Season Bests Abound at Mt. Hood Open
March 15, 2014

The Mt. Hood Open proved to be a big meet in terms of participants and competition and the Wildcats responded with big performances. The majority of the crew boarded the bus back to McMinnville with a seasons best in tow and five Linfield distance runners came home with lifetime bests.

Audrey Lichten powers up the homestretch to a commanding victory in the 1500 meters.

On the women's side, Audrey Lichten dominated the 1500 meters in a seasons best 4:51 while Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf (2:36) and Madeline Noe (2:30) snagged lifetime bests in the 800 meters. Hannah Greider also snagged a new PR in the 5000 meters (18:12).

Calli Dowdy (r) and Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf (l) push the pace in the 800 meters.

For the men, seasons bests abounded in the 800 meters with Manuel Finley (2:04), Chad Linnerooth (2:04) and Art O'Kelly (2:03) all racing well. In the 5000 meters, Joe Gladow ran a controlled and intelligent race which resulted in a third-place finish and a new lifetime best of 15:25. Freshman Mike O'Neil (15:47) also snagged a conference qualifier at the meet.

Adrian Clifford (r) and Jason Hight (l) battle for position during the 5000 meters.

"Each meet this season has been loads of fun," stated distance coach Greg Mitchell. "It's great to see all the hard work paying off for the team. I expect times to continue to drop through the championships meet."

Linfield Battles Well Versus GFU and Pacific
March 8, 2014

Despite a gray, rainy day in Newberg, the Wildcat distance crew shone brightly in a three-way battle against Pacific University and George Fox University.

Hannah Greider, Katie Skinner and Siena Noe swept the 5,000 meters. Greider clocked in at 18 minutes, 23.82 seconds, Skinner recorded a time of 18:28.42 and Noe was just behind in 18:30.95. Audrey Lichten performed extremely well in the middle distance events, winning the 1,500 (4:54.15) and taking second in the 800 (2:24.11). Both times were season bests.

Hannah Greider, Siena Noe and Katie Skinner battle while dominating the 5k at GFU.

"Obviously, the season is relatively young, but we've seen some impressive efforts already," stated distance coach Greg Mitchell. "Watching Hannah, Katie and Siena duke it out and run that fast was pretty fun."

Manuel Finley raced well and came home third in the 800 meters (2:06.09) and Joe Gladow finished strong in the 5000 meters, hitting a NWC conference qualifying mark along the way (15:51).

The men's field races from the line in the 5k.

Linfield Icebreaker Gets Season Off and Running

March 1, 2014

The Wildcats got the 2014 track campaign off to a great start at the Linfield College Erik Anderson Icebreaker over the weekend. The 10,000 meters was the focal event on Friday night under the lights of Maxwell Stadium. The women's race was first and saw three Wildcat ladies meet the NWC qualifying standard. Hannah Greider (38:19), Siena Noe (38:43) and Katie Skinner (39:27) put forth impressive performances, with Greider landing in the number seven spot on the Linfield all-time list.

Greider, Noe and Skinner work together mid-race during the women's 10k.

There was also significant success for the Wildcats on the men's side, with four individuals qualifying for the conference meet. Joe Gladow (32:54), Adrian Clifford (34:20), Jason Hight (34:26) and Brandon Lemerande (34:34) all hit the mark.

Gladow battles late in the men's 10k.

Beyond the 10k, the 'Cats had a strong meet overall with numerous athletes hitting NWC marks or surpassing their PRs. "We've obviously still got a ways to go," stated distance coach Greg Mitchell. "But this was a nice start to the season. We'll continue to improve as the season unfolds, so I'm excited to see where we end up."