C of I Set to Host CCC Championships, Presented by U.S. Bank
NINE TEAMS HEAD TO BROTHERS PARK: Saturday morning, 9-of-10 Cascade Conference teams will converge on Brothers Park in Caldwell for the 2013 CCC Championships, presented by U.S. Bank – deciding the men’s and women’s automatic berths to the NAIA National Championships. The teams will compete on a flat 2,000-meter grass loop course with rolling berms – the same course used this season for the Coyote Twilight (CCC Preview Meet).
MEET INFO: Admission to the event is free, with parking available at Caldwell High School or in the Brothers Park South Lot. An awards ceremony will take place immediately following the men’s race. The women's 5,000-meters will begin at 10:30 a.m., with the men's 8,000-meters set for 11:15 a.m.
LOOKING AT THE MEN’S FIELD: A pair of nationally-ranked teams look to battle for the men’s title, as five-time defending champion, Southern Oregon, along with a Top-10 ranked Eastern Oregon squad look to be the top squads. SOU, ranked No. 2 throughout the 2013 season in the NAIA poll, is paced by Eric Avila, who ran a 24:15 time to win the OSU Beaver Classic. Eastern is led by Isaac Updike, who holds the fastest 8,000-meter time in the CCC this season (24:10). The big battle could be for the No. 3 position – as C of I, Northwest Christian, and Oregon Tech will compete for possibly one remaining at-large berth to the NAIA Championships. The Yotes will be led by a tight pack led by senior Sean Saxton, with OIT paced by Paul Adams, and NCU led by Nick Lopez.
LOOKING AT THE WOMEN’S FIELD: The C of I is the odds-on favorite to claim their fifth CCC crown in the last six year – bringing a No. 2 national ranking to the meet. The Lady Yotes, who dominated the CCC Preview Meet, have three runners who placed in the Top-10 of last season’s NAIA Championships – including defending champion, Hillary Holt, along with fellow seniors Sarah Johnson and Sora Klopfenstein. Northwest Christian should be the Yotes biggest challenge, as the Beacons have been ranked in the NAIA Top-10 all season and feature an extremely tight pack, including Allison Duvenez and Sierra Brown. Southern Oregon and Corban will also be in the mix for an NAIA berth – as Summer Cano leads a quality Raiders squad, while Alexis Mitzel clocked a time of 18:09 for the Warriors in October.
LAST TIME YOTES HOSTED: The Yotes hosted the championships in 2007 – holding the event at Eagle River State Park. In muddy conditions, Eastern Oregon claimed both the men’s and women’s team titles, with C of I’s Stephanie Helm winning the women’s crown and Oregon Tech’s Korey Humbertson winning the men’s title.