Shaw, Blair and Pineda set records at Cascade Conference Championships
Contact: Erik Snyder (360) 867-6537
snydere@evergreen.edu
Sports Information Director
The Evergreen State College
May 5, 2006
Gresham , OR -Sophomore Zakiya Shaw and freshman Kelsey Blair set new school records for Evergreen's women's track team as the Geoducks posted a strong showing at the Cascade Conference Championships. With athletes entered in 12 events, the Evergreen track teams recorded several podium finishes in the meet which awarded points to the top six finishers in each event.
Shaw, the only sprinter competing for Evergreen, overcame a tight hamstring in her first attempt at the 200 meters this season to put herself into Evergreen's record books. Shaw posted a 28.75 to claim 16th place, eclipsing the old school mark of 29.7 set by Becky Burton in 1984.
Shaw also set a season's best of 13.60 in the 100 meters to finish in tenth place overall.
Kelsey Blair continued her improvement in the 3000 meter steeple chase dropping another impressive chunk of time off her previous efforts at the event. Steadily moving up through the field, Kelsey earned a spot on the podium with a third place finish. Her time of 12:34.82 eclipsed her own school record by 12 seconds.
Women's 800 meters - Liesl Plomski and Amanda Kirklin doubled back for the two-lapper after running the 1500 meters and finished 15th (2:45.47) and 17th (2:46.97) respectively.
Women's 1500 meters - The trio of Kelsey Blair, Liesl Plomski and Amanda Kirklin ran against a strong field and finished 11th, 12th and 13th respectively. Blair, still tired from her steeple not much more than an hour before, managed a 5:38.3. Plomski ran a season's best of 5:56.8 and Kirklin was home in 6:06.65.
Women's 5000 meters - While the sprinters and throwers were relishing the sun, the distance runners were seeking shade during warm-up and hoping for cloud cover and a slight breeze. Rachel didn't change her race plan with the warmconditions however and opened her first mile at a school record pace. While the pace did slow due to the heat, she managed a personal best of 19:55.89, nearly a minute faster that her 2005 time at this meet. Her sixth place finishsecured a podium spot.
Women's 10,000 meters -In the longest race of the day, warm morning conditionschanged tacticsfor the field who raced for team points rather than times. Cayenne MacKillop ran thefirst5k in a conservative 21:32 before making the decision to run her own race and secure third place. She finished in 42:43, negative splitting her race with a 21:11 second 5k.
Women's 4 x 400 relay - Evergreen's second go at this event this season, Blair, Kirklin, Plomski and Rachel Williams comprised a tired team that had already put in nearly nine miles of events between them. Still, the group posted a season's best time of 4:45.65 to finish 8th.
The men's side of the event saw a limited Evergreen squad. Four athletes represented the Geoduck's in three track events and the javelin.
Miguel Pineda and Patrick Murphy opened things up in the 1500 meters finishing in ninth and 12 th place respectively. Pineda was slightly off his game in this event but ran a respectable 4:14.75 while Murphy improved on his personal best with a time of 4:41 .
After a disappointing 1500 meters, Pineda was ready to make amends in the 800 meters. Running in the second of two heats, he wonthe heat and just missed a spot on the podium with a seventh place overall finish. His time of 1:58.66 vanquished the former school record of 1:59.4 set in 2004 by Nathan Chambers.
Men's 5000 meters - First year Joe Williams competed in this event for the first time andpaced an18:11.94 to finish 15th.
Men's Javelin - Kyle Merslich went up against a strong field that included three throwers hitting the qualifying standardfor the NAIA Championships as well as an amazing meet recordlaunch by the current NAIA leader Scott Halley. Merslich's best throw of the day came on his first, hitting 50 meters (164' 00"). A mark that is just short of his season's best and one that earned him 8th place.