HUSKY CLASSIC DAY 1 RESULTS
SEATTLE – The Southern Oregon University men's distance medley relay team will get the chance to defend its NAIA indoor track and field title thanks to a win in which it qualified with nearly 30 seconds to spare Friday at the Husky Classic.
Zach Boyd-Helm, Kevin Jorgensen, Jonz Olander and Eric Avila ran 4,000 meters in 9:52.32 for the Raiders, beating out second-place Western Oregon's squad by 6.11 seconds in the seven-team race at Dempsey Indoor. In their first competition of the season, they off of their NAIA record time, set last year, by just over four seconds.
Simon Fraser placed third with a time of 9:58.92, followed by Alaska Anchorage, George Fox, Eastern Washington and Western Oregon.
The same SOU quartet also won the Husky Classic in 2013. They'll be at the NAIA Indoor Championships March 6-8 in Geneva, Ohio.
Pole vaulter Stephanie Techler was the only other Raider in action, earning a mark of 10-0 1/2 (3.06m), which was short of qualifying.
The meet will continue Saturday morning.