deyo in the 100 and long jump.

“Eastern Washington’s David Paul won two events and placed second in a third at the Asics/Steve Scott Invitational in Irvine, Calif.

The senior thrower inched closer to the school record in the discus with a lifetime best spin of 185 feet to beat former Washington State thrower Sam Lightbody. Paul also won the shot put at 53-5 3/4 and was second in the hammer at 210-0.

Teammate Carolee Gutierrez cracked the top eight in all four women’s throwing events, her best finish a second in the javelin at 146-3. Sarah Hegna finished second in the pole vault with a season-best 12-11 1/2.