Men's Track & Field Sets Three Program Record In Indoor Opener

Noah Nelson (1,00M) and the 4x400M Relay each posted event victories

PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College men's track & field posted two event wins and three program-record setting performances, in their season-opener on Saturday and Sunday at the Portland Indoor #1 Meet.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Pioneers racked up 10 top-10 marks in program history between the two days of competition. On Saturday, Lewis & Clark competed at Portland State University in throws and the Elite Mile at halftime of the University of Portland men's basketball game. Lewis & Clark returned to the Chiles Center on Sunday for the remaining track events.

Junior Noah Nelson made his return to the track on Sunday and posted an event win, while shattering the previous program record. He finished first out of 19 runners in the 1,000M Run with a time of 2:32.43. He finished 1.58 seconds ahead of the second-place runner from Portland State University (NCAA DI).

Nelson was also a part of the Pioneers winning 4x400M Relay Team. The quartet of juniors Jonathan Fritz and Jordan Lahusky, Nelson and sophomore Harrison Fung finished 13.52 seconds ahead of Pacific University to win the head-to-head race. Lewis & Clark completed the race in 3:36.19 to post the fourth-fastest time in program history.

Lahusky added a program-record setting mark in the 600M. He finished ninth out of 35 runners when he crossed the finish line in 1:27.98. Fung finished just behind Lahusky in 10^th place and recorded the second-fastest time all-time in the event (1:28.57). Sophomore Teagon Aasen completed the race in 1:35.38 (sixth-fastest all-time) to finish 27^th overall.

In the shortest event of the weekend, Fritz led a trio of Lewis & Clark runners in the 200M. He placed 14^th out of 36 with a time of 24.39. Sophomore Keegan Zaso completed the race in 25.89 to finish 31^st overall (16^th in program history). Sophomore Zaren Crockett made his track & field debut in the event. He finished 34^th overall with a final time of 26.30 (18^th in program history).

Sophomore Evan Markelz finished first out of 10 Pioneers in the Mile. Markelz, sophomore Quinn Higgins and senior Peter Ford all competed in the Elite Mile on Saturday night. Facing off against 13 University of Portland runners and one unattached runner, Markelz finished in sixth place. His time of 4:20.67 moved him into fourth place all-time. Higgins (4:22.09) and Ford (4:22.35) finished back-to-back in ninth and tenth places. Higgins and Ford moved up to sixth and seventh in program history in the event.

Sophomore Gavin Sellers led seven Lewis & Clark runners in Sunday's mile event. He placed eighth out of 36 runners with a time of 4:35.39. First year AJ Gibbs came across in 12^th place in 4:36.96. Sophomore Emil Miller made his Pioneers track & field debut and crossed the line in 13^th place (4:39.62). Junior Joseph Naylor (4:45.49) and sophomore Jordan Wu (4:46.73) placed back-to-back in 16^th and 17^th overall. Sophomore John Blockhus made his Lewis & Clark track & field debut and came across in 24^th place with a time of 4:51.87. Junior Rigo Castellanos ended the race in 30^th place with a time of 5:12.43.

Sophomore Liam Stanley was the lone Lewis & Clark thrower to compete on Saturday. He was the first-ever Lewis & Clark thrower to compete in the weight throw and posted a program-record setting mark of 9.31M (30-06.50 Feet) to finish in seventh place.

He added a seventh-place showing in the shot put. Stanley's best throw traveled 9.00M (29-06.50 Feet).

BY THE NUMBERS

Nelson's record-setting time in the 1,000M broke the previous program record by 16.88 seconds.
Nine of the ten Pioneers who competed in the mile posted personal-best times in the indoor mile. All nine runners recorded top-35 times in program history: Markelz (fourth), Higgins (sixth), Ford (seventh), Sellers (16^th), Gibbs (20^th), Miller (22^nd), Naylor (24^th), Wu (26^th), Blockhus (32^nd).
Nelson was making his first appearance in a Pioneers uniform since November 3, 2023 at the Lewis & Clark Cross Country Time Trials. He earned All-Conference in the 800M as a first year during the 2023 track & field season.