Senior Danielle Jordan will represent the Warriors in her third NAIA national championship after qualifying for back-to-back cross country season-ending races in 2006 & 2007.
Corban's Jordan Qualifies for Nationals in 5,000 Meter Run
SALEM, Ore. – Senior Danielle Jordan (Medford, Ore.) qualified for the NAIA championships in the 5,000 meter run thanks to a runner-up finish in a time of 17:53.39, as Corban's men's and women's track teams competed at the Charles Bowles Spring Classic Friday at McCullough Stadium.
Having already met the "B" qualification standards (18:25.00 or less) for the NAIA National Championships thanks to a time of 18:10.89 at the season-opening Willamette Opener, Jordan went out Friday and became the program's first-ever automatic national championship qualifier thanks to meeting the "A" qualification standard (18:05.50 or less) in today's event.
Along with Jordan's performance in the 5,000 meter run, sophomore Tera Stegner (Damascus, Ore.) turned in a runner-up performance in the 800 meter run thanks to a time of 2:21.20 before earning a bronze medal in the 400 meter dash in a time of 1:02.01.
Junior Carli Moller (Vancouver, Wash.) finished two spots behind Stegner in the 800 meter run in a time of 2:22.90 before coming home seventh in the 1,500 meter run thanks to a time of 4:57.00.
Freshmen Erin Laughlin (Ephrata, Wash.), Karissa Griggs (Athena, Ore.), and Lauren Nolz (Salem, Ore.) all took part in the 200 meter dash finishing 17th, 18th, and 19th respectively. Laughlin led the trio with a time of 29.55, while Griggs (30.06) and Nolz (30.72) were right behind their teammate in the fourth and final heat. Laughlin won the final heat beating out Griggs for the "gold medal" by just over .10 seconds.
The aforementioned quartet made up Corban's 4x400 meter relay team, as the Warriors finished in fifth place in a time of 4:17.53. Corban was just over 11 seconds behind NCAA Division III member Linfield, while won the event in a time of 4:06.48.
Freshman Ali Ghavami (Keizer, Ore.) competed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, finishing 11th in a time of 12:55.64 to go along with senior Sara Aikin's (Lebanon, Ore.) 17th place showing in the 5,000 meter run thanks to a time of 19:58.37.
Nolz was the lone member of the Warriors' women's team to compete in a field event, as the graduate of nearby Sprague High School finished seventh thanks to a jump of 8.63 meters (28 feet, 3.75 inches).
On the men's side, junior Jason Bernard (Salem, Ore.) turned in the best performance of the afternoon by an individual for the Warrior men's program thanks to an eighth place finish in the 800 meter run in a time of 2:01.69.
Freshman Nathan Moller (Vancouver, Wash.) took part in two races on the afternoon beginning with the 200 meter dash and finished 23rd in a time of 25.92.
Along with Moller, fellow freshman Beau St. Peter (Salem, Ore.) ran as part of the 400 meter dash final and finished seventh in a time of 54.31. A graduate of nearby McNary High School, St. Peter won the third and final heat as he outpaced James Stevens of Allegiance Athletics by more than ten seconds.
A pair of freshman -- Ben Search (Battleground, Wash.) and Kevin Cook (Ashland, Ore.) -- took part in the 1,500 meter run finishing 32nd and 34th respectively in times of 4:29.79 and 4:38.64 respectively.
Junior Brian Beeson (Soldotna, Alaska) was the Warriors' lone competitor in the 5,000 meter run, as the third-year runner finished 31st in a time of 17:48.60.
Corban's 4x400 meter relay team brought home a bronze medal, as Bernard, St. Peter, Moller, and Search finished in a time of 3:45.33 which was just over 20 seconds behind NCAA Division III member Linfield who won the event in a time of 3:25.13.
Corban's track teams will take next weekend off before running again on Friday and Saturday, April 4th and 5th, at the Willamette Invitational at McCullough Stadium in Salem. Friday's events begin at 4:00 p.m., while Saturday's meet will start at 10:30 a.m.