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WWW.MOUNTIECROSSANDTRACK.COM |
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Eastern Oregon University Cross Country and Track & Field |
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News |
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Mounties Start Outdoor Season With Two School Records and Four Athletes Qualify For Nationals
Gresham OR, March 12—The Mounties got a great start to the outdoor season at the Mt. Hood CC Open as Dirk Bortz broke two school records and qualified for the national meet and both events. Leading off the day Bortz won the discus with a throw of 167’6” bettering his own record by eight feet. Then Bortz and Adam Cooper went 1-2 in the hammer throw with marks of 177’5” and 174’2” (third best throw in school history) respectively with both athletes hitting the automatic qualifying mark. On the track Ian Schroeder and Eric Griffiths both hit provisional qualifiers running outstanding negative split races. Schroeder ran the 1500m in 3:57.50 and Griffiths the 5000m in 14:58.17. For the women Sarah Biechler had a big day throwing 31’7” in the shot put, and all the women in the 5k raced well also. During the meet over 20 lifetime bests were set by mountaineer athletes. Next up for the Mounties is the Eastern Washington Multi Events on Thursday and Friday, and the Spokane Community College Dusty Lane Invite on Saturday. |
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Bortz Breaks Hammer Record, Mounties Get Good Performances on Cold Day
Spokane WA, March 19— On a cold windy day in Spokane a small squad of Mountaineers had some good performances. On the men’s side Dirk Bortz destroyed his own hammer record with a throw of 188’6”, he also had a throw at 188’2”. In the 5000m Daniel Sipko ran an excellent 5000m with all of his laps within 2.5 seconds, and ran a minute and a half PR with a time of 16:06.11. For the women Tara Moran picked up the win in the High Jump with a seasonal best of 5’0.5”. A few mountaineers will be in action next week at Stanford and Sacramento State. The full team will be back in action on April 1 and 2 at the Willamette Invite. |
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Griffith Has Strong Decathlon Debut, Colkitt Sets Record Hits Provisional Mark In Steeple
Eric Griffith had a strong debut in the decathlon with a score of 5710 at the EWU combined events meet on March 17-18. Eric performed well in all 10 events, and also still has a lot of potential in them all as well. On Friday night Stephanie Colkitt ran a steeplechase at Willamette and won the race in a NAIA provisional time of 11:27.11, and set the school record by over 20 seconds. |
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Griffiths Gets Automatic Mark, Schroeder and Hendricks Run Season Bests
Stanford CA, March 25— Eric Griffiths ran a lifetime best and earned a trip to NAIA Championships in the 5000m with a time of 14:44.98. Eric bettered his previous personal best by over 5 seconds. Earlier in the day Nate Hendricks and Ian Schroeder both ran seasonal bests in the 800m and 1500m respectively. Hendricks completed the two lap race in 1:57.03 getting his season off to a good start. Ian continues to roll after his outstanding indoor season finishing the 1500m race in 3:56.88, less than a second off of his personal best. |
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Throwers Continue To Impress As Bortz Sets Discus Record, And Cooper Throws Personal Best In Shot Put
Sacramento CA, March 26— Dirk Bortz and Adam Cooper continue to throw well in 2005. At the Hornet Invite in Sacramento Dirk won the discus with a throw of 170’10,75” (52.09m), breaking the school record he set two weeks earlier. Dirk Also finished 4th in the hammer throw with a mark of 181’2”. Adam set a personal best in the shot put with a mark of 47’8” finishing 10th. He also finished 12th in the discus with a throw of 135’0”, and 9th in the hammer throw 167’6”. Nate Hendricks doubled back from the Stanford Invite and ran another seasonal best in the 800 with a time of 1:56.17. The mounties will be back in action next weekend with a full squad in Salem at the Willamette Invite. |
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Griffiths Gets Automatic Mark, Stevens Has Big Meet, as The Mountaineers Have a Good Showing At the Willamette Invite
Salem OR, April 1-2— The Mounties got off to a good start to the Willamette Invite Friday night and kept the momentum going as they had the best team performance of the season. Daniel Sipko and Troy Blackburn the the meet off on the right foot in the 5000m as Daniel ran a lifetime best of 15:53.2, and Troy was just off his lifetime best in 16:07.5. Later in the evening Eric Griffiths and an automatic qualifier and lifetime best in the 10,000m and finishing 2nd to former Mountaineer Tim Riley in 30:37.73. On Saturday Jason Stevens had his best meet in an EOU uniform. As a late sub in the 4x100m relay he help the Mounties to their fastest time in 12 years. Then in the 400m he destroyed his heat running 50.63 and finishing 3rd in the meet. He also blew their heat of the 4x400m relay open as started in 2nd and handed off with a sizeable lead. For the women’s team Erin Gilkison had an impressive meet. In the discus after fouling on her first three throws she threw the third best throw in school history. She somehow also competed in the long jump and javelin as all three events were contested in a very short time frame. Next up for the mountaineers, the throwers will compete in a throws only meet at Clark Community College on Wednesday, and the complete team will be at the Northwest Nazarene University Invite on Saturday. |
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Bortz Breaks Two Records, Mounties Get Many Good Performances At NNU Invite
Nampa ID, April 9— On a windy April Day the Mountaineer track team, had a impressive mid-season meet. Dirk Bortz lead the way as he broke his own school records in the hammer throw and discus. His throws were 191’2” and 171’9” respectively. Jason Stevens had another good meet as he won the 100m in 11.35, and also finished high the 200m and Long Jump with marks of 23.19 and 20’7.25” Ian Schroeder finished an impressive 4th in a windy 800m in 1:57.95. For the women Tara Moran, Emily Booth and Chelsey Wheelhouse all had good days. Tara ran the 100m for the first time ever and ran a respectable 13.88, she has a lot potential with more experience. Emily Booth and Tara both did well in the High Jump and showed signs of good jumps to come in the future with a few minor adjustments. Emily also competed in the long jump for the first time in her collegiate career landing jump of 15’9.75”. Last but not least Chelsey Wheelhouse had a good day as well competing in three events and just missing the provisional mark in the hammer throw, in just her first meet of the season. Next up for the Mounties Eric Griffith and Erin Gilkison will be in Seattle on April 11 & 12 for the Cascade Conference Multi Event championships, and the complete team will be in Ellensburg for the Spike Arlt Invite on April 16. |
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Griffith Wins Conference Decathlon Title, Gilkison Finishes Fourth in Heptathlon
Kirkland WA, April 11-12— Battling cold and rainy conditions over two days Eric Griffith came out victorious as the Cascade Collegiate Conference Decathlon Champion. Eric lead after day one by winning 3 of the 5 events. He won the 100m, High Jump, and 400m events and held a 187 point lead. Eric started the second day off by winning the 110 hurdles, then withheld a run by OIT’s Hans Christenson, and the title came down the 1500m. Eric was able to hold his lead as he finished 4 seconds behind Christenson. If he would have lost by more than 12 seconds he would have lost his lead. He finished the competition with 5882 points, his best performance of the season. In the women’s heptathlon Erin Gilkison finished in fourth place with 3714 points in her first one this year. She had many strong performances during the two day event with a highlight of winning the javelin. The rest of the conference championships will be April 30 in Gresham. The Mountie men will start with 10 points and the women with 4 points after the performances the last two days. |
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Wheelhouse Qualifies For Nationals, Cooper Has Good Performances
Ellensburg, WA, April 16— The throws crew lead the way for the Mounties as nearly all of them threw personal bests. Chelsey Wheelhouse threw an automatic mark hammer throw, and just missed a lifetime best in just her second meet of the season. For the men Adam Cooper through well in all three throwing events. He just missed personal bests in the shot put and hammer throw, and threw a lifetime best in the discus nearly 10 feet. Several mountaineers in other events also performed well. Gary Truman jumped a seasonal best in the triple jump and getting over the 40 foot mark. On the track Talon Jayo overcame a rough start in 100m to nearly win his heat and claim the 5th spot on the all time list. Despite the strongest winds of the day Stephanie Colkitt and Daniel Sipko both ran lifetime bests in the 1500m. Next up, most of the team will be in Pullman for a meet at WSU, and the remaining few will be in Eugene for the Oregon Invite. |
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Blackburn Impresses In Steeple Debut, Woitovitch & Bates Set Personal Bests, Stevens Runs Season Best
Pullman WA, April 23— The day started off with great weather and many great performances. The Mounties continued to compete well even after a 1.5 hour delay due to thunder storms. Troy Blackburn got the meet off to a good start by finishing his first ever steeplechase in 9:58.65. Jason Steven broke the 50 second barrier in the 400m with a 49.58 seasonal best, just .2 second off his lifetime best. He then came back after the delay to run another season best in the 200m in 23.15. Daniel Sipko ran yet another personal best this season with a 30 PR in the 3000m, 9:12.61. For the women Nicole Woitovitch and Sarah Bates both overcame a slow first lap to run personal bests in the 800m, 2:28.52 and 2:30.85 respectively. Jessyca Barker also had a good season debut after an injury by running the 3000m in 11:14.89. |
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Mounties Compete Well At University of Oregon Invite
Eugene OR, April 23— Despite rain most of the day the small contingent of Mounties competed well in Eugene. Eric Griffith lead of the day with a seasonal best in 110m hurdles despite a slow start, and finished 3rd in the day section. Ian Schroeder got off to a good start in the 1500m, tightened up in the middle after getting bumped around some, and then recovered to finish in 4:00.42. In the 5000m moved up through out the race, from last to the middle of the pack, finishing in 14:55.23. In the Night Section of the Steeplechase Stephanie Colkitt survived an extremely fast start to finish only 2 seconds off of her school record. The Mounties will be in action next weekend at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships in Portland. |
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Mountie Men Finish Second, Women Third At Cascade Conference Championships
Gresham OR, April 30— Competing under partially cloudy, and warm to hot conditions at Mt Hood Community College in The Cascade Conference Championships (Hosted by Warner Pacific College) the EOU Track squads had very a very good day and in the end The Mounties have this weekend off, and a small group will be in Seattle the following week for the Ken Foreman Invite. |
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Wheelhouse and Cooper Throw Well At Ken Foreman Invite
Seattle WA, May 14— The Mounties sent a small squad to Seattle for tune ups and last minute qualifiers. Leading the way was Chelsey Wheelhouse and Adam Cooper. Chelsey threw a lifetime best in the hammer by four feet, and Adam threw just off his lifetime best and had a great series as four of his throws were over 170 feet. Other Mountaineers competing in the meet were Eric Griffith in both hurdles, Eric Griffiths in the 5000, Ian Schroeder in the 1500, Troy Blackburn in the Steeplechase, Jason Stevens in the 400, and Stephanie Colkitt in the 5000. While many of the athletes didn’t have their best day they all placed well in their races. Next up the Mountaineer will be in Louisville Kentucky over memorial day weekend for the NAIA National Championships. |
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Mounties Head To Kentucky For NAIA National Championships
Seven mountaineers qualified for the NAIA Track and Field championships over memorial day weekend. The three day meet begins Thursday morning and concludes Saturday afternoon. Competing for the Mounties are (all times eastern):
Eric Griffith Decathlon 15th seed Thursday 10:00 a.m. Friday 10:00 a.m. Chelsey Wheelhouse Hammer 8th seed Thursday 10:00 a.m. Dirk Bortz Hammer 1st seed Thursday 12:30 p.m. Discus 3rd seed Saturday 3:00 p.m. Adam Cooper Hammer 6th seed Thursday 12:30 p.m. Ian Schroeder 1500m 13th seed Prelims Thursday 2:30 p.m. Finals Saturday 3:10 p.m. Stephanie Colkitt Steeplechase 13th seed Prelims Thursday 7:30 p.m. Finals Saturday 2:00 p.m. Eric Griffiths 10,000m 3rd seed Friday 9:00 p.m. 5000m 5th seed Prelims Friday 7:35 p.m. Finals Saturday 5:40 p.m.
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Bortz Breaks Record, Finishes Second in Hammer Throw, Colkitt Qualifies For Steeple Final
Louisville KY, May 26— The Mounties had an impressive first day of the NAIA Track & Field Championships as Dirk Bortz destroyed his own school record with a throw of 194’0” finishing second place. This is Dirk’s second All-American award so far this year. The hammer sector was very fast and difficult to keep the throws under control. Adam Cooper and Chelsey Wheelhouse both struggled with this and Dirk had two throws out around 198 feet that he had a foot foul on. In the steeplechase prelims Stephanie Colkitt finished fifth in her heat and qualified for Saturday's final in a time of 11:31.51 just missing her own school record. Several other Mountaineers were also in action, Eric Griffith is currently in 14th place in the decathlon after the first day with 3086 points. Eric Griffiths had a disappointing day in the 10,000m finishing 12th in 31:52.31. Adam Cooper 17th in the Hammer with a throw of 155’6”, and Chelsey Wheelhouse finished 15th in the hammer with a throw of 145’5”. Mounties in action tomorrow will be Eric Griffith and Eric Griffiths. Griffith will complete the decathlon with the final 5 events, and Griffiths will be running the 5000m preliminaries. |
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Griffith Finishes 15th In Decathlon, Griffiths Fails To Qualify For 5k Final
Louisville KY, May 27— Only Two Mounties were in action on the second day of the NAIA Track & Field Championships, Eric Griffith in the Decathlon and Eric Griffiths in the 5000m prelims. After two grueling days and 10 events Eric Griffith 15th with 5687 points matching his seed, although he was 200 points below his season best. According to coach Welch Eric had “a mixed bag of solid and not so hot marks- but overall a solid first trip to the big show.” Eric Griffiths ended his Mountaineer career with another disappointing day as he failed to qualify for the 5000m final on Saturday, finishing 8th in his heat in 15:08.17. Three Mountaineers are in action tomorrow on the last day of the championships. Dirk Bortz in the Discus, Ian Schroeder in the 1500m final, and Stephanie Colkitt in the Steeplechase final. |
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Schroeder Just Misses Hat Trick On Final Day of NAIA Track & Field Championships
Louisville KY, May 28— Already having earned All-American honors this year for cross country and indoor track & field, Ian Schroeder over came an erratic pace, just missing the hat trick by finishing 7th place in the 1500m in a lifetime best time of 3:54.73. This was the final race of Ian’s outstanding Mountaineer career. In other action on the final day of the championships Stephanie Colkitt finished 12th in the Steeplechase final with a time of 11:32.76. Stephanie had a very solid meet, according to Welch, with two races just off her lifetime best. Dirk Bortz battled a sore elbow and wasn’t able to quite put it together as he failed to get a legal throw in the discus, ending his career as a Mountaineer. The Mountie men’s team finished with 10 points in the meet finishing in a tie for 22nd place. |
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Mounties Hand Out Team Awards, Officially End Successful Season
The Mountaineers officially ended the 2005 track season with a BBQ and awards presentation on June 8. Award winners are as follows:
Men Women
MVP Dirk Bortz Erin Gilkison
Field MVP Eric Griffith Chelsey Wheelhouse
Track MVP Jason Stevens Stephanie Colkitt
Most Inspirational Ian Schroeder Laura Clayton |