Senior Moment

Graduating Senior Hannah Greider Takes Time to Reflect on What Sets Linfield Apart

It's hard for me to pick the most memorable aspect of Linfield XC/Track over the past four years because of the scope of the impact this program has had on me. Coming in freshman year I never imagined how much this team would affect me and my college experience. Generally, I would say that the people on this team, as well as the coaches, have been the most memorable and invaluable aspects of running for Linfield college. After joining in the fall of 2010, I immediately had a group of friends who I spent so much of my time with that I had no desire to meet anyone else! Throughout the years I did branch out and meet more people at Linfield, but my team became my confidants, my supporters and my best friends (it's hard not to bond after 6am practices, hill repeats, 8 hour long van rides and 10 mile workouts...). Although there can be tension at times, I know I could go to just about anyone on the team for support, and many of these teammates I'm sure I'll stay in contact with long past graduation. I think the Linfield program is great because we do so much of training together rather than independently. I've heard of other NW conference teams who only meet for workouts, but at Linfield we see each other almost every day, which is great (usually... ha), especially if you are lacking in motivation from time to time.

I also believe that I could not have asked for better coaches. I'm probably more than a little bit biased, but without mentioning what other coaches in our conference may be lacking, I definitely believe Greg and Trav have been the best coaches I could've ask for. With their help and support I improved my 5k time by almost 2 minutes(!!!) and not only that, I had a lot of fun running under their leadership. I never felt overly pressured or stressed (besides that which I put on myself) and knew I could go talk to them about any issues I had, whether they were running related or not. These coaches definitely set Linfield apart and raise the bar for other coaches and programs who not only want their athletes to succeed, but to also enjoy their experience.

My description may give of an overly idealistic impression of running at Linfield, and it may not be for everyone, but for me, running at Linfield has been the best decision I made coming to Linfield and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. I could probably keep rambling on about Linfield xc/track for quite a while, but for the sake of everyone, and before I start to make myself cry, I'll end by suggesting that anyone who is looking for the whole package, performance, fun, lifetime experiences, Linfield is a great fit.

Hannah posing with her coaches at the 2013 West Regional XC Meet.

Lewis and Clark Open Closes the Door on Regular Season
April 19, 2014

The Lewis and Clark Open marked the end of pre-conference meets and the Wildcats took advantage of the last chance to qualify despite rainy and windy conditions. Hannah Greider and Audrey Lichten battled in the 1500 meters with both clocking 4:48, a season's best for both athletes. Not far behind, Katie Skinner notched a lifetime best crossing the line in 4:51.

On the men's side, Chad Linnerooth knocked 10 seconds off of his 1500m time, running 4:01 and easily qualifying for the NWC championship. Jason Hight followed Linnerooth's breakthrough race with an impressive performance of his own, cutting a whopping 18 seconds off of his 5000 meter best, finishing in 15:42,  easily hitting the conference mark as well. "The dude tried to drop me," stated Hight recounting his battle during the race. "But I didn't go away."

Jason Hight pushes the pace on his way to a lifetime best in the 5000 meters.

"I am really excited for the Conference championships next week," stated distance coach Greg Mitchell. "We're firing on all cylinders - just about everyone has run lifetime or season's bests over the past two weeks. We just need to keep things rolling."

The Wildcats head to the NWC Conference Championships hosted by the University of Puget Sound on April 25 and 26. Entrants for the Wildcats are as follows:

800 meters - Audrey Lichten, Madison Trowbridge, Calli Dowdy, Chad Linnerooth
1500 meters - Audrey Lichten, Madison Trowbridge, Chad Linnerooth, Mike O'Neil
3k Steeplechase - Katie Skinner, Brandon Lemerande, Chris Roth
5000 meters - Hannah Greider, Siena Noe, Katie Skinner, Joe Gladow, Jason Hight, Mike O'Neil
10000 meters - Hannah Greider, Siena Noe, Adrian Clifford, Joe Gladow, Jason Hight

Senior Moment:
Graduating Senior Brandon Lemerande Takes Time to Reflect on What Sets Linfield Apart

The most memorable aspect of being a part of Linfield XC and Track has been the comradery that our program has had over the last four years. I have friends that run for a lot of other schools, at a lot of different levels and from what I have heard we have a unique chemistry here. I have friends that I would take bullets for. They are the kind of friendships that can only be developed through 6am workouts in fog and ice or fifteen mile long runs down gravel roads that only go by names we made up.  I will have great morning runs and workouts worth remembering after college, but I will never have a team like I had here… it is something truly worth remembering and undoubtedly what made the experience so incredible for me.

In addition to the team dynamic that I mentioned, I think what sets the Linfield apart from other programs out there is the coaching staff. They put our athletes in a position to be successful long term. This is not a “thin the heard and the strongest left standing will be champions” type program. These coaches aren’t going to take an athlete who comes in as a freshman and run him 100 miles a week to try and milk four good years out of him. They are still going to put that athlete in a position to become a great runner, but they are going to do it in a sustainable manner. Thanks to that I will have the opportunity to continue to run competitively for many, many years after college. I am not trying to make a sales pitch to anyone here, but I do hope young athletes realize how rare it is to find someone who will really look out for what is in your best interest long term.

Brandon Lemerande (2nd from right) hanging with his teammates at a recent meet.

Sun, Wildcats Shine at Pacific Luau Meet
April 12, 2014

The sun came out at Pacific University and ignited the Linfield distance crew, leading to personal records, season’s bests and conference qualifiers a plenty. On the women’s side, Hannah Greider moved up the Wildcat Top 10 list with a career-best winning time in the 5,000 meters. The senior completed the 12½-lap race in 18:10.10, knocking 2.46 seconds off her previous best time to move from 10th to eighth in the record books. Siena Noe took second in the 5K in a career-best 18 minutes, 21.27 seconds.

“Hannah’s performance was pretty impressive,” stated distance coach Greg Mitchell. “She wanted to go sub-18, but with just Siena to help push the pace up front, she fell off a bit. But they both raced great and came away with lifetime bests, so not too shabby.”

Hannah Greider (#1) and Siena Noe (#3) lead the field in the women's 5k.

Other notable performances on the women’s side: Katie Skinner chopped more than seven seconds off her previous best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, taking second in the event, while Madison Trowbridge supplied two more career-best performances for the Linfield distance crew in the 800 and 1,500 meters. The junior chopped more than three seconds off her PR in the 800 (2:21.05) and almost 14 seconds in the 1,500 (4:56.60). Calli Dowdy also punched her ticket to the NWC Conference Championships by running a PR in the 800 meters. Her 2:25.24 was a 2 second improvement on her previous best and well under the conference standard.

“Calli’s performance was definitely the highlight of the meet for me,” stated Mitchell. “She’s been so close for so long and she finally got it done. It just shows what hard work and determination will get you in this sport. I’m really proud of her.”

Chris Roth negotiates a barrier on his way to victory in the men's steeplechase.

On the men’s side, Joe Gladow and Chris Roth paced the distance contingent with individual victories in the 5,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase, respectively. Gladow clocked in at 15 minutes, 30.90 seconds in the 5K while Roth registered more than a 10-second PR in the first event of the day (10:29.53). Brandon Lemerande was third in the steeplechase (10:54.23). Another notable performance came from Chad Linnerooth in the 800 meters, where Linnerooth smashed his previous best and qualified for the conference meet by finishing 2nd in 1:58.55.

“Like Calli, Chad had been knocking on the door for quite sometime and it was great to see him finally bust it down in a big way,” stated Mitchell. “The team is running well which is exactly what you want to see with the championships looming just 2 weeks away.”

Wildcats Perform Well at Home

April 5, 2014

For the second time this year, the Wildcats hosted competition on their own track and despite wet and windy conditions, Linfield athletes had strong performances.

Audrey Lichten supplied a season-best time en route to a third-place effort in the 800 (2:22.97). Lichten was supported by strong performances in the mid-distances from Katie Higinbotham, Calli Dowdy, Maddy Noe, and Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf in the 1500 and 800.

Katie Higinbotham racing well toward a new PR in the women's 1500m.

Hannah Greider led a Linfield sweep of the top four places in the 5,000-meter run, clocking in at 18 minutes, 33.79 seconds. Senior teammates Siena Noe and Katie Skinner finished in immediate succession. Noe was second in 18:42.74 while Skinner took third in 18:48.53. Madison Trowbridge followed close behind in 19:03.62.

“If the 5k was scored like a cross country race, we would have had a perfect score going,” joked distance coach Greg Mitchell. “The weather and competition really prevented faster times, but the ladies raced hard and are really ready for a break through in the coming weeks.”

Linfield's men’s distance crew, cheered on a third-place performance from Joe Gladow in the 5,000 meters (15:42.41). Gladow was followed across the line by Jason Hight (16:00), Adrian Clifford (16:27), and Chris Roth (16:37).

Tyler Griffin battles to the line in the men's 1500m.

L&C Spring Break Open Produces Fast Times
March 22, 2014

Under blue skies befitting Spring Break, the Lewis and Clark Open proved to be a good day for the Wildcats. In the distance events, Katie Skinner was second in her first career 3,000-meter steeplechase (12:19.14), qualifying for the NWC championships and Hannah Greider claimed runner-up status in the 1,500 in 4 minutes, 48.81 seconds, just 1.81 seconds away from cracking the Linfield Top 10.

Katie Skinner attacks the water barrier on her way to a strong showing in the 3k steeplechase.

“The highlight of the meet for me was having five women under 5:05 in the 1500 meters,” stated distance coach Greg Mitchell. “Hannah in 4:48, Audrey in 4:54, Madison in 4:58, Siena in 4:59 and Calli 5:04 – it really shows the depth of our team.”

Maddy Noe, Siena Noe, Hannah Greider and Calli Dowdy crank it up in the 800m.

On the men’s side, Chris Roth and Brandon Lemerande both qualified for the conference meet by finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Roth clocked in at 10:41.23 while Lemerande registered a time of 10:41.51, dropping nearly seven seconds off his previous best time.

In other distance events, Michael O'Neil placed fifth in the 1,500 (4:03.78) and was fourth in the 5,000 (career-best 16:01.30).

Art O'Kelly leads the field during the men's 800m.

“We had good showings in everything from the 800 to the 5000,” stated Mitchell. “We had some tired legs going in to this meet, so it was fun to see fast times despite the heaviness.”