SOU tracksters shine at national meet

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-07-01

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SOU tracksters shine at national meet ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia - Two Southern Oregon University women earned All-American honors and three Raider relay teams enjoyed unprecedented success Friday at the NAIA Track and Field Championships at Rotary Stadium. Junior Nicole Robertson placed fourth in the discus - her third straight year as an All-American - with a season-best throw of 146-2. Robertson, who also was named Friday to the Academic All-American team, place third as a sophomore and fourth as a freshman. SOU's other top-six placer was junior Kena Page, who, in her third national meet, placed sixth in the long jump. She leapt 18-31/4. Both the men's and women's 4x100-meter relay teams placed in the top 10 - the school had never before sent quartets in those events to nationals. The men's team of Andy Greenwood, Jon Schumacher, Keith Lawson and Eric McKenzie placed ninth and just missed qualifying for the finals. It was timed in a school-record 41.59 seconds. The women's team of Andrea Eide, Page, Laura Lincoln and Tiwana Merritt placed 10th with a school-record time of 48.65. The men's 4x400 relay became the first in school history to make the national finals. Nick Dunn, Danny Hanes, Cailen McNair and McKenzie clocked 3:16.90. Lincoln finished ninth in the heptathlon, completing the event with the javelin, 800 and long jump on Friday. Her point total of 4,071 was a personal best by two. Shelley Gorin was 10th in the 3,000 in 10:36.94, a PR by two seconds. Gorin, an all-conference volleyball player as well, trained with the track team for only two months. Merritt, an All-American in the 400 two years ago when she placed fifth, advanced to the final in 56.53, about one second off her best. Dunn, a freshman from North Medford, was second in his heat and third overall in advancing to the finals of the 400 intermediate hurdles in a hand-timed 52.6 seconds.   Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.