The Linfield track and field team competed against six other conference schools in the Pacific Luau Invitational in Forest Grove on April 9.

In anticipation of the Northwest Championship, the Wildcats performed well and landed in some of the top spots.

There were no team scores compiled at this meet.

The men started strong with sophomore Lester Maxwell winning first place in the 800- and the 400-meter runs. Senior Cory Parrish and junior Clayton Cooper took second and third place, respectively, in the 400-meter, crossing the finish line flanking Maxwell.

Other winners for the men’s side included junior Alex Van Slyke, who won first place in the steeplechase. Freshman Nick Turner won first place in the 200-meter dash and third in the 100-meter.

Junior Eric Weinbender won the 1500-meter run and freshman Joe Gladow won the 5000.

The men’s 4×100 relay team, Cooper, Turner, senior Michael Chopp and freshman Michael Swain also took first place.

For the women, sophomore Jill Boroughs took second place in the steeplechase. Junior Catherine Street won first place in the pole vault and broke school and conference records.

“This season has been going very well so far. I put a lot of hard work in during the off season and it’s paying off,” Street said. “Getting two personal bests two weeks in a row has been awesome, but I still have my eye on that national record.”

Freshman Anna LaBeaume won the shot put and landed in second place for the discus throw. Freshman Kate Shear won first in javelin. Sophomore Mimi Seeley won third in the 1500 and senior Kristen Allen won third in the javelin.

“We have a really talented team and we support each other well. Track is an individualized sport, but the support we have says a lot about our team,” senior Brooke Bekkedahl said. “We work hard and we’re looking forward to running more fast times.”

Street had similar feelings about the team’s success this season.

“All of the field events are doing really well this year and the freshmen have really stepped up to help out the team,” Street said.

The Wildcats will take on George Fox University on April 16 at the Rich Allen Classic in Newberg. The Northwest Conference Championships events will be held at Linfield on April 22 and 23.

Kelsey Sutton/Staff reporter
Kelsey Sutton can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Junior Evan Weinbender (front) took third for the ’Cats in the 1,500 meters. Katie Pitchford/Photo editor

One of the top finishers was junior Catherine Street, who set a Linfield and conference record in the pole vault. Street was also named Track and Field Student Athlete of the Week by the NWC.

Other first-place finishers included senior Chelsea Machida in the high jump and freshman Anna LaBeaume in the shot put.

On the men’s side, there were top-three finishers at the meet. Freshman Nick Turner finished second in the 100 meter run, and sophomore Lester Maxwell finished second in the 800. Eric Weinbender finished third in the 1500 meter race.

The ’Cats will next compete at 10 a.m. April 9 at the Pacific Luau Meet in Forest Grove, Ore.

~Compiled by Corrina Crocker/Sports editor

University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field hosted one of the largest meets of the Linfield track and field season. A record crowd turned out for a day of great performance by the Wildcats.

Seven of the remaining Wildcats on the track and field team traveled to Eugene, Ore., on May 8 to run at the University of Oregon Twilight meet.

Sophomore Chelsea Machida, the Northwest Conference high jump champion, placed third with a jump of 5 feet, 3.75 inches. Her mark tied her previous season-best, which she set at the Oregon Preview early in the season.

Sophomores Catherine Street and Misty Corwin placed second and fifth, respectively, in the pole vault. Street leaped 13 1/4, which was just shy of her season-best. Corwin vaulted 11-6 1/2 — half an inch short of her season-best.

In the men’s long jump, senior Jeremy Lovell placed second with a bound of 21-11 1/2. Lovell’s mark was six inches short of his best mark set at the Northwest Conference championships this season.

Representing the Wildcats in the throwing events, senior Clint Moore placed second in the men’s discus with his throw of 157-7. His throw was nearly a foot short of his season best.

On the track, freshman Lester Maxwell ran a race consistent with his personal best. Already having a time of 1 minute, 55 seconds in the 800-meter run this season, Maxwell ran just near that this weekend with a time of 1:55.43 to place eighth.

As the only member of the team to set a personal record, senior Chris McIsaac ran the race of his career. McIsaac came into the men’s steeplechase with a seed time of 9:26. In a previous interview, he said he was aiming to drop 10 seconds off that time in the hopes of qualifying for nationals.

“I went into [the race] knowing what I had to do to get to nationals,” McIsaac said.

McIsaac did just that. Finishing in third place in a time of 9:16.95, he secured a spot as the 15th-fastest steeplechaser in the nation. Only the top 15, plus the next two or three depending on their speed, get to race at nationals.

McIsaac said that before his race, coach Garry Killgore gave him some food for thought: “Let it go, and let it happen.”

“I’ve really appreciated the support from everyone on campus,” McIsaac said. “I got a lot of messages before and after my race, even from people like Madeline Jepson from the Upward Bound program, who brought me some power food for before my race.”

McIsaac said he is in the midst of his season peak. Low mileage and short, high-energy workouts are keeping him fresh for the fast approaching national championships. He also sits in the fifth spot on the Linfield all-time list for the steeplechase.

McIsaac and the rest of the team will compete at the Willamette Last Chance meet in Salem, Ore., on May 18.

Nic Miles

Sports reporter

Nic Miles can be reached at

linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

Senior Jeremy Lovell clears a hurdle during the track and field team’s practice May 4. Linfield will compete in three more meets before the NCAA Division III National Championships on May 27. Bridgette Gigear Freelance.

Six of Linfield’s remaining track and field athletes competed in Pacific University’s Pacific Twilight meet in Forest Grove, Ore., on May 1.
Sophomore Chelsea Machida soared to a height of 5 feet, 3 inches in the women’s high jump. Her mark earned her a third-place finish. Her bound last weekend was only 3/4 of an inch shorter than her personal best.
Sophomore Catherine Street, this year’s Northwest Conference champion in the women’s pole vault, was runner up behind unattached competitor Keisa Montorola. Street vaulted 12-8.
Close behind Street, sophomore Misty Corwin made a mark of 11-7 to place third. Her performance last weekend earned her a season best in the pole vault, smashing her previous record of 11 feet 1/4 inches.
Sophomore Kelly Marineau finished near the top of the pack in the women’s javelin. Throwing 128-10, Marineau placed third among a stiff field of 26 competitors. However, her throw was far from her personal best of 138-07.
Sophomore Lester Maxwell shaved more than two seconds off his personal best in the 800-meter run.
Having run 1 minute, 57 seconds at the Linfield Eric Anderson Invitational at the beginning of the season, Maxwell posted a time of 1:55.03 to place fourth at the Pacific Twilight meet. His time is the fastest that any Linfield athlete has turned in this season.
“I ran exactly how I wanted to run the race,” Maxwell said. “Except I tried to kick it too early.”
With about 275 meters to go, Maxwell said he began his final kick. With about 50 meters to go, he said he got tired and was out-kicked in the finish. Other than his premature kick, Maxwell was perfectly on pace throughout the 800.
“Every time I race, I learn how my body responds,” Maxwell said. “That’s how you learn — by failure.”
Despite his finish, Maxwell said it is hard to be disappointed with the race, since he knocked time off his personal best. His race plan for this weekend is to shave off more time and run 1:53.
Linfield’s distance dynasty was well represented in the 1,500 by senior Chris McIsaac, who placed eighth with a time of 4:04.75. After running the grueling 5K-10K double at conference, McIsaac said he needed to give his body a chance to fully recover before trying to hit a nationally qualifying time in the steeplechase.
McIsaac knocked nearly a second off of his previous season best of 4:05.4.
“I’m shooting for a 10-second improvement on my steeplechase time,” he said. “It seems like a big jump, but I feel great, and both times I’ve ran it this season I haven’t had anyone to push me all that much.”
McIsaac said having someone there to push the pace with him plays a huge role in improving time.
This weekend, many of these same athletes will be traveling south to compete in the University of Oregon’s Twilight meet.
Historically, this meet has featured some of the most prominent names in collegiate track and field. Linfield’s competitors will have an ample supply of challenging paces and marks as they compete at Hayward Field.
The meet this weekend will serve as one of the final venues for athletes to qualify for nationals. If times and marks are not achieved, there will be the Last Chance Meet at Willamette University on May 20.
It has been a long season. Hundreds upon hundreds of miles of running; long, cold, windy days in the sand pits; and torrential rainstorms out in the starting blocks, all leading up to the Division III National Track and Field Championships in Berea, Ohio.

Nic Miles
Sports reporter Nic Miles can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

Sophomore Catherine Street clears the bar during practice April 30. Street has broken Linield’s pole vault record twice this season, most recently at the Rich Allen Classic in Newberg, Ore., on April 18 when she eclipsed 4 meters. Victor Zhu Photographer.

A bittersweet weekend marked the end of the track and field season for some, and the beginning of the road to the national championships for others.
Linfield competed in the Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships at Whitworth University’s Boppell Track in Spokane, Wash., on April 23 and 24.
In a meet that runners, throwers and jumpers from across the Northwest have been preparing for all season, the women and men’s teams placed fourth and third, respectively. The women finished one place higher than last season.
In women’s javelin, sophomore Kelly Marineau’s 138-foot, 7-inch toss earned her a second-place finish and the top spot on Linfield’s record board. Her throw moved her from second on the all-time list to No. 1.
Right after the announcing of the measurement of her throw, Marineau said she knew that she had broken the record.
“Nothing has changed in my personal training,” Marineau said. “But my throwing teammates this year have been really supportive and we have all worked together to improve our form.”
Junior Kaycee Hallstrom scored eight points by finishing second in the women’s javelin and threw a season best of 42.25 meters. Hallstrom also placed fourth in the shot put.
In a mighty 1-2-5 finish in the women’s pole vault, sophomores Catherine Street and Misty Corwin jumped into first place and runner-up, respectively. Freshman Ryann Nolan finished in fifth place, vaulting a season best of 2.81.
Despite losing senior Josh Lovell to a hamstring injury that kept him from competing, his brother, senior Jeremy Lovell, secured second place in the pole vault behind Pacific Lutheran University freshman Chester Holt. Jeremy Lovell also took second place in the long jump with a mark of 22-6 1/2, and earned forth in the triple jump at 43-4 1/2.
“The Lovells are great competitors and true warriors,” junior sprinter Cory Parrish said. “I had a blast competing with them, and I’m really going to miss them.”
Sophomore Chelsea Machida jumped a strong 5-3 1/4 to re-establish her NWC champion status in the high jump.
Freshman Lester Maxwell, who was entered in the open 400-meter dash at the last minute after his extraordinary performance at the Rich Allen Classic a week earlier, finished only six tenths of a second off his personal best to place second with a time of 50.14.
Although junior Mike Eldredge was the favorite to win both the 110 and 400 hurdles at conference, he came home with a sprained ankle instead of two medals. After suffering the sprain in the 110 hurdles, he pulled his hamstring five steps into the 400-hurdle finals. But, instead of quitting, he finished the race.
“I realized that it was the last race of my season,” Eldredge said. “So I just blew off my leg and went for it.”
Unfortunately, Eldredge was disqualified for pushing the final hurdle over with his hand in an effort to stay on his feet despite his injuries.
“It was a heartbreaker,” he said. “But what kept me going was Cory Parrish there cheering me on from the sideline.”
Senior Clint Moore came home with two personal bests and a fourth-place finish in both the shot and the discus.
In distance, senior Chris McIsaac made his final stand. Placing second in both the 5K and 10K, he said he ran the two best races of his life at conference.
“I hadn’t run a 10K since the Linfield Icebreaker,” McIsaac said. “I wasn’t quite sure what would happen.”
The leader, Francis Reynolds of UPS, pressed the pace early, but McIsaac held tight to his heels.
But, as the laps passed by, Reynolds pulled ahead of the pack, winning the event.
“I was happy with [the race],” McIsaac said. “To run that kind of time under those conditions is a hard thing to do.”
The following day, McIsaac ran in the 5K. After the gun, he was pushed to the ground, caught himself with his hand and raced on.
“I just had to go for it,” he said.
It was his final race as a point-scorer for Linfield. The race was chalked with fights, as McIsaac spent several laps scrapping with Willamette sophomore Ben Donovan, something that McIsaac said he normally doesn’t do.
After taking the lead with five laps to go, McIsaac was beaten in the final 100 meters of the race by Whitworth junior Nick Gallagher.
“He just stuck on me like a fly on s—,” McIsaac said.
He said he attributes his ability to run the grueling double to the consistent mileage that he ran this season, as well as the workouts that head coach Garry Killgore has created for him.
Along with a handful of other Linfield elite, McIsaac will spend the coming weeks trying to make qualifying marks for the national championships in Berea, Ohio, on May 27.

Nic Miles
Sports reporter Nic Miles can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

In a last-chance effort to qualify for the conference championships, Linfield track and field competed in the Rich Allen Classic in Newberg, Ore., on April 17.
The Wildcats made a strong showing among its competitors, including Pacific and George Fox universities.
The distance runners all ran in the 1,500-meter run in an attempt to keep their legs ready for more important races down the road.
Senior Shawn Fisher won the men’s 1,500 with a time of four minutes, two seconds. Sophomore Eric Weinbender finished behind him, running a personal best of 4:05.
On the women’s side, Linfield nearly swept the track. Senior Marci Klimek won the 1,500 with a time of 4:54, followed by sophomores Nelly Evans and Shanna Peaden, who placed second and third, respectively.
In the sprints, freshman Lester Maxwell entered the 400 April 17 intending to stay fresh for the conference championships. He won the event with a time of 49.44.
Maxwell said that he was pleasantly surprised by his time, considering he had not run the open 400 since high school in 2007.
“I’ve been waiting to jump in on an open 400, and Garry [Killgore] finally gave me the opportunity last Saturday,” he said.
With the third-fastest time in the conference, Maxwell will be an athlete to watch as conference and nationals approach, coach Garry Killgore said.
Senior Stephen Dennis placed second in the high jump, reaching 1.95 meters.
In the throws, senior Clint Moore won the hammer and discus and placed second in the shot put. He will enter the discus in the championship, aiming for a title after taking second place last season.
Moore, who will compete in all three throws during conference, said that he attributes much of his success this season to the early start he had.
“Last season I got a late start on training in part because of being abroad during January Term,” he said. “This season I began weight training the first week of school and competed in our indoor season for the first time.”
Sophomores Catherine Street and Misty Corwin, along with freshman Ryann Nolan, took first, second and third place, respectively. Street, who had already broken the school record in the pole vault, reached 13 feet, 1.5 inches.
The Wildcats will compete in the NWC Championships in Spokane, Wash., April 23-24.
Nic Miles
Sports reporterNic Miles can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

Senior Josh Lovell lands in the sandpit during the Linfield Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational on April 3. Lovell went on to win the long jump by one-hundredth of a meter. - Megan Myer/Photo editor

Bitter winds and saturating rain could not stop the track team from demonstrating its eagerness for the conference meet.
A crew of Linfield’s distance runners traveled to Salem, Ore., on April 2 to compete at the Willamette Invitational.
Running a lifetime best in the 1,500-meter race, sophomore Nelly Evans finished in 4 minutes, 51 seconds to place 13th in a 36-player field.
Distance powerhouse senior Marci Klimek followed suit in the women’s 5K. She ran a season-best of 17:45 and placed 10th out of 26.
Senior Frances Corcorran recorded a season best in the women’s 10K with a time of 39:06.
Late in the evening, seniors Chris McIsaac, Shawn Fisher and Tyler Davis and sophomores Scott Gage and Arian Anderson competed in the men’s 5K. They placed 19th, 24th, 38th, 52nd and 59th, respectively.
The following day, Linfield hosted the Jenn Boyman Invitational, in which the team overcame blustery weather and performed at full potential.
On the women’s side, freshman Melany Crocker was the runner-up in both the 100 and 200 races. She ran 13.27 and 22.73, respectively.
Crocker’s season goal is to beat her lifetime bests (12.81 in the 100 and 26.7 in the 200) and to qualify for finals at the conference meet April 23.
Crocker attributes her success this season to the workouts that head coach Garry Killgore assigns every week.
“[The workouts] are hard, but they’re making us better and preparing us for conference,” Crocker said. “It takes hard work.”
She has proved to be a vital cog in the women’s sprint events. Having already hit qualifying times in the 100, 200 and 400, as well as both relays, the freshman out of Milwaukie, Ore., will spend the next two weeks preparing for the conference championship along with the rest of the team.
Evans also took second in the women’s 800. Her time of 2:22 was a season-best and qualified her to run the race at the conference championships.
In the men’s hammer throw, senior Clint Moore threw 146 feet, 8 inches, to finish third.
Killgore said that Moore will be an athlete to watch as conference and nationals approach. His steady improvement and consistent strong showing demonstrate the threat he will pose to other teams, Killgore said.
Freshman Kyle Pfeifer captured his goal of qualifying for conference by throwing 135 feet, 8 inches.
The Wildcats nearly swept the javelin: Seniors Jeremy Lovell and Josh Scheel and freshmen Patrick McMahon, Clayton Cooper and Joshua Melander placed second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
In the women’s 400 hurdles, junior Brooke Bekkedahl won the event with a time of 1:07.57.
Sophomore Barrett Zetterberg and senior Mike Eldredge worked together to fight off two falls in the men’s 400 hurdles.
Despite nearly wrecking over a hurdle on the back stretch, Zetterberg finished second.
Eldredge came down the final 100-meter stretch on Zetterberg’s heels, only to take a plunge on the final hurdle and drop back to finish fourth.
With conference quickly closing in on the team, Killgore said he is confident that the quality of this season’s athletes will shine through when they are called to battle in Spokane, Wash., on April 23 and 24.
The team will be competing at Pacific University on April 10 in the Pacific Luau.
Nic Miles
Sports reporter Nic Miles can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com