Concordia's Charles Cummings
Three Cavaliers Set School Records at Oregon Relays
EUGENE, Ore.—Competing at historic Hayward Field, three Concordia school records fell while the Cavaliers added six NAIA Outdoor Championship qualifiers at the Oregon Relays on Friday.
In some of the final events of the evening, Alice Taylor and Eric Burck established new school records in the 5,000 while Charles Cummings shattered his own mark in the steeplechase.
Taylor, already the school record holder in the 10,000, cur more than 40 seconds off the previous mark with a time of 16:48.31 which represented 12th place in the elite field. An NAIA automatic qualifier by more than a minute, Taylor’s mark is the second fastest time posted by an NAIA athlete this spring as she is now sandwiched between Azusa Pacific’s Lauren Jimison (16:47.33) and Renee Graham (16:49.86).
With a 14:37.46, Burck, the NAIA Indoor champion in the event, slashed more than three second of his previous career best of 14:40.59 set last year at the Willamette Invitational. The time was also good for his third NAIA ‘A’ mark and should move the senior in to No. 7 on the NAIA outdoor performance list.
Dropping the school mark in the steeple by more than 15 seconds, Cummings upped his provisional status in the event into an automatic version with a time of 9:20.89, defeating his old career highlight of 9:35.43 and moving into No. 13 on the NAIA charts.
Capturing the team’s fourth and final automatic performance was Samantha Robert. Already qualified in the 5,000, Robert set a personal record by nearly a full minute with a 37:30.39.
In the 1,500, Jessy Brown and Cordero Cisneros settled for provisional marks as Brown crossed in 3:55.77 and Cisneros finishing in 3:56.97 to dip below the ‘B’ standard of 3:57.60 with room to spare but fall shy of the auto barrier of 3:55.25.
Competing in her second steeplechase of the season, Lauren Moran almost matched her career best and school record by touring the track in 10:52.43, just off her 10:50.86 she established at the Stanford Invitational earlier in the year.
Sophia DeGraff joined Taylor in netting a personal record in the 5,000 with a time of 18:38.71, chopping more than a minute off her previous best effort while Martin Romero-Clark crossed in 1:54.65 in the men’s 800 to round out the Cavalier competition.
Oregon Relays
University of Oregon
Hayward Field
Eugene, Ore.
April 30, 2010
CU Women
5,000 (Section 1): 12. Alice Taylor, 16:48.31. 5,000 (Section B): 16. Sophia DeGraff, 18:38.71. 10,000: 7. Samantha Robert, 37:30.39. Steeple: 6. Lauren Moran, 10:52.43.
CU Men
800 (Section B): 4. Martin Romero-Clark, 1:54.65. 1,500 (Section 1): 8. Jessy Brown, 3:55.77. 1,500 (Section B): 4. Cordero Cisneros, 3:56.97. 5,000 (Section 1): 14. Eric Burck, 14:37.46. Steeple: 14. Charles Cummings, 9:20.89.