Complete Meet Results
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Southern Oregon men's distance medley relay team and Mason Weisgerber both achieved the NAIA 'B' standard on Friday evening at the Whitworth Indoor Invitational.
The Raider men won the 4,000-meter distance medley in an NAIA No. 4 time of 10 minutes 5.97 seconds (10:05.97), just under two seconds off of the NAIA 'A' time (10:04.00). The team – made up of Josh Hepner (1,200m), Brodie Leslie (400m), Gus Blank (800m), and Carter Stedman (1,600) – took first overall, outpacing second place Lewis-Clark State (10:19.28) and third place Eastern Oregon (10:22.72).
Hepner came through 800 meters (2:04.29) in second place, before passing Eastern's Grady Greenwood and splitting 60.72 over his final 400 meters to give SOU the lead. The three other men held first the rest of the way. Leslie held on to the baton, splitting 49.50, Blank ran 1:56.85, and Stedman put the nail in the coffin, running 4:14.62.
Weisgerber, surrounded by an ocean of Gonzaga, finished fifth in the men's 5,000-meter. He ran an indoor best and NAIA No. 10 time of 14:39.56 to earn his first ticket to the NAIA Indoor Championships. The junior sat in 10th place with 1,400 meters left before passing five more runners before the finish line. He ran splits of 4:37.77 (1,600m), 9:21.30 (3,200m), and 14:04.65 (4,800m).
Sophia Stubblefield ran the first track 5,000-meter run of her collegiate career, taking second in 18:30.93. She held the position for the entirety of the race, following the eventual winner in EOU's Kaleah Hines for 3,400 meters, before falling behind. She finished about eight seconds ahead of third place and ran splits of 5:45.58 (1,600m), 11:36.23 (3,200m), and 17:47.67 (4,800m).
The Raiders finish their indoor track and field regular season with three NAIA 'A' marks and three 'B' marks. The NAIA Indoor Championships are set for March 5-7 in Gainesville, Fla.
SOU MEN'S RESULTS
4,000 Meter Distance Medley
1. SOU, 10:05.97 [NAIA No. 4]
Josh Hepner 1200m - 3:05.01, Brodie Leslie 400m - 49.50, Gus Blank 800m - 1:56.85, Carter Stedman 1600m - 4:14.62
5,000 Meters
5. Mason Weisgerber, 14:39.56 [NAIA No. 10]
SOU WOMEN'S RESULTS
5,000 Meters
2. Sophia Stubblefield, 18:30.93