La Grande, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University split their track and field team up sending distance runners to Portland, Oregon for the Lewis & Clark Larry Byerly Invite on Saturday, while sending the rest of the team to Nampa, Idaho for the NNU Open. Overall Eastern had a great day of performances with numerous “A” and “B” Standard Marks and record-breaking performances.
PORTLAND – L&C Larry Byerly Invite
WOMEN
The women got off to a strong start in Portland. Dierdre McKay got things going posting a season-best time in the steeplechase of 12:29.90 which was good for fourth place overall. It narrowly missed a PR for McKay.
Shortly after was the women’s 1500-meter run where the first record of the day fell. Michelle Herbes ran an outstanding race against primarily NCAA Division I competition. The graduate student smashed her previous personal best with a time of 4:32.58 breaking the EOU all-time record for the event set by Rachel Rolle in 2018. The time was good for an “A” Standard and earned her a third-place finish. Riley Morris also ran a strong race moving up to #17 all-time with a PR of 4:49.43.
In the women’s 800, EOU had three athletes post top-25 all-time program marks. Lauryn Mitchell led the way with a second-place finish, shaving three seconds off her previous best while moving up to sixth all-time in the EOU record books. The sophomore posted a time of 2:14.74 which was good for a “B” Standard and just off an “A” Standard. Katie Jo Gebhardt and Madelyn Nichols also posted times good for No. 17 and 24 respectively in the EOU top-25 all-time marks. Gebhardt finished seventh with a time of 2:18.41and Nichols finished 11th with a time of 2:20.52.
MEN
The men had an impressive day in Portland as well. Starting with the 10k, EOU’s Travis Running took the top spot on the podium in his first ever race in the event. Running just missed an “A” Standard and posted the No. 9 overall time of 31:14.92 in the EOU record books. Winston Telford wasn’t far behind posting a time of 31:50.17, shaving 32 seconds off his personal best. Freshman Thomas Ogden and Skyler Perkins also finished in the top 10 with times of 33:12.99 and 33:57.99 respectively.
Up next for the Mounties was the 3000-meter steeple chase where Bennett Welch clinched a second-place finish and PR. The junior shaved five seconds off his PR from a season ago finishing in 10:00.29.
Following was the men’s 1500-meter run. EOU put together four strong performances highlighted by two top-10 finishers in Hunter Nichols and Jonathan Wind. Nichols just missed a “B” Standard finishing third with a time of 3:55.47. Wind wasn’t far behind taking sixth with a time of 3:56.56.
Justin Ash wrapped up action in Portland for the Mounties in the Men’s 5,000-meter run where he took eighth place with a time of 14:59.59.
NAMPA – NNU Open
WOMEN
Heading in the opposite direction, the Mounties found success in Nampa as well.
Starting with the field events, Maggie Ledbetter had a massive day hitting an “A” Standard in the hammer throw, breaking her own school record in the shot put, and earning a “B” Standard in the discus. Ledbetter’s mark of 50.55 meters was good for second place in the hammer throw behind teammate Kenna Woodward. Her throw of 14.57 earned her the top spot in the shot, breaking her old record by more than half a meter. Then her mark of 42.69 in the discus netted her yet another first-place finish.
Woodward also had a big day for the Mounties in the throws. The junior moved up to No. 2 all-time at EOU in the hammer throw with a PR mark of 51.83 meters which won the event. She also set a personal best in the shot put moving into eighth all-time in the EOU record books with a throw of 12.70 meters.
Continuing the hot streak, Allie Best hit a massive PR in the javelin to move to No. 3 all-time in the event. Her mark of 43.45 meters won the event and easily cleared the “A” Standard cutoff. Mckinley King also etched her name in the EOU top 25 in the discus. The freshman now sits at No. 23 all-time with a throw of 35.77 meters which was good for fifth place.
Over in the jumps the Mounties had a couple of strong marks as Karli Bedard and Elizabeth Grandle moved up to No. 15 and 16 all-time at EOU in the long jump. Bedard finished third with a jump of 5.16 meters followed by Grandle in fourth with a jump of 5.13 meters.
On the track EOU had numerous quality performances as well. Yahaira Chavarria-Mondragon finished third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.68 seconds which ranks 11th overall in the EOU top 25. She also finished fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.72 seconds which ranks 18th all-time in EOU history.
Samantha Conley also moved into the EOU top 25 in the 100-meter hurdles. The sophomore finished third with a time of 16.10 seconds.
Rounding out the day on the women’s side was the 4x100-meter relay team Chavarria-Mondragon, Morgan Bayes, Sydney Peck, and Katie Brown. The squad finished third with a time of 48.74 seconds which ranks twelfth all-time in the EOU record books.
MEN
The men didn’t have quite as many highlights in Nampa but still posted some quality performances.
Eastern’s 4x100-meter relay team moved into the top five of the EOU record book at No. 5 with a time of 42.04 seconds. The squad of DJ Wilson, James Connally, Bryce Peters, and Cody Milmine put together a great race taking second overall.
Connally built on his day even further with a great 200-meter dash performance. The freshman moved all the way up to No. 8 all time in the EOU record book with a time of 22.08 seconds which was good for a second-place finish.