SPOKANE – Despite adverse weather conditions, two members of the Lewis-Clark State College women’s track team qualified for the NAIA National Outdoor Meet at the fifth annual Sam Adams Classic hosted by Whitworth University on Saturday afternoon.
Kelsey Klettke (left photo), a sophomore from Vancouver, Wash., qualified for nationals in the 1,500 meters with a program record and race-winning time of 4:45.80, while Lindsay Szybura, a senior from Orting, Wash., qualified in the steeplechase. Szybura finished the course in third-place overall with a time of 11:42.85.
The event, which included over 250 athletes from area schools including Washington State and the University of Idaho, featured gusty winds and snow flurries throughout the afternoon.
Besides Klettke and Szybura (right photo), a number of Warrior athletes fell just shy of national qualifying marks.Kyli Astle finished not too far behind Szybura in the steeplechase as she ran the course in 11:50.18. Her time was good enough for fourth, but was a little over two seconds past the national qualifying requirement. Both Astle and Szybura competed in the steeplechase at nationals last season.
In other women’s running events, Shaelie Edwards claimed second with a time of 19:28.28 in the 5,000, and Astle, Klettke, Chelsey Leighton, and Szybura earned second in the 4x400 with a time of 4:27.36. Klettke also ran the 800 in 2:21.09 and finished in second.
LCSC had a lot of success in the running events on the men’s side as well.
Dave Marks’ 15:33.92 was good enough for first in the 5,000, while Sean Huey took the title in the 10,000 with a time of 32:29.05. Huey’s time missed the qualifying mark by only about seven seconds.
Tanner Smedley put up a strong time in the steeplechase and earned second-place. In what was his first time competing in the event, he ran the course in 9:59.89.
In the men’s 4x400 relay, LCSC’s Alex Anderson, Fernando Esparanza, Michael Testa, and Smedley finished second in a time of 3:34.63.
Kirsten Smith headlined the Warriors’ efforts in throwing events. The sophomore reached 39-08.00 to take second in the shot put, 125-00 to earn fourth in the discus, and 154-09 for sixth in the hammer throw. Smith has already qualified for nationals in both the hammer and the discus, and is not far from qualifying in the shot put.
