Racing to the top: CWU competes in the Ken Shannon Last Chance Meet

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Johan Correa. Courtesy of Jacob Thompson, Thompson Sports Media.

Tre'Jon Henderson, Staff Reporter

The CWU track & field team traveled to The Dempsey Indoor Facility in Seattle to compete in a meet full of Division I programs, as the regular indoor season ended at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Meet on Feb. 21.

The Wildcats left the meet with championships in the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and the men’s 4×400 relay.  

Head Coach Kevin Adkisson spoke on his team’s performance after the meet concluded.

“There were few good things, but nothing big like we were hoping [for] in terms of improving national marks,” Adkisson said. “It is always hard coming off a conference meet where you put out such big efforts and go three days late.’’

There were Wildcats who had stand out performances, including runners like E’lexis Hollis who ran a time of 7.57 seconds in the 60-meter dash preliminaries, finishing as the top non-Division I competitor in 16th place. 

“I feel like the team worked hard and put in the work for us all to perform at a high level,” Hollis said. “All the hard work really showed at this meet, with many people getting season’s best and personal records.’’

Lauryn Chandler also ran a good race, finishing the 60-meter hurdles preliminaries with a time of 9.57 seconds, for 20th place. 

“Our coach made sure we stayed positive no matter the circumstances,” Chandler said. “Having positive energy can always bring anyone up if they are feeling down.’’ 

In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, Chandler, a senior from Bremerton, Washington, is the 14th qualifier. With a season-best time of 8.57 seconds, Chandler won the GNAC Indoor Championships and took home the trophy. Her time was second in her school’s record book and fourth overall in the GNAC.

In the 400-meter race, Johan Correa finished as the top non-Division I competitor at 49.29 seconds and 31st place. 

“I was happy to see my team perform well at a high level,” Correa said. “It was clear that everyone was hungry and ready to compete.’’

The Wildcats will now turn their focus to the outdoor season, starting with the Ed Boitano Invitational, hosted by the University of Puget Sound March 3-4 in Tacoma.