– Photo by Jordan Jacobo/Review staff writer/photographer

Dominic Baez

News editor

Miserable weather and a two-day long decathlon were not enough to slow the Wildcats at the Northwest Conference championships or the Shotwell Invitational last week.

At the NWC decathlon, hosted by George Fox University on April 7 and 8, three Linfield decathletes earned spots in the top 10.

Sophomores Josh and Jeremy Lovell and junior Gabe Haberly placed fourth, fifth and 10th, respectively. Whitworth University was the only other school to mimic Linfield’s feat, with three Pirates finishing in the second, seventh and eighth places.

Josh won three individual events during the first day, including the high jump, with 2.01 meters, and the 100-meter dash, winning with a time of 11.36 seconds. These stellar performances were able to secure him a first-day lead. However, his highest ranking April 8 was fourth place, in both the javelin and the pole vault.

His brother, Jeremy, was right on his heels with an all around solid performance in the first-day’s events. The second day proved to be a bit too much for the brothers, causing them to fall in the ranks by the end.

Haberly excelled during the second-day events. He placed first in the pole vault with a mark of 4.1 meters, crushing his previous season best by 25.7 centimeters.

“(It) was great, and all I (have) to say is it’s about time,” he said. “I’ve worked at the vault for a long time now, and I knew I had to do something in order to get myself up to the level I wanted to be at.”

Haberly used a pole six inches longer than in previous competitions, which he said made all the difference. He earned second place in the javelin event, throwing 49.22, which was .85 meters short of first place.

George Fox senior Ben Dillow claimed the title, with an impressive 6,716 points earned for both days.

“Although the meet didn’t turn out how all three of us wanted it to, it’s good to see us all in the top 10,” Haberly said.

On April 5, the University of Puget Sound hosted the Shotwell Invitational, where several ’Cats reminded their competitors what it truly means to be fast.

Seniors Scott Vanassche and Casey Stepan and junior Mat Strum stepped it up, earning first or second places in some of the events they participated in. Vanassche claimed first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.98 and third place in the 200 at 22.66. This was his first meet of the year after suffering an injury earlier in the season, but he is currently leading the NWC in the 100 and 200.

“I can still go faster,” he said. “It was my first time going full force (this season) and I’m still trying to get back into the sprinter mode. But this is where I should be right now.”

Strum followed suit, earning first place in the 400 with a time of 49.61, and fourth in the 200, 22.71.

“I feel like I’m in a good position at this point in the season,” Strum said. “I did feel that my times didn’t reflect the shape I’m in. I guess there’s always room for improvement, though.”

Stepan earned second in the 3,000 steeplechase, only 15 seconds behind Puget Sound’s senior Brittany Hodgson, who took first place.