Concordia Pair Finalists for Small College Athlete of Year Award
PORTLAND, Ore.—Concordia track & field alum Jessie Gallaher and current junior Annie Hess have been invited to attend the 2007 Oregon Sports Awards Show after being chosen as finalists for the Ad Rutschman Award, an honor given to the Small College Athlete of the Year.
The event, scheduled for January 27, will be held at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Campus in Beaverton. Awards will go to the high school, small college, amateur and professional athletes of the year, as determined by a statewide panel.
In its 56th year, the Oregon Sports Awards honors the best performers and performances for the state. Former University of Oregon great, and recent inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, Ahmad Rashad, will host the show for the second consecutive year The show starts at 7 p.m., and will be carried live on Comcast SportsNet and 1080 AM the Fan. The Fan also will provide preshow coverage starting at 5:30 p.m.
Joining the Concordia track standouts as finalists for the women’s Small College Athlete of the Year are Kelsi Haylett (Oregon Tech) Jenny Marshall (Linfield College) and Sarah Zerzan (Willamette University). By winning the discus throw at the 2007 NAIA championships held in Fresno, Calif., Hess became the fifth individual to capture a national championship for the Concordia since its inception during the 2005-06 season. At the national meet, Hess handled the 23-thrower field with a 169-1 launch on her fourth of six attempts. After fouling on her first attempt, all five of Hess’ remaining throws would have won the competition with the second-place finisher notching a 156-1 for runner-up honors.
Gallaher won two NAIA national championships in the pole vault while competing for the Cavaliers. The 2007 graduate set a personal best and new national indoor meet record of 13-9 1/2 and was over a foot higher than the next closest competitor at the 2007 indoor national championships. Gallaher finished the year among the top-25 pole vaulters in the United States according to Track & Field News.
The Oregon Sports Awards have been held in the Tiger Woods Center’s main theater every year since 2002, when they began as the successor to the Hayward Banquet of Champions. The Hayward event ran from 1948 to 1996.
Tickets to this year’s ESPYs-like show are $50. They include hors d’oeuvres and beverages before the show and desserts and coffee afterward. To order, call 503-721-7477, ext. 17. A sellout crowd of about 750 is expected.