Evergreen sends four thinclads to Cascade Conference Championships
Saturday, May 8, 2004
KLAMATH FALLS, OR -- Oregon Tech was the host of the 2004 Cascade Conference Championships and the first championship for Evergreen's Track and Field squad. Eight Conference schools competed.
Evergreen's Liesl Plomski, the lone female on the team, started off the day with a courageous 8th place finish in the 1500 meters. Following a slow, tactical pace in the first lap, Liesl hung on as the runners gradually accelerated to battle speed over the next two laps in a move that separated the top-seeded athletes from the main field. Indoor Track National Champion Kristina Proticova of NWC was the only one to match SOU's Brynn Codgill surge in the last lap before blasting by her to take the win by two seconds in a time of 4:56.48. A time well off her personal best of 4:33 but good enough to shatter the stadium record. Plomski was on pace for a personal record before the combination of her asthma and the altitude took its toll on her the last 100 meters. The freshman gutted it out to cross the finish line and collapsed shortly beyond on the infield completely spent. "Believe it or not, Liesl still considered running in the 800 meters less than two hours later" commented Coach Craig Dickson. "I had her do some light jogging a half hour before that event and that was enough to convince us both that she should scratch that event when she still felt lightheaded".
The 4,500 foot elevation slowed the distance races, of which the majority of Evergreen's team competes in, into more strategic than fast events. In a race that began similar to the women's 1500 meters, the men's 1500 became tactical with a first lap that would be more suitable to the 5000 meters. Nathan Chambers and Robert Martindale of Evergreen ran strong races with Chambers holding on to the breakaway pack that had emerged with one lap to go. Chambers crossed the finish with a 4:11.12 to earn 8th place and Martindale was 14th in 4:58.37. SOU's Sean Peterson, ranked number one in the event in the conference, narrowly won the race in 4:01.75.
Chambers raced the 800 meters as well finishing 11th in 2:06.31. Martindale also doubled. This time in the 200 meters and finished 15th with a time of 25.98. It was his first attempt at the event.
The Men's 5000 meters, the final event of the day for Evergreen, Josh Klimek moved higher up in the Conference rankings with his 7th place finish (16:15.24). EOU's Tim Riley (15:28.89) led a 1-4 sweep for his school. His convincing win led six runners under the stadium record.
It was a good day for Evergreen with three athletes improving on their CCC rankings. Additionally, they ended the first varsity season in over a decade and lowered school records in five different events.
Full results at: http://sports2.oit.edu/0304/Track/CCC2004/index.htm