The Olympic College Track & Field team continued its strong late-season surge at the Linfield Open on May 3 in McMinnville, Oregon. Facing off against more than 30 teams and some of the top collegiate programs in the Pacific Northwest, the Rangers held their own—finishing 8th in the men's standings and tied for 15th on the women's side—while racking up personal bests, podium finishes, and two relay victories.
In the field events, freshman Shay-Lah Squally continued to soar, clearing a personal-best 1.61 meters in the high jump to earn a second-place finish. The long jump crew also impressed, with Octavian Clark landing a 6th-place mark of 6.21 meters and Thaden Bauch placing 10th with 5.98 meters. On the women's side, Na'Riyah Jones grabbed 7th in the long jump (4.56m) and leapt to 5th place in the triple jump with a mark of 10.13 meters.
In the throws, freshman Nashayla Fellows added another major performance to her résumé, placing 2nd in the women's shot put with a personal-best toss of 12.21 meters.
The sprints delivered some of the day's most exciting moments. Sophomore N'dya Hudson clocked 26.25 seconds to take 2nd in the 200 meters, followed by Aalliya Alcorn in 9th (28.73). Hudson doubled back for another runner-up finish in the 400 meters, running 1:00.76 in a gritty performance.
On the men's side, Aiden Smith ran a blazing 50.69 in the 400 meters for a new PR and a strong 4th-place finish, while Johny Raymundo followed with a time of 56.19 for 17th. Kyle Bardwell ran the 800 meters in 2:11.16, good for 18th.
The Rangers were dominant in the relays once again. The men's 4x100 team of Zachary Cummings, Jaxson McCrimmon, Aiden Smith, and Octavian Clark crossed the line in 43.43 seconds, securing 1st place in style. Not to be outdone, the women's 4x100 relay of Jones, Hudson, Alcorn, and Squally also struck gold, winning their heat with a time of 50.82.
The men capped off their day with a hard-fought 2nd-place finish in the 4x400, as Smith, Nathan Morrison, Cummings, and Raymundo combined for a time of 3:32.06.
Up next, the Rangers host the NWAC Championships right here on Sunday, May 11. Come support our Rangers race, leap, and toss to victory!
