GENEVA, Ohio – Eastern Oregon University track and field student-athlete, Robbie Haynie, grabs his second national title in two days, this time in the men’s pole vault, at the NAIA Indoor National Championships.
The first place finish is the third for the Mountaineers during the meet. Haynie was crowned the heptathlon champion Friday, and Karlee Coffey won the women’s 3,000-meter national title earlier Saturday. Coming into this year’s national championships, EOU had only two previous indoor national champions.
Haynie had a top vault of 16 feet, 8 inches, just beating out University of Sioux Falls’ Brian Schenavar for the title. Haynie scores 10 team points for the second time for the Mountaineer men.
Haynie was named the Male Performer of the Meet for his efforts. The EOU men finish the meet in 11th place in the team standings, while the women take 12th place.
Alma Garcilazo, Sarah Hanchett, and Ryan Booth all achieved All-American status Saturday at the NAIA Indoor National Championships.
Garcilazo cruised to a second place finish in the women’s 800 meters with an EOU record time of 2:11.48. The junior lowered her own school record by 2.5 seconds. Garcilazo, a native of Umatilla, Ore., entered the meet at the three seed. Hanchett, the 16th seed in the 800, finished sixth with a personal record performance. The sophomore’s time of 2:13.57 was only 0.34 of a second behind third place. Hanchett’s time shattered her previous PR by 5.52 seconds. The event was won by defending national champion, Helen Crofts of Simon Fraser University with a time of 2:04.94.
Booth crossed the men’s 800-meter finish line in fifth place. The junior ran a tactical race and finished with a time of 1:53.81. Booth finished in seventh last year at the national championships, narrowly missing All-American status.
Other Mountaineers competing on the final day of the championships included DJ Flores who came in ninth in the men’s 3,000 meters with a time of 8:38.70. Anne Barnett finished the women’s shot put in 15th place with a mark of 42 feet, four inches. Ashlee Michelson came in 20th place in the shot put with a toss of 41 feet, eight inches.
The final day of competition saw several EOU school records fall for the including:
- The Most Indoor All Americans in one year (6)
- The Most Indoor National Champions (3) in one year
- The highest men's indoor team finish (11th- the Women's finish was the second highest at 12th)
- First Indoor National Champion on the men's side (Robbie Haynie, twice- Heptathlon and Pole Vault)
- The first women's indoor champion (Karlee Coffey, 3K) on the track (2 women previously won in field events)
- The first women's track event with two All Americans in the same race
- Two new school records (Garcilazo in the 800 and Coffey in the 3,000), to go along with the two set earlier in the competition (Haynie in the Heptathlon and the Women's Distance Medley Relay)
- The first EOU NAIA Performance Athlete of the meet (Robbie Haynie)
Eastern will send a different group to Nampa, Idaho next Saturday for the Northwest Nazarene University Crusader Open to begin the outdoor season. The Mountaineers’ actually had their first automatic outdoor qualifier Saturday in Lewiston, Idaho. Justin Dean hit a national auto-qualifying time in the half-marathon at the Snake River Half Marathon.