Frosh athletes lead squad at PLU Invite
March 17, 2007
PARKLAND, Wash. - Three freshman team members earned podium finishes at Saturday's Pacific Lutheran University Invite. This was the first outdoor meet of the season for the men and women of Geoduck Track and Field.
Brian Rakestraw (Woodinville HS) gave Evergreen a second place finish in the men's 10,000 meters in the first running event of the day. Kelly Beckham (Interlake HS) finished fourth in the 1500 meters with a time of 5:04.91. Donovan Montross (S. Whidbey HS) placed 5th in the men's discus with a toss of 32.19m (105'-07").
The men's 10,000 meters had two Evergreen entrants, Rakestraw and Jason McConnell. Rakestraw motored along with the lead pack of four until CWU's Sam Scotchmer pulled away for good just before the halfway mark. Rakestraw held off the remaining challengers to finish in a time of 32:59.81, which places him near the top of the Evergreen all-time best list for that event. McConnell set a personal best of 34:45.23 to finish 8th.
In the first heat of the women's 1500 meters, Beckham ran a smart race as she moved up through much of the pack that had suffered from the effects of a fast start. Junior Emily Uhlig ran in the second heat of the metric mile and finished 12th overall.
Montross was the lone field event entrant for Evergreen. Throwing in wet conditions, he was able to set a mark for him to beat in future competitions. It was the first collegiate meet for Montross.
Evergreen entrants in other events included the men's 100 and 200 meters, where Jason Shoemaker finished 14th and 16th respectively. Diann Leo finished 6th in the women's 10,000 meters in her first attempt at that distance. Miguel Pineda and Eric Jones placed 15th and 16th in the men's 1500 meters.
Track and Field will compete next at the Spring Break Open on March 31st in Edmonds, WA.