Women's and Men's teams both place 9th at Championships

Uhlig and Blair accepting Steeplechase awards

May 11, 2007

LA GRANDE, Oregon - Evergreen's men's team made history this weekend by being the first team to ever score points in the Cascade Conference Championships since Evergreen Track and Field joined the conference in 2003. The women's team, competing in the championships with only four team members, finished just one point behind their 2006 team score.

Kelly Beckham was the top finisher for Evergreen on the last day of the Championships. She rebounded from a disappointing 1500 meters the previous day by placing 7th in the women's 5,000 meters with a time of 19:55. All four Evergreen team members participated in the event, which was contested in near 80 degree heat, and had ran events on Friday. Emily Uhlig, Kelsey Blair and Diann Leo finished 12th, 14th and 16th respectively.

Jason Shoemaker finished 15th in the 200 meters, posting his seasons best mark in that event. Evergreen had 4 men in the crowded 5000 meters, which was contested in two sections. Eric Jones was the top finisher for the Geoducks in 13th place. Brian Rakestraw and James Hudson, still feeling the effects of the warm 10,000 meters the day before, finished 21st and 24th respectively. Darin Martin finished in 31st place.

The meet marked an official end to the 2007 season. Evergreen's two National Championships qualifiers will not make the trip to Fresno in two weeks. Jason McConnell and Brian Rakestraw qualified for the marathon. McConnell broke his toe last month and Rakestraw, a freshman, will continue to focus on the 5,000 and 10,000 meters before moving up to the marathon distance.