SPOKANE, Wash. — Returning to The Podium for Day One of the Washington State Open & Combined Events Meet on Friday, Gonzaga took first place in the Men's Distance Medley Relay and saw three runners put down all-time Top 10 times in the 800m.
Alexis Knight (27.97s) and Grace Dalton (28:43s) opened things up for GU in the Women's 200m, finishing 80th and 88th, respectively.
Three Bulldogs put down personal-best times that ranked among the All-Time Top 10 in the 800m, with Carp Mukai finishing in 1:55.69 for the eighth-fastest indoor men's time in history and Alyssa Bienfang (2:15.82) and Brittney Hansen (2:16.16) moving up to third and fourth on the women's list, respectively. Tommy O'Neil (2:00.42, 36th), also shaved nearly four seconds off his previous personal best.
Jasmine Nguyen followed up with a personal record of her own in the 5,000m, improving by nearly 30 seconds to cross the finish line in 17:54.22, good for seventh overall.
The GU men wrapped up day one with a first-place finish in the distance medley relay, with Will Thorsett (1200m, 3:05.92), Tommy O'Neil (400m, 52.074), Paul Talens (800m, 1:58.252) and Jacob Alfonso (1600m, 4:17.587) combining for a 10:13.83 time that was just a few seconds short of a program record.
GU returns to action for Day Two of the WSU Open & Combined Events Meet tomorrow, with runners set to compete in the men's and women's mile as well as the men's and women's 3,000m. Check GoZags.com and follow @ZagRunning on IG and Twitter for live results, meet coverage and more.
FULL RESULTS (DAY ONE)
*Denotes a personal best
Women's 200m
80. Alexis Knight - 27.97s
88. Grace Dalton - 28.43s
Men's 800m
14. Carp Mukai - 1:55.69*
36. Tommy O'Neil - 2:00.42*
39. James Powers - 2:01.43*
Women's 800m
7. Alyssa Bienfang - 2:15.82*
9. Brittney Hansen - 2:16.16*
29. Karina Smith - 2:24.46*
35. Taylor Biondi - 2:34.93
Women's 5,000m
7. Jasmine Nguyen - 17:54.22*
Men's Distance Medley Relay
1. Will Thorsett - 3:05.92
Tommy O'Neil - 52.07
Paul Talens - 1:58.25
Jacob Alfonso - 4:17.59
