TACOMA, Wash. – The Linfield men's and women's squads each finished fifth overall in the Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships which wrapped up Saturday at the Pacific Lutheran University track complex. 
 
Linfield's men tallied 73 points, climbing four rungs in the standings after a ninth-place showing last spring. The Wildcat women finished with 72.5 points to claim fifth.
 
George Fox won both team titles with the Bruin men scoring 212 points and the women 230. Whitworth was runner-up in both competitions with their men scoring 159 points and the women 137.
 
Women
The Wildcats were led by seniors Olivia McDaniel and Courtney Beard.  McDaniel won her third consecutive NWC pole vault title and Beard was a double-event winner, taking the 1,500m and 5,000m. McDaniel cleared 12-4 (3.76m) on her first attempt to easily overshadow the rest of the field. The 2019 NCAA Division III indoor champion currently holds the best mark in the Division III outdoor season with a clearance of 13-1½ (4.0m). 
 
Beard, also a senior, ran 4:45.39 in the 1,500m and then returned later in the day to run 18:10.04 to take the 5,000m title.  Beard was a 2018 NCAA cross country All-American last fall.
 
Mehana Sabado-Halpern picked up another third-place finish in the triple jump a her leap of (11.13m). Sabado-Halpern also teamed up with Ani Keliiheleua, Madeline Shirley and McDaniel to finish eighth in the 4x100m relay, then finished sixth in the 4x400m relay with the McDaniel, Shirley and Baylie Cameron in 4:09.88.
 
Meg Angier garnered a personal best in the women's pole vault, clearing 11-10 (3.61m) to claim second place. Freshman Emma Barker cleared 9-11¾ (3.04m) to finish fifth.
 
Keliiheleua ran 15.96 to take seventh in the 100m hurdles to round out the scoring for the 'Cats.
 
Men
Keaton Wood was the workhorse for the Linfield men, competing in five events over the two-day competition. Wood ran 15.24 to take second in the 110m hurdles and then ran 11.16 to secure sixth place in the 100m dash.  He teamed up with Dallin Buck, Tyler Sitton and Ronan Krutzikowsky to finish second in the 4x100m relay in 42.79. He later teamed with Krutzikowsky, Buck and Brian Douglas for a 3:26.43 clocking in the 4x400 relay, good for fourth place.  Wood completed his day by throwing the javelin 157-4 (47.96m), taking eighth.
 
Cody Mitchell threw 131-0 (39.94m) on his second attempt to capture seventh in the discus. Matt Metcalf hurled the javelin 177-9 (54.18m) for fourth place.
 
Max Lommen cleared 6-2¼ (1.89m) on his second attempt to finish third in the high jump and then leaped 42-8¼ (13.01m) to finish fourth in the triple jump.
 
Krutzikowsky ran a personal best of 56.53 to finish fourth in the 400m hurdles.
 
Next
The Wildcats travel to Lewis & Clark on Friday to compete in the Portland Twilight Meet, then return for their final home meet of the season Saturday.  Start time for the Twilight meet is 2 p.m.