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Roelle National Champion

Track and Field Iain Dexter, EOU Sports Information Director

NATIONAL CHAMPION! Roelle Caps off Career with Steeplechase Title

GULF SHORES, Ala. – Senior Rachel Roelle sprinted the final lap of her collegiate career to run away with national title in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Saturday afternoon at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Roelle entered the finals as the fourth-seed, but clearly had a lot more left in the tank as she crushed her own school record by over 30 seconds with a time of 10 minutes, 19.06 seconds.

"We knew that Rachel was ready to run fast, but what a dominant performance," said head coach Ben Welch. " When you consider all the storm delays, her composure was remarkable. The entire race she looked calm and in control, eventually pulling away for a commanding win." 
 
A couple runners hung close with Roelle until the final two laps, when she turned on the jets. The senior finished her final lap in 1:18.75, her fastest lap of the race by nearly seven seconds.
 
Fellow senior and steeplechase competitor Nic Maszk followed Roelle's lead to take second place in the men's event. Maszk stuck with the main pack of runners before beginning to separate in the final few laps. In a dead heat, Maszk narrowly finished ahead of Cornerstone's Joey DeBoer by less than .2 of a second with a time of 9:12.16, a PR of 10 seconds. 

"All I can say about the both of them is holy smokes!" said Welch. "Nic positioned himself well throughout the race, moving to near the front of the pack mid race and using a furious finish to snag second place."
 
Also joining in as an All-American was senior hurdler Matthew Kirkendall. The Casacade Collegiate Conference Champion in the 110-meter hurdles and the program's record holder, Kirkendall crossed the finish line in 14.44 seconds to place seventh.
 
Junior Lane Inwards raced in the final event of season for the Mountaineers, running the 5,000 meter run. Inwards also had a strong burst at the end of the race, passing three runners in the final lap to take 10th place. The junior just missed out on All-American, but was the top finishing CCC competitor in race.
 
As a team, the Mountaineer men took 15th place with 18 total points. Maszk and the 4x800-relay team each earned eight points while Kirkendall tallied two points for the team.
 
The women's team placed 26th as a whole with 10 points scored by Roelle and three points by Makayla Akers for her sixth place finish in the women's javelin on Thursday.

"All in all, our placements as a team was a good weekend of competition," said Welch. "With eight All-American honors, it was a satisfying weekend."
 
EOU All-Americans
Rachel Roelle – 1st Place Women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase
Nic Maszk – 2nd Place Men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase
Michael Slagowski, Alex Navarro, Dustin Zimmerly, Thomas Morrell III – 2nd Place Men's 4x800-meter relay
Makayla Akers – 6th Place Women's Javelin Throw
Matthew Kirkendall – 7th Place Men's 110-Meter Hurdles
 
For more information on Eastern Oregon track and field, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.
 
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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu
 
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Players Mentioned

Lane Inwards

Lane Inwards

Mid-Distance
6' 1"
Junior
Matthew Kirkendall

Matthew Kirkendall

Hurdles
Redshirt Senior
Nic Maszk

Nic Maszk

Distance
Graduate Student
Thomas Morrell III

Thomas Morrell III

Mid-Distance
Redshirt Sophomore
Alex Navarro

Alex Navarro

Mid-Distance
Junior
Rachel Roelle

Rachel Roelle

Distance
Graduate Student
Dustin Zimmerly

Dustin Zimmerly

Mid-Distance
6' 2"
Sophomore
Makayla Akers

Makayla Akers

Javelin
Freshman
Michael Slagowski

Michael Slagowski

Mid-Distance
Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

Lane Inwards

Lane Inwards

6' 1"
Junior
Mid-Distance
Matthew Kirkendall

Matthew Kirkendall

Redshirt Senior
Hurdles
Nic Maszk

Nic Maszk

Graduate Student
Distance
Thomas Morrell III

Thomas Morrell III

Redshirt Sophomore
Mid-Distance
Alex Navarro

Alex Navarro

Junior
Mid-Distance
Rachel Roelle

Rachel Roelle

Graduate Student
Distance
Dustin Zimmerly

Dustin Zimmerly

6' 2"
Sophomore
Mid-Distance
Makayla Akers

Makayla Akers

Freshman
Javelin
Michael Slagowski

Michael Slagowski

Redshirt Freshman
Mid-Distance