SALEM, Ore.  – A win, two conference qualifiers, and a big personal record for Bushnell women's track & field highlighted the Willamette Invitational for the Beacons on Saturday.
 
Sophomore Maddi Desemone qualified for the Cascade Conference championships in the 100m, coming across the finish line in 12.89 seconds to clear the qualifying mark by just 1/100th of a second.
 
Senior Rebecca Kuskie (pictured) had the best track performance of her career in the 5000m race, breaking 19 minutes for the first time and taking second-place with a time of 18:17.44, earning her own CCC qualification in the process.
 
Junior Mayah Pappas capped things off with a victory in the long jump, clearing 4.97 meters (16'3.75") in her third jump.

Head Coach Tom Boldon said, "Once again the weather was not great so many of our marks weren't either. Maddii ran well in the 100 to qualify for conference and still has a lot more in there. Becca had her finest race yet in four years as a Beacon. She is getting strong and ran a smart and gutsy race to take 46 seconds off of her PR. 
 
Other highlights for the Beacons:

• The men's 4x400m relay team of Hunter Reininger, Ashton Williams, Jermaine Richards, and Jaron Carter took second-place.
• Richards added a third-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.80m (5'10.75").

 
Select qualifiers for the Beacons will be back in action next week in Hayward, California, competing at the Mike Fanelli Classic.  "Next week marks the halfway point in our season," added Boldon, "and we really feel like our team is just getting going. We look forward to some really solid performances in California against some really strong competition."