Daniel Larabee set a new PR and Ezekiel Oien set a new MUltnomah 8K record in the Wes Cook/George Fox Classic Saturday.
WES COOK INVITATIONAL: Oien Sets Lions’ 8K Record in Final Tuneup for CCC Races
BROOKS, Ore. – Ezekiel Oien set a new Multnomah University record in the men's cross country 8,000 meters as the Lions made their final tuneup for the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships with the Wes Cook / George Fox University Classic Saturday morning here at Willamette Mission State Park.
Oien, a freshman, finished 35
th out of 123 runners with a time of 26:39.1, bettering the previous mark of 26:39.3 by Nathan Meeker, who was the National Christian College Athletic Association national champion in 2014. The Lions'
Daniel Larabee set a new personal mark of 27:04.8, finishing 43
rd, and
Keegan Council came in 78
th in 28:21.4.
Michael Martin of Lane Community College won the event with a time of 24:27.2, over 20 seconds ahead of unattached Michael Teran Solano, who ran a 24:47.5. Team honors went to Northwest Christian University with 61 points to 75 for runner-up Lane CC. Multnomah, with only three competitors, did not receive a team score.
Quoting Coach Corey Mehl: "Zeke (Oien) has improved tremendously over the past month after an early-season injury that forced him to miss our first two competitions. Over his first three meets, he has dropped nearly four minutes, which is incredible. Not to be outdone, Daniel (Larabee) dropped his all-time PR, and Keegan (Council) rounded out our trio. I'm very excited about the direction our guys are heading as conference awaits us in just three weeks."
Next: Multnomah will compete in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships at Lane Farms in La Grande, Ore., on Saturday, Nov. 4. The men's race is set for 11:00 a.m., followed by the women's championship at 12:00 noon.