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--> --> Raiders establish new SOU standard By Rich Rosenthal For the Ashland Daily Tidings The Southern Oregon University track and field team produced a school-record seven All-American performances, including four in Saturday's third and final day of the NAIA Championships in Olathe, Kan. Senior sprinter Tiwana Merritt capped her stellar Raider career as a three-time 400-meter All-American and was the top American-born athlete in the race for the second consecutive year. The Valdez, Alaska native, who established the school record in the event with a 55.11 runner-up effort last season, turned in a 55.28 Saturday for third behind Russian Daniela Georgieva of Central Methodist (53.65) and Jamaican Nadia Cunningham of McKendree (53.77). Earlier in the day, Merritt teamed with Andrea Eide, Kena Page and Megan Heuberger on the 4x100 relay team that clocked a sixth-place 49.03 and became SOU's first All-American sprint quartet. Junior Jeff Bentley of Chiloquin became an All-American for the second time in his career by virtue of a fifth-place 200-8 javelin heave, while sophomore Megan Heuberger of Yamhill earned the distinction for the first time with a fifth-place showing and a personal-best 1:03.29 in the intermediate hurdles. Both athletes entered nationals with seventh-best regular-season marks. Senior Nicole Robertson of Troutdale, who became the school's first female four-year All-American with a fourth-place effort in the discus, finished 10th in the shot put finals (42-3 1/2), while senior Richard Bailey was 17th in the discus (151-1) a day after a fourth-place shot put performance. Sophomore Sean Peterson of Clackamas clocked an 11th-place 4:01.87 in the 1,500-meter finals. As a team, the Raider women compiled 18 team points for 19th-place among 57 scoring squads, while the men were 25th among 68 with 12 points. This year's seven top-six efforts eclipsed the 1988 SOU thinclad team that posted four men's All-Americans and two women's. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing