EOU Track and Field sends 24 Athletes to National Championships
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, May 22nd, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – (Information from Eastern Oregon University) Eastern Oregon University recently announced that it will be sending 24 total track and field athletes to the 2023 National Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana during May 24-26. The women’s team consists of 15 athletes and the men’s 9. EOU provided two different releases for the announcement, one covering the players and statistics of each team.
For the women’s team:
“Eastern Oregon will send a strong squad consisting of 15 athletes on the women’s side.
Over half of EOU’s women’s team qualified for nationals this year. More specifically, 53% of the women’s team who competed in outdoor track and field this year qualified for the National Championships (15 of 28). All qualifiers are listed below:
| NAME | EVENT | SEED | TIME / MARK |
| Morgan Bayes | 4x400m Relay 4x100m Relay 400m Hurdles | 20 24 11 | 3:55.15 47.59 1:02.65 |
| Allie Best | Javelin | 6 | 43.45m |
| Katie Brown | 4x400m Relay 4x100m Relay | 20 24 | 3:55.15 47.59 |
| Yahaira Chavarria-Mondragon | 200 Meters 4x400m Relay 4x100m Relay | 23 20 24 | 24.78 3:55.15 47.59 |
| Samantha Conley | Heptathlon | 13 | 4296 Points |
| Katie Jo Gebhardt | 4x800m Relay 4x400m Relay | 4 20 | 9:13.41 3:55.15 |
| Elizabeth Grandle | Heptathlon Javelin | 9 16 | 4445 41.04m |
| Michelle Herbes | 800 Meters 4x800m Relay 4x400m Relay | 10 4 20 | 2:12.74 9:13.41 3:55.15 |
| Maggie Ledbetter | Shot Put Discus Hammer | 1 17 7 | 14.87m 44.79m 53.65m |
| Lauryn Mitchell | 800 Meters 4x800m Relay 4x400m Relay | 17 4 20 | 2:14.74 9:13.41 3:55.15 |
| Riley Morris | 4x800m Relay | 4 | 9:13.41 |
| Madelyn Nichols | 4x800m Relay | 4 | 9:13.41 |
| Sydney Peck | 4x400m Relay 4x100m Relay | 20 24 | 3:55.15 47.59 |
| Sade Williams | 4x100m Relay | 24 | 47.59 |
| Kenna Woodward | Hammer | 6 | 53.59m |
The announcement comes a day after the Mounties were rated No. 9 in the nation by USTFCCCA in the week eight National Rating Index. The Mounties remained in the top 10 (No. 9) and moved up to the No. 2 spot in the West Region.
In individual events Eastern is ranked inside the top 10 in eight different competitions. The most notable move was in the discus where EOU climbed four spots into the top 10 nationally at No. 8.
Event rankings for the women are listed below:
400 Meter Hurdles: #2
800 Meter Run: #6
1500 Meter Run: #9
High Jump: #5
Shot Put: #7
Discus: #8
Hammer Throw: #4
Javelin: #2”
And for the men’s team:
“Eastern Oregon will send a strong squad consisting of nine athletes on the men’s side.
Nearly a quarter of Eastern’s outdoor competitors qualified for the National Championships this spring. In total, nine of 37 earned qualifications.
All Qualifiers are listed below:
| NAME | EVENT | SEED | TIME / MARK |
| Justin Ash | 3000m Steeple | 9 | 9:19.58 |
| Mark Church | Discus | 31 | 47.60 |
| Tyler Jones | High Jump | 2.05m | 14 |
| Moses McAninch | Javelin | 16 | 58.81m |
| Cristian Mendoza | 5,000 Meters | 27 | 14:45.50 |
| Israel Miles | Decathlon | 15 | 6027 |
| Tanner Nett | Shot Put | 4 | 16.91m |
| Hunter Nichols | 1500 | 15 | 3:51.79 |
| Travis Running | 10000 Meters | 29 | 31:14.92 |
The announcement comes a day after the Mounties were rated No. 34 in the nation by USTFCCCA in the week eight National Rating Index. EOU remained second overall in the West Region and sits at No. 34 overall after clinching the CCC Championship Title last weekend.
In individual events Eastern is ranked inside the top 10 in eight different competitions. A big weekend in the jumps saw EOU rise into the top 10 in both the long jump and triple jump for the first time this season.
Event rankings for the men are listed below:
400 Meter Hurdles: #7
1500 Meter Run: #5
5000 Meter Run: #8
High Jump: #7
Pole Vault: #9
Long Jump: #10
Triple Jump: #7
Javelin: #10”
Good luck to all athletes!
