SPOKANE, Wash. — Whether it was the first race, the last or any in between, the Gonzaga track team made certain the results were the same: a Zag breaking the tape.
Paced by Willie Milam's near record-breaking performance in the 1,500 meters, the GU men won every event they entered during the Duane Hartman Invitational. The two-day meet, which started with Friday night's Twilight 5K, concluded Saturday at Spokane Falls Community College.
"We dominated all the distance races," said Pat Tyson, Gonzaga's program director and men's coach. "We won every event we entered — you can't ask for much more than that."
In addition to Milam's win in the 1,500 meters, the Zags also claimed victories Saturday in the 800 and the steeplechase. They started the meet by snagging the top seven spots in Friday night's 5K.
Were it not for windy conditions, Milam may have set a course record in the 1,500. The redshirt junior finished with a time of 3:48.91, just one-tenth of a second off the record. Instead, he settled for a personal best and the second-fastest time in Gonzaga history.
There was little doubt a Zag would win the 800 meters, too. It was just a matter of which one. Andy Phillips narrowly claimed the victory with a time of 1:52.02, less than a second shy of his school record. Brent Felnagle and Joe LaMontagne came in second and third, respectively, with times of 1:52.39 and 1:52.93. LaMontagne's effort was a season best.
"Seeing Zags go 1-2-3 was certainly a crowd-pleaser," Tyson said.
Troy Fraley completed Gonzaga's dominance with a win in the final race of the day. The freshman ran 9:41.34 to snag first in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Alec Temple finished second at 9:56.31.
The Gonzaga women, meanwhile, furnished seven top-10 efforts Saturday. Emily Anderson highlighted the action with a second-place performance in the 800 meters. The freshman finished with a time of 2:19.63.
Erin Bergmann and Kelly Williams placed fourth and eighth, respectively in the 800. Bergmann, who has battled injuries most of the season, ran 2:28.71, while Williams finished at 2:35.61.
"It was really a low-key meet, but it was fun and relaxing," GU women's coach Patty Ley said. "We had some good opportunities to get a little work in, and we did OK with them."
The Zags made up half of the top 10 in the 1,500 meters. Shelly Davis was the highest placer at third with a time of 4:49.85, although, the redshirt junior did see her three-week streak of setting PRs in the event come to an end.
Catherine Theobald, another Zag who has struggled with injuries the majority of the season, finished fifth in the 1,500 with a time of 5:02.76. Jennifer Wheeler (seventh), Alison Fraher (ninth) and Corrine Murray (10th) also cracked the top 10.
The Bulldogs now have some time off before returning to the track May 13 for the Whitworth Final Qualifying Meet. They will also compete in the West Coast Invitational that week. That meet takes place May 15 in Salem, Ore.
