By JOE COLUCCIO, staff reporter
Hospitality was not on the menu for GNAC rivals, as conference foes came flooding into Tomlinson Stadium for the Spike Arlt Invitational.
Both Central’s men’s and women’s teams came away with first place finishes, crushing the competition.
Sophomore Tayler Fettig tied her own school record in the women’s high jump, while senior Bryan Mack broke a meet record in the men’s triple jump.
Fettig cleared the 1.75 meter mark while Mack marked his season-best jump with a leap of 15.06 meters.
Central men’s team came away with 295 points while beating second place Pacific Lutheran by an impressive 165 margin.
The women’s team, also placing first, racked up 266 points, twice the points scored by second place Pacific Lutheran University.
“The whole team is getting to the level now, performance wise, to be at our potential,” head coach Kevin Adkisson said. “We are at that point where the weather is more cooperative, and people are capable of making some pretty impressive marks.”
The Wildcats exerted their dominance against conference rivals, taking away 27 first place finishes out of the possible 39 events that took place over the weekend.
Adding to the excitement of the home meet were the records set by a few Wildcats.
Mack, along with his triple jump performance, was second in the 100-meter hurdles and third in the long jump.
“You look at what’s been done here over the years, there were some pretty good [records] out there,” Adkisson said. “It is really nice when you can have a Central name in the record books. It is always great seeing people meeting their potential.”
Although just a sophomore, Fettig has become a force in the GNAC this season.
Seeing her name being added to the record books just adds another memorable experience to an already unforgettable year.
“[Breaking the record] was a blessing,” Fettig said. “I was glad I could do it in front of people who came to watch me.”
Fettig, who came into this weekend’s event nursing a sore hamstring, has been on a tear in recent weeks.
Currently ranked fifth in the nation in the high jump, Fettig continues to look to better her performances despite all of her success.
“I watch films [of past jumps] over and over again to critique myself and study what I have been doing,” Fettig said. “It helps me see where I need to improve.”
Up next for the Wildcats is a trip up to Bellingham for the WWU Twilight Invitational, hosted by rival Western, and Adkisson is positive that his team can continue their string of success and build off of their strong showing.
“When you get to this point of the season you can literally go to a meet and every person on the team could set a personal record,” Adkisson said. “That is the best part about track and field. Everybody comes home and everyone had something positive to take away.”
