CCC Track & Field Championships - Day 1 Results
GRESHAM, Ore. – Under the lights at Earl Klapstein Stadium, the first day of action at the 2008 Cascade Collegiate Conference track and field championships were capped by a pair of record-breaking performances in the 10,000-meter run.
Northwest University’s Beth Knudtson successfully defended her 2007 crown by chopping more than a full minute off her own meet record. Crossing the finish line for the 25-lap event in 37 minutes, 38.49 seconds, Knudtson easily eclipsed her standard of 39:11.99 set last season and earned an NAIA qualifier by dipping below the 38:45.35 automatic standard.
Katie Clapp of Eastern Oregon finished in 39:47.88 for second place and Corban College’s Danielle Jordan placed third with a 40:11.42.
On the men’s side, the top four finishers cracked the 32-minute barrier while the first five placers fared better then the CCC championship record of 32:24.79 set in 2006 by Warner Pacific’s Kalen Abbott.
Jesse Chlebeck, competing for The College of Idaho, and Concordia’s Tim Badley dueled for the bulk of the race, with Badley taking charge near the midway point of the journey, but Chlebeck pulled away with less than 600 to go for a 20-meter spread.
Chlebeck clocked a 31:29.08 to Badley’s 31:30.88. Evergreen State’s Brian Rakestraw (3rd, 31:43.43), Warner Pacific’s Karim Shakalia (4th, 31:58.61) and Southern Oregon’s Ryan Ghelfi (5th, 32:02.58) all performed better than the previous championship mark.
A two-time conference champion in the high jump, Oregon Tech’s Michelle Klaja generated a 237-point lead after four events in the heptathlon. Klaja earned the top mark in the 100-meter hurdles with a 15.58 for 767 points and a 35-8 in the shot put for 587 points to contribute to a 2,514 first-day sum. College of Idaho’s Emily McCuthan ended the day in second place with 2,277 points.
Concordia’s Tim Dressler grabbed the lead through five events of the decathlon with 3,028 points. Dressler recorded the top mark in the long jump with a 20-9 leap for 657 points and scored the second-best total in the 100 and the 400.
In exhibition competition, Concordia’s Jeremy Worley cruised to a 25:31.26 victory in the 5,000-meter racewalk to improve upon an automatic qualifier of 26:24.6 set earlier in the year. Amanda Davis took the 3,000-meter version on the women’s side with a 17:49.65.
Action at the CCC track and field championships continue on Friday at 4 p.m. The meet, hosted by Concordia University at Mt. Hood Community College will conclude on Saturday.
Men's 10,000m
Women 10,000m
Exhibition Racewalk
Women's 3,000m
Men's 5,000m
Men's Decathlon - Day 1 results (through 5 events)
Event #5 - 400m
Event #4 - High Jump
Event #3 - Shot Put
Event #2 - Long Jump
Event #1 - 100m
Women's Heptathlon - Day 1 results (through 4 events)
Event #4 -200m
Event #3 - Shot Put
Event #2 - High Jump
Event #1 - 100m hurdles