ASHLAND, Ore. – The 2019 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Track and Field Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, are right around the corner. The pinnacle meet of the spring season will feature representatives from 10 different CCC institutions on both the men’s and women’s side.
Follow along with all of the action at TOURNAMENT CENTRAL.
The weekend’s events will take place down in Ashland, Ore. on the campus of Southern Oregon University. Last year, Eastern Oregon took home the team title for the men with 208 points at the meet, and College of Idaho claimed the team championship on the women’s side with 196.50 points.
Competing in the squad’s first Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Track & Field Championships will be the University of British Columbia, which looks to be a legitimate contender for the team title on both the men’s and women’s sides.
Across all men’s events, the CCC lays claim to 53 top-20 marks on the NAIA national performance list. Among these, the conference is represented by top-national marks in the pole vault (Corey Sledge, Eastern Oregon), javelin (Roan Allen, UBC), 1,500 meters (Kieran Lumb, UBC), 5,000 meters (Lumb, UBC), and 5,000-meter race walk (Alger Liang, UBC).*
On the women’s side, an outstanding 70 CCC student-athletes can be found in the top-20 rankings across all events of the NAIA national performance list. A true testimony to the individual talent that can be found in the conference, six of the top-seven times in the steeplechase (including the No. 1 mark by Northwest Christian’s Anika Rasubala) belong to CCC representatives.
For the upcoming conference meet, the top-three placers in each event will earn All-Conference accolades.
The action will kick off at 2 p.m. PST on Friday afternoon, beginning with the throwing events. Day-one’s docket will conclude with the men’s 10,000 meters, which is currently slated to start around 8:20 p.m.
Prior to Saturday’s action, a number of Special Olympians will compete in events of their own, beginning at 10 a.m. A graduation ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m., aimed at honoring student-athletes who aren’t able to attend their own respective school ceremonies due to competition.
The second and final day of action will then commence at 11 a.m., with the meet’s final awards slated to be handed out at 4:45 p.m.
Below is an in-depth preview of each event:
Women’s Events
100 METERS: SOU junior Arianna Daniel (12.21) was last year’s Athlete of the Meet after winning the 100, 200 and 400 (making her the first person to do so since 2002), but UBC sophomore Katherine Lucas (11.84) presents Daniel’s repeat bid’s biggest threat with the No. 8 time in the NAIA.
200 METERS: The SOU trio of Daniel (24.91), Sprauer (25.65) and Greenwade (25.60) also went 1-2-3 in last year’s 200, but Lucas (24.58) is the favorite in this race, too, as the conference’s only automatic qualifier for the NAIA Championships.
400 METERS: As the No. 1 seed, Daniel (56.65) will attempt to become the first runner in CCC history to win the 400 three years in a row. She was eighth at last year’s NAIA Outdoor Championships and sixth at this year’s Indoor Championships in the race. UBC has a contender in Sienna Lalonde (56.96) and OIT’s Amber Von Essen (57.30) was last year’s runner-up.
800 METERS: OIT’s Susie Garza (2:15.44) is the defending champion but enters the meet as the No. 6 seed. UBC, meanwhile, has the top three seeds, including a pair of 2018 NAIA All-Americans: fourth-place Nicola Symonds (2:08.48) and seventh-place Mikayla Tinkahm (2:10.38).
1,500 METERS: The national performance list is dominated by CCC runners, who represent 10 of the top-23 spots in the country. That includes No. 3 Danielle de Castro of OIT (4:27.52), and UBC’s No. 4 Symonds (4:29.08) and No. 5 Tinkham (4:29.45) – both top-10 finishers in the NAIA last season. Overall the Thunderbirds have four of the top-five entries in the race, while OIT’s Garza (4:39.70) is the only returning All-CCC performer.
5,000 METERS: C of I’s Molly Vitale-Sullivan (18:12.89) will go for her first 5K title after finishing runner-up the last two years, though she enters as the No. 5 seed. Vitale-Sullivan and UBC’s Enid Au (17:11.64) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, at the 2018 NAIA Outdoor Championships, but the race’s top seed, OIT’s Cindy Reed (17:07.61) was the runner-up at the NAIA Indoor Championships.
10,000 METERS: C of I has five individuals in scoring position according to the entries, including top-seeded Vitale-Sullivan (36:44.98), who didn’t run the 10K at last year’s CCC Championships but finished as the national runner-up. C of I’s Kaitlyn Schut (39:29.00) placed second in last year’s CCC 10K.
100-METER HURDLES: The defending champion, Kiersten Lancaster (14.10), owns the No. 2 time in the NAIA and will attempt to deliver C of I’s fourth consecutive 100-meter hurdles title. NCU’s Christy Seaton is the returning runner-up, though the field features three other NAIA provisional qualifiers seeded ahead of her.
400-METER HURDLES: Corban senior Lindsay Asplund (1:05.05) was the 2018 champion, but repeating will be a tall order with three newcomers ahead of her who have met NAIA qualifying standards: UBC’s Sienna Lalonde (1:01.11) and Jessica Williams (1:02.43) and EOU’s Katie Emerson (1:04.65). The two other returning All-CCC performers – Corban’s Kristi Childers and EOU’s Emily Palmer – didn’t crack the fast heat.
STEEPLECHASE: With 12 of the top-20 on the national performance list, this could be the most stacked conference event of any kind in the NAIA. The four best times in the nation will all be represented: NCU’s Anika Rasubala (11:01.50), UBC’s Jamie Hennessey (11:01.79), C of I’s Larissa Mauer (11:03.05) and UBC’s Madelyn Brunt (11:03.08), who placed fourth in the NAIA last year. Going for her third straight title, C of I’s Tamika Russell (11:14.82) is the No. 8 seed. SOU’s Bree Weber (11:08.07) placed second and Rasubala third in 2018.
4x100-METER RELAY: SOU has set meet records two years in a row in this relay, winning last year in 46.70 before placing eighth in the NAIA. The Raiders have the top entry again at 47.13, which is No. 14 on the national list.
4x400-METER RELAY: SOU is also aiming for a third straight conference title in the 4x400 and has the No. 16 time in the NAIA (3:55.42). EOU, however, is the top seed and has the NAIA’s No. 7 time (3:53.65) coming off a sixth-place showing at the Indoor Championships.
HIGH JUMP: In 2018, Loghan Sprauer delivered SOU’s first high-jump title in 20 years. She enters this meet as the No. 5 seed (5-3 ¼), and returning runner-up Megan Van Marter of NCU is the No. 11 seed (5-0 ¼). UBC’s Trinity Hansma is the favorite (5-7 ¾) while EOU’s Paige Dodd and Kalulusno Ngaida have turned in matching marks of 5-5 ¾ to qualify automatically for nationals.
POLE VAULT: OIT’s Nishi Chase (11-5 ¾) is back after winning last year as a freshman, though SOU’s Joanna Galli (11-9 ¾) is the top seed after hitting the NAIA ‘A’ standard on the nose last week for the No. 10 spot on the national performance list. Corban’s Lindsay Asplund (10-0) is a returning All-CCC performer.
LONG JUMP: One of the only events in which the CCC doesn’t feature a national qualifier is up for grabs, though UBC freshman Allison Macdonald (18-3 ¾) is the top seed and EOU has the next three on the list. NCU’s Abigail Spencer (17-8), the No. 5 seed, placed third last year.
TRIPLE JUMP: A newcomer to the meet, Warner Pacific’s Brittany Coleman (38-8 ¼), has hit the NAIA ‘A’ standard with the 12th-best mark in the country. OIT’s Jasmine James (34-4) and C of I’s Brinley Reed (34-4 ¾) were All-CCC in 2018.
SHOT PUT: With three-time champion Hayley Morse of C of I out of the way, top-seeded Emily Shaw (42-8 ¼) will go for SOU’s first shot-put title since 2002. The Raiders and EOU both have three of the top-eight on the CCC performance list.
DISCUS: Another C of I three-time champ, Claire Otero, has also cleared the top spot by way of graduation, though the Yotes again have four of the top-six seeds. EOU’s Maggie Ledbetter (146-9) is No. 10 in the NAIA and NCU’s Myah Harter (124-9) placed third last year.
HAMMER: None of 2018’s All-CCC performers are in the field and a pair of freshmen, C of I’s Catylynn Duff (160-2) and SOU record-holder KiAshe Hobby (158-10), are the top seeds and national provisional qualifiers.
JAVELIN: The most heated throws battle will be in the javelin, which boasts five of the top-seven marks in the NAIA and a pair of returning All-Americans: Northwest’s Anna Miller (148-0) and EOU’s Makayla Akers (128-6). Miller placed third in the NAIA last year after sitting out the CCC meet, and Akers placed sixth after taking fifth in the CCC. The conference produced the 2018 national champion, NCU’s Bailey Dell.
Men’s Events
100 METERS: Four different SOU runners have taken the 100 title over the last six years, and another, newcomer Chris Rosero (10.76), is the favorite entering this meet. Three Raiders are among the top-five entries, while OIT’s Donnie Pate (10.82), who was fifth last season, is the No. 2 seed.
200 METERS: SOU’s Rosero (21.75) and OIT’s Pate (21.94) are the presumptive frontrunners in the 200, too. Pate placed fifth last year, but SOU’s Eli Chapman (22.31) is the highest-placing returner after taking fourth in 2018.
400 METERS: The 400 boasts two 2018 All-CCC finishers: runner-up Angel Valdez (49.35) of OIT and third-place Devin Lewis-Allen (48.57) of EOU, who holds the top seed. OIT had three of the top-four finishers in 2018 but UBC has three of the top-six entering the meet.
800 METERS: The CCC’s 800 race featured just one automatic qualifier over the previous three seasons, but this one has two: UBC junior Rhys Kramer (1:51.48), who owns the No. 4 spot on the NAIA performance list, and SOU freshman AJ Sandgiv (1:52.17), who stands at No. 9. Sandvig will attempt to become the second freshman in a row to win the race.
1,500 METERS: The 1,500 champion has been produced by four different schools in the last four years, and UBC is primed to become the fifth. The Thunderbirds had three All-Americans in the event last year; Kieran Lumb (3:45.85) placed seventh and is currently No. 1 on the NAIA performance list, and his teammates Max Trummer (3:51.53) and Tanner Geary (3:52.02) are Nos. 2 and 7. SOU’s Ryan Alexander (3:54.37) was All-CCC in the 2018 race and stands at No. 12 in the NAIA.
5,000 METERS: The most loaded race in the meet will pit eight of the top-24 and four of the top-nine 5K runners in the NAIA against each other. UBC’s Lumb (13:40.51) also has the top time nationally in this event by a margin of 29 seconds after placing third at the 2018 NAIA Championships. Five others were top-15 placers nationally last year: seventh-place Tyler Dozzi (14:39.59) of UBC, eighth-place Riley Sine (14:47.59) of Northwest, 10th-place Lane Inwards (14:56.05) of EOU, 11th-place Noah Oberriter (14:55.30) of SOU and 15th-place Alex Martin (14:47.60) of C of I. Martin – who also took fifth in the fall at the NAIA Cross Country Championships – was the 2018 CCC runner-up.
10,000 METERS: The CCC’s only NAIA 10K auto qualifiers – SOU’s Oberriter and Harter – won’t be in the race, but top-seeded Marcos Cervantes (32:11.84) of C of I was last year’s runner-up and the eighth-place finisher in the NAIA. Three of the top-five seeds are Yotes, and another Raider runner, Brandon Kelsey (33:20.12), is an NAIA XC All-American.
110-METER HURDLES: The hurdles will feature three NAIA automatic qualifiers for the first time in at least six years, none of whom were around last season. UBC’s Kenneth Schultze (14.38) is the top seed after taking fifth in the NAIA in 2018, and SOU’s Rhett Gonzalez (14.52) owns the No. 6 time in the country. UBC’s Bogdan Pavel (14.69) and SOU’s Bryce Goggin (14.95) are the other top contenders.
400-METER HURDLES: An All-CCC finisher last year, Corban’s Michael Schmidt (52.74) is the top seed with the sixth-fastest time in the NAIA. He’ll try to deliver the Warriors’ first-ever victory in the event.
STEEPLECHASE: Another elite distance race will have four of the top-20 in the NAIA battling it out: UBC’s Cole Dinsdale (9:16.52), NCU’s Conner Covey (9:23.90), SOU’s Kevin VanDyke (9:29.30) and NCU’s Dan Carrier (9:31.50). The top-four placers last year were all seniors.
4x100-METER RELAY: SOU (42.27) has historically dominated the 4x100, winning three straight and eight of the last nine, and will aim to cut three-tenths of a second off its time for an NAIA ‘B’ mark.
4x400-METER RELAY: OIT (3:21.08) is the defending champion but the No. 2 seed behind EOU (3:20.29). At last year’s NAIA Championships, the Mountaineers placed 13th and the Owls 14th.
HIGH JUMP: Three of the top-four seeds in the high jump are freshmen and the other a sophomore, a group led by EOU’s Allex Kosel (6-3 ½). Corban’s Schmidt (6-1 ¼) took fourth in 2018 but comes in the No. 9 seed.
POLE VAULT: EOU sophomore Corey Sledge (16-0 ¼) – the top pole-vaulter in the NAIA and an NAIA Indoor All-American – highlights an impressive field that also includes auto qualifier Hunter Drops (15-10) of OIT, who was 12th at the Indoor Championships after last year placing fourth in the CCC. SOU’s Adam O’Brien (15-3 ½) and EOU’s Darrin Walker (15-3) possess the Nos. 20 and 21 marks on the national performance list, and Walker was seventh at the Indoor Championships.
LONG JUMP: SOU’s Zach Beltz (25-0 ¾) is already the first individual to win three straight CCC long-jump titles and he’ll go for the career sweep while also taking aim at Anthony Johnson’s 2015 meet record (24-9 ¾). Beltz – a three time All-American who has placed fourth and sixth at the last two NAIA Outdoor Championships and took fifth at this year’s national indoor meet – has won all five meets he’s attended this spring. Six C of I jumpers are in the field, led by No. 2 seed Kristopher Kostelecky (22-8 ½).
TRIPLE JUMP: SOU’s Beltz (49-7 ¾) became the first individual to win the long jump and triple jump at the same CCC meet in 2017 and he’ll attempt to do it for the third year in a row. With the No. 2 mark in the NAIA – and a 10th-place showing at the NAIA Indoor Championships – he’s nearly four feet ahead of No. 2 seed Keith Bailey (45-11 ¾) of C of I.
SHOT PUT: Last year’s champion, EOU sophomore Chase Van Wyck (50-6 ¾), and last year’s runner-up, SOU senior Kevin Tunnell (50-2), are both back for more. EOU, SOU and OIT are the only current CCC members to produce a conference shot-put champion.
DISCUS: C of I senior Josh Brown (163-11) will try to become the first to ever win three consecutive CCC discus titles, entering the meet with the No. 12 mark in the NAIA. His teammate, Alex Kuzmack (159-10), poses the biggest threat to that feat, and Corban’s Kenny Purnell (135-5) placed second in 2018.
HAMMER: UBC’s Rowan Hamilton (200-1) and Sebastian Yep (196-7) are Nos. 5 and 6 on the NAIA hammer list and Yep placed ninth in the NAIA in 2018. C of I’s Brown (177-5) is the CCC’s third national auto qualifier in the discipline.
JAVELIN: The most stacked CCC field discipline consists of six throwers with NAIA ‘A’ marks and two who have hit the ‘B’ standard. OIT sophomore Hunter Drops (197-1) is the defending CCC and national champion but UBC’s Roan Allen (225-2) ranks No. 1 on the current NAIA performance list. Three of the top-five seeds represent EOU, including last year’s conference runner-up Dawson Kennon (190-3), and Dylan Knostman (187-9) will carry the torch for SOU.
*The 5,000-meter race walk is not a counting event for CCC team scores, but will serve as a qualifier for the NAIA Track and Field Championships.
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