Gresham, OR - The 2023 NWAC Track & Field Championships were once again held at Mt. Hood Community College and the conditions featured some of the warmest weather for the entire month of May. The 2023 Trojan Track and Field program was smaller than in year's past, with head coach Lance Giles taking over the program earlier in January. Still, thirteen Trojans (4 men and nine women) qualified for the year end event, and the nearly all freshman squad showed out well, making the Trojan nation proud.
The women's team was led by the only two sophomores, Iayanah Brewer and Jamira Barnes. Barnes participated in the multi-events three weeks prior and scored 2,819 points (3rd all time at EvCC), placing 7th overall, and securing the first two points. Jamira also jumped 4' 8.75" in the high jump placing 5th, and also ran the third leg on both relay teams. The 4x100m relay team finished 7th, and the 4x400m relay team finished 5th which means altogether Jamira collected 7.5 points and was the team's high point finisher. Iayanah Brewer was not far behind with her best finish coming in the 100 hurdles where she placed 6th, running 15.72 (a new PR) and also PR'd in the 400 hurdles at 1:10.14 and finishing 7th in the finals. Iayanah also ran legs on both relay teams and finished with 6.5 points.
The other podium finishers for the Trojans on the women's side were Jayda Pittman (7th in the 400m), Emma Arceo (4th in the 800m & PR'd at 2:26.96), and Denna Gibb who shocked the field by throwing 123'4" in the javelin in her third ever collegiate meet, improving by 20 feet in less than a month's time, and with a strained oblique muscle. She ended up placing 4th with her third throw mark.
The 7th place 4x100m relay team (Gabriella Capetillo, Camille Clarke, Jamira Barnes, Iayanah Brewer) ran a season best 51.50 (8th all time at EvCC) and the 5th place 4x400m relay team (Iayanah Brewer, Emma Arceo, Jamira Barnes, Camille Clarke) ran another season best 4:16.56 (10th all time at EvCC).
For the men, Aiden Luhr ended up 11th in the 100m, Kaden Chidester finished 13th in the 400m, and Elisha Jackson finished 13th in the long jump but set a new PR at 19'11.75". The star of the day for the Trojan men was Khalil Gilbert. Back on April 14 Khalil ran a personal best and league leading 49.43 in the 400m, and led off the 4x400m relay with a scintillating 47.90, the fastest relay split in EvCC history. The very next day, he was stricken with tonsillitis which made it impossible for him to eat solid food or train at all for the next three weeks and upon returning to practice just five days before the NWAC Championships Khalil had lost 15 pounds. Despite the odds of being able to compete at all he proceeded to run a personal best :49.12 and win his semifinal race by 2 100ths of a second, literally falling across the finish line, to qualify first among all 400m runners.
Khalil then qualified in the 200m one hour later. The next day in the 400m final, Khalil was in 6th place with 100m to go, but in the final 100m passed five runners to finish 2nd with another personal best 48.95 which ranks 3rd all time At EvCC. Khalil also finished 7th in the 200, his 4x100m relay team finished 6th, and 4x400m relay team finished 5th meaning Khalil was the team's high point finisher with 14 points.
The 6th place 4x100m relay team (Aiden Luhr, Khalil Gilbert, Kaden Chidester, Elisha Jackson) ran a season best 43.62 (7th all time at EvCC) and the 5th place 4x400m relay team (Khalil Gilbert, Kaden Chidester, Aiden Luhr, Elisha Jackson) ran 3:28.84.