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SOU claims third straight conference championship Merritt and Bailey are named the top athletes; Jones tabbed the top coach LA GRANDE - The past two seasons have been a breeze for the Southern Oregon University men's and women's track and field teams at the Cascade Conference Championships. The Raiders have distanced themselves from the rest of the Cascade Conference with easy victories the previous two seasons, but this year looked to be a little more competitive with a strong Oregon Tech team and a game Eastern Oregon squad. The scores were closer but the but the results were the same Saturday as the Raiders won both titles again, raising the program's count 14 championships since 1955. Tiwana Merritt competed in and won five events and was named the conference's women's athlete of the year for the second straight season, a school first. SOU's Richard Bailey was named men's athlete of the year, and the Raiders' Mike Jones, in his first year, was chosen coach of the year. "We knew it was going to be a dogfight going in," said Jones. "Everybody contributed to this victory, and that made it fun to be a part of." The Raiders travel to Eugene next week for a twilight meet, then head to Olathe, Kan., for nationals. The SOU men outdistanced runner-up Oregon Tech, 204-158 and the women triumphed over second-place OIT, 229-179. Merritt achieved a conference and school-best time of 12.41 in the 100 meters. She also took home titles in the 200 (25.82), 400 (59.97) and ran anchor in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay victories. "Tiwana being in five events and being victorious in all of them is pretty impressive," said Jones. "It makes the long bus ride home a lot more fun." Merritt, a two-time 400-meter All-American, equaled her 2001 league record of winning five events in the same season. Merritt, already a three-time league 200-meter champion and an eight-time league titlist, surpassed Melanie Byrne's school-record 11 career regional crowns captured between 1988 and '90 with 13. Merritt and teammate Nicole Robertson joined former Raider All-American pole vaulter Nicole Irons and Eastern Oregon shot-putter April Haney as the lone four-time single-event champions in loop history. Robertson won the women's shot put (42-111/4) and discus (139-11), while teammate Megan Heuberger took the 400 hurdles in 1:05.34. Keena Page won the women's long jump with a mark of 18-33/4. Bailey's mark of 52-01/2 earned him the shot put win. He also took the title in discus with a toss of 155-2. Cailen McNair took the men's 400 with a time of 50.03, while Sean Peterson captured the 1,500 title in 4:02.13. Joe Sheire won the 110 high hurdles in 15.25, Jeff Bentley took the javelin (183-11) and Justin Bennett's toss of 162-3 was the high mark in hammer. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.