Author Archives: thompsoc

Johnson Soars at UW Invitational

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SEATTLE – Two weeks after becoming the first NAIA high jumper of the year to clear seven feet, freshman Anthony Johnson (Seattle, Wash./Garfield HS) was at it again on Saturday, clearing 7-2.25 to take second in the men’s high jump at the UW Invitational at Dempsey Indoor on the campus of University of Washington.

In addition to improving his national best in the event, Johnson hit the qualifying standard for the 2014 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships which will be held later this month in Albuquerque, N.M.  His jump currently ties him for ninth-best among collegians this season at all levels and 14th by any American in 2014.

Johnson cleared 2.19m on this third attempt to improve his school record by two inches in the event as he defeated eight NCAA Division I high jumpers to finish second to only two-time Olympian Mike Mason, who won the even with a jump of 6-3.25.

He wasn’t the only Geoducks to post a strong performance as junior Wes Jones (Tacoma, Wash./Mt. Tahoma HS) placed second in his heat and sixth overall in the 800m run, posting a time of 1:57.52.  The event was won by Travis Vugteveen of Simon Fraser, who ran a 1:54.56 in the third heat to pull past Demetrius Rhodes of Concordia.

The Geoducks will race again on Tuesday night when they head south for the UP/PSU Tuesday Night Races at the University of Portland.

Results

Track and Field Concludes Two-Day Meet at Idaho

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MOSCOW, Idaho – The Evergreen Geoducks made the long trek to Moscow, Idaho on Friday and Saturday, coming away with some solid marks at the Idaho Collegiate and Idaho Open, hosted by the University of Idaho at the Kibbie Dome.

Friday – Results

Junior Wes Jones had the top performance of the afternoon, taking seventh in the 800m run with a time of 1:57.71, just off the provisional qualifier for the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Aaron Jones also had a strong race on Friday in the mile, shaving eight seconds off his seed time to take 12th with a time of 4:31.57.

In the field events, the trio of Steven Pressley, Alexzander Rankin and William Rhodes competed for the first time this season in the long jump, while Rankin also made his season-debut in the triple jump.  While none of them met provisional qualifying marks, they established strong marks moving forward.

Saturday – Results

On the second day of action, the Geoducks continued to improve.  Zephyr Forest took a half-second off his seed time in the 200m dash, finishing 16th with a time of 24.72.  Les Jones ran a slower 800m than he did on Friday but improved his place, taking fourth overall among 25 competitors. Aaron Jones also had a strong finish in the 3000m run, taking third with a time of 9:14.22.

Freshman Anthony Johnson, who leads the NAIA in the high jump, won the event by about six inches, clearing 2.08m (6-8.25).

The Geoducks will next compete on Friday at the UW Invite, with on a select few athletes expected to receive entry.

Geoducks Go Wire-to-Wire in 81-66 Win over Warriors

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – After Cody Peters (Oak Harbor, Wash./Coupeville HS/Western Oregon Univ.) gave Evergreen a 2-0 lead just over a minute into the game, the Geoducks never looked back, leading the rest of the way en route to an 81-66 win over the Corban Warriors in a Cascade Conference men’s basketball game on Saturday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Geoducks came out ready to play and it showed as Corban was held to just three points over the first five minutes.  The Warriors eventually found their touch and pulled with two points with just over five minutes to play in the first half before the Geoducks extended the lead again, taking a six-point advantage into halftime at 39-33.

In the second half, Evergreen pushed the lead into double-digits on a layup by Jordan Dam (Tacoma, Wash./Wilson HS/Centralia CC) with 15:13 to go that put the score at 52-42. Corban fought back to get back within six at 66-60 but a 14-0 Evergreen run put the Geoducks up by 20 with 55 seconds to play and they cruised the rest of the way, earning the 81-66 win.

Evergreen was led by 33 points from Dre Taylor (Seattle, Wash./Garfield HS/North Idaho College), who connected on 11-of-14 shots, including six-for-seven from behind the arc.  Dam added 21 points on the night while Marc Taylor (Boise, Idaho/Skyview HS/Edmonds CC) added 12 points in the win.  The Geoducks held a 35-30 advantage on the glass as they earned their second CCC win of the season.

Corban was led by 21 points from Jordan Carter.  Caleb Herzberg added 14 points in the loss to round out the Warriors in double-digit scoring.  The visitors connected on 27-of-59 attempts on the night or 45.8%, including eight-for-17 from behind the arc.

The Geoducks remain home next Saturday when they play host to in-state rival Northwest.  Tip with the Eagles is set for 7:30 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

Second Half Turnaround Leads Geoducks to Victory

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – After scoring just 17 points in the first half, the Evergreen Geoducks exploded for 48 points in the second half to earn a 65-48 win over the Corban Warriors in a Cascade Conference women’s basketball game on Saturday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

With the win, the Geoducks push their win streak to four CCC games in a row, which sets a new school record for success.

The first half belonged to Corban as the Warriors controlled the glass by a margin of 22-12 over the first 20 minutes while shooting 40.9% from the field.  The Geoducks didn’t help their cause, shooting just 26.9% in the first half as they entered halftime down 23-17.

Corban continued to hold the lead until the 12:24 mark when LaNiecia Weatherspoon (Seattle, Wash./Garfield HS/Yakima Valley CC) hit a jumper that put Evergreen up by one and the Geoducks never looked back. The lead hit double-digits with 8:45 left to play on the first of two made free throws by Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Monroe HS/Edmonds CC).

The Geoducks kept it up the rest of the way, earning their largest lead of the night with just 41 seconds to play as Weatherspoon scored another two to give the Geoducks their eventual 65-48 win.

Evergreen was led by 15 points off the bench from Weatherspoon.  Clark added 14 points in the win while Jessica Denmon (Oak Harbor, Wash./Oak Harbor HS/Skagit Valley CC) scored 12 points and brought down 10 rebounds for the double-double.  Junior Brittany Gray (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge HS/Skagit Valley CC) added 11 points in the win.  The Geoducks 48 points in the second half match Corban’s offensive output for the entire game.

Corban was led by 15 points from Jade Lowery.  Sadie Pilgeram added 12 points while Tara Vanweerdhuizen finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds to earn the double-double.  The Warriors shot an identical 9-for-22 for 40.9% in both halves.

Evergreen wraps up a three-game road stand next Saturday when they play host to in-state rival Northwest.  Tip with the Eagles is set for 5:30 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

Beacons Hold Off Geoducks, 78-73

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Evergreen Geoducks sank eight three pointers in the second half but they couldn’t complete the comeback, falling to the Northwest Christian Beacons, 78-73, in a Cascade Conference men’s basketball game on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Geoducks stayed with the Beacons early but went cold midway through the period, allowing Northwest Christian to build a double-digit lead.  The Beacon lead grew to as many as 13 before a jumper by Marc Taylor (Boise, Idaho/Skyview HS/Edmonds CC) with four seconds left to play to put the score at 31-20 at the halftime break.

Evergreen came out of the locker room strong and cut the lead to two points with 10:51 left to play on a free throw by Cody Peters (Oak Harbor, Wash./Coupeville HS/Western Oregon Univ.) that put the score at 47-45.  The Beacons pushed the lead back into double-digits with 1:58 left to play but the Geoduck continued to fight, pushing the differential back to three points with 38 seconds left to play but Evergreen couldn’t close the gap any further, falling 78-73.

The Geoducks were led by 30 points from Frankie Johnson (Renton, Wash./Hazen HS).  Marc Taylor added 17 points while Dre Taylor (Seattle, Wash./Garfield HS) added 16 points to go with six assists.

Northwest Christian was led by 23 points from Coleton Baker, who earned 11 of those points from the charity stripe.  Spencer Coleman added 15 points while Javonte Bird earned the double-double with 13 points and 13 assists. Forest Stolk rounded out the Geoducks in double-digit scoring, adding 10 points on the night.

Evergreen returns to action on Saturday night, hosting Corban.  Tip with the Warriors is set for 7:30 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score