PORTLAND – Mountaineers Track & Field put together solid performances on Saturday as they had multiple top-10 finishes across two meets and totaled eight winners between the Linfield Open and Portland Twilight. Eastern Oregon also had five NAIA qualifying marks hit on the day as well.

Hitting automatic qualifying marks as individuals were Hunter Nichols in the 1,500-meter run and Maggie Ledbetter in the shot put. The Mounties also auto-qualified a relay team in the women's 4x800. Nichols and the relay team qualified at Portland, while Ledbetter qualified at Linfield.

Nichols clocked a 3:53.04 in the 1,500 and was 14th overall in the race. His time was over the NAIA A standard by nearly one second and currently ranks 17th overall. He also ranks fourth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference now with his time.

Auto-qualifying in the 4x800 was quartet of Lauryn Mitchell, Jaimee Baxter, Katie Jo Gebhardt, and Michelle Herbes. The squad ran a time of 9:16.50 and finished second overall in the race. Their time ranks sixth in the NAIA and is second fastest in the CCC.

After multiple weeks of hitting the NAIA B standard mark and just missing the A standard, Ledbetter finally punched her ticket to Outdoor Nationals in the shot put. The senior heaved the rock a distance of 45-2 ¼ at Linfield and was the event winner. Her throw is now 10th best in the NAIA and she is the overall leader in the CCC as well.

Ledbetter also improved upon her B standard mark in the hammer throw. She finished second with a throw of 160-10, which is now 25th in the NAIA and fifth in the CCC. Allie Best also hit a B standard throw in javelin at Linfield. She finished second with a mark of 127-11, which is 24th in the NAIA. Her throw also moved her up to eighth on the CCC performance list.

The majority of the wins for the Mounties came at the Linfield Open with seven. The field event athletes dominated the wins with five of the seven coming in that area. Ledbetter won the shot put, while Kenna Woodward was the event winner in the hammer throw.

Woodward hit a mark of 161-9 to take home the win and edge Ledbetter out by 11 inches. Ledbetter also won the discus to secure victories on the day. She chucked the disc a distance of 137-6 for the win. Rounding out the field event wins for EOU was Tyler Jones and Darrian Walker.

Jones won the high jump as he matched his season best mark of 6-6 ¾ in the vertical leaping event. His mark was the same as the weekend before at the OSU High Performance Meet and he still leads the CCC with his height. Walker had a bounce back performance on Saturday after no heighting at the Oregon Twilight. He cleared the bar at 15-7 ¼ to secure the win.  He still leads the CCC in the event and his seventh in the NAIA.

Picking up wins on the track at Linfield was Judson Mansfield and Dierdre McKay. Mansfield won the 400-meter hurdles, running a 58.47. McKay was the event winner in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 12:25.49. Mansfield's time is now sixth in the CCC, while McKay's time is 11th in the conference.

At the Portland Twilight, Cody Milmine and Bryce Peters both ran top-three times. Peters finished second in the 200, running a 22.67. Milmine was third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.28. The duo were also part of the winning 4x100-meter relay squad, which was the lone win at the Portland Twilight.

In the 4x100 was DJ Wilson, TJ Davis, Peters, and Milmine. The group clocked a collective time of 42.03 to earn the win. Their time also moved them to first on the CCC performance list. Wilson also ran in the 200 and placed third in a time of 22.68.

In the steeplechase at Linfield, Kendra Blake was second behind McKay. She ran a time of 12:46.32 for the runner-up finish. Jessica McDonald was fifth in the race as well, running a 13:39.17.

In the 400 hurdles at Linfield, both Karli Bedard and Ryan Robinson were fourth in the event. Bedard ran a 69.47, while Robinson ran a 63.58. In the women's race Kendall Bonzani was seventh, running a 70.95.

In the javelin, the Mountaineer women totaled three top-five finishes. Best led the charge placing second, while Samantha Conley was fourth and Lainy Jacobsen was fifth. Conley threw 121-6 and Jacobsen threw 121-0. In shot put, Woodward was fourth with a throw of 39-10. 

The Mountaineers will now turn their attention to the 2022 CCC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, presented by U.S. Bank. Eastern will compete at the conference meet next Friday-Saturday, May 13-14. Hosting the meet this year is Southern Oregon University.

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