Junior George Bourdier competes in the pole vault at the WashU Invite. (Rachel Benitez-Borrego | Staff Photographer)

The No. 1 women’s and No. 6 men’s WashU track and field teams competed at the Illinois College True Blue Invite in Jacksonville, Illinois, on April 5. The women’s team competed well this weekend, as did the men’s team, in the second outdoor track meet of the season. This was impressive because the meet was regrouped on the fly. This weekend, the Bears won in seven different events, with many new runners and personal bests. 

Head coach Jeff Stiles praised his team’s performance despite the nonideal conditions.

“We had our meet canceled,” he said. “Originally, we were supposed to compete in Carbondale in Illinois but it was canceled, so we had to wing it, and we were able to get into this meet. And the weather was less than ideal. We ended up not competing quite a few kids who were dealing with injuries, but the kids [who] competed did excellent.”

Women’s Track and Field:

The team started strong with its field events. Senior Yasmin Ruff won her eighth pole vault event in a row with a height of 3.95 meters, her third time in a row winning this event at the Illinois College True Blue Invite. Ruff remains the top female pole vaulter in the University Athletic Association (UAA). 

Ruff reflected on her goals for the rest of her season.

“It’s less about winning for me, and more about trying to compete against myself and increasing my personal best,” she said. “I’m trying to break our school record. So I feel like that’s more so my goal going into these meets.” 

WashU dominated the pole vault with junior Makenzie Stock finishing in third, junior Mackenzie Walker finishing in fourth, and sophomore Meredyth Barr and first-year Madison Elhaik tying for fifth. 

The Bears also placed well in the hammer throw, with senior Taylor Simpson placing second with a distance of 44.35 meters and junior Kally Mack finishing fourth with a 41.73-meter throw.

That same dominant performance was seen in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. First-year Maddy Lee finished in first place with a time of 11:31.17.

“Maddy Lee in the steeplechase had the fifth-best steeplechase in the UAA, when it was the first one that she’s ever done,” Stiles said.

First-year Sally Carrington finished right behind her in second place with a time of 11:45.05. Both women currently hold two of the fastest times in the UAA this season. 

In her first collegiate outdoor 800 meters, first-year Lauren Raley came in first place with a time of 2:16.72. 

Sophomore Isabel Erdmann also made the podium, finishing in second place with a time of 2:21.63.

The last event that the women’s team competed in was the 1500 meters. Sophomore Amelia Maltz finished in fourth place with a time of 5:00.74 and senior Isabel Boufarah finished in ninth place with a time of 5:20.34. This was Boufarah’s college-best for this event.

Men’s Track and Field:

The men’s team had a dominant performance in the field events, winning three.

Junior Eli Goldman won high jump with a height of 1.85 meters, which is his first win of the season. Senior Davin Hickman-Chow, who is a two-sport varsity athlete competing in his first-ever collegiate meet, finished eighth with a height of 1.65. 

The Bears continued their dominant performance by taking three of the top five spots in the pole vault. Junior George Bourdier won the event with a height of 5.10, a new personal record for him. Graduate student Tommaso Maiocco finished in second place with a height of 5.00 meters. First-year Zachary Duckworth took fourth place with a height of 4.60. 

“George Bourdier in the pole vault cleared the highest height in the United States,” Stiles said. “Our men are now ranked one, two, and three for the pole vault in the nation, which has never been accomplished, to my knowledge, in the history of WashU in any event for either gender.”

Bourdier explained that the pole vaulters work together as a team, with the women’s vaulters, and support each other towards victories.

“The vaulters provide a kind of core for the rest of the team, because we provide guys that go to the big meets pretty consistently,” he said. “To be there with a group of really uplifting, happy, easygoing guys who are just like my brothers, at every meet, the most stressful meets of your life, you just feel at home.”

The Bears also won the javelin event with a dominant 52.12 meter throw by senior Loucas Xenakis. 

WashU competed strongly in the 800 meters with a win and a fifth-place finish. Sophomore Will Elder came in first place with a time of 1:58.63. First-year Will Sylvester came in fifth place with a time of 2:00.39.

The winning continued in the 1,500 meters, with sophomore Calvin Crossland crossing the finish line first with a time of 4:05.99. First-year Josh Poeschel finished the race in ninth with a time of 4:17.06. It was Poeschel’s first time competing in the 1,500-meter race in his collegiate career.

First-years Dionte Obertein, Gavin Zeitz, and Alex Feingold-Black finished in 10th through 12th place, with times of 53.17, 53.26, and 53.32 in the 400 meters, which was collectively their first time competing in this event at the collegiate level.

The Bears will travel to Greenville, Illinois, next Saturday, April 12, to the Greenville University Select Meet. The 5,000 meter runners will travel to the University of Wisconsin–Platteville Invite on Friday, April 11, instead.