Neal Earns All-Region Honors at Championships

November 15, 2014

SALEM, Ore. – In an impressive performance that earned her all-region status, freshman Kaelia Neal led the Linfield women to a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Division III West Regional, contested Saturday morning at Bush Park.

“The girls team did well. We achieved our goal of being top 10 at Regionals,” stated Neal. “My personal goal was to be All-Region. I want to run every race like it is my last and push myself to be the best I can be.”

Kaelia Neal on her way to finishing 29th at the West Regional Championships.

Neal finished 29th overall, clocking in at 23 minutes, 21.1 seconds for the six-kilometer course, as the Wildcats finished fifth among Northwest Conference teams, one position better than how the squad finished at the league championship two weeks previously.

Jeff Lee leads the Wildcats at the West Regional Championships.

A rookie led the men's contingent as well, as Jeff Lee recorded a 54th-place finish to help Linfield place 15th in the team standings. Totaling 373 points, the Wildcats placed sixth among NWC squads, matching their performance at the league meet.

Flint Martino completed the eight-kilometer course in 27:23.1 to finish 70th overall. Competing in his second regional competition, Adrian Clifford registered a career-high finish, taking 73rd and clocking in at 27 minutes, 29.3 seconds. Chris Roth and Chris Poole rounded out the scoring in 89th and 94th, respectively. Roth finished in 27 minutes, 53.4 seconds while Poole was about 11 seconds behind in 28:04.3.

Flint Martino, Alex Mangan and Adrian Clifford push the pace early in the race.

On the women's side, Neal lead a 1-2 freshman finish for the Wildcats as Emma Knudson placed 44th overall in 23 minutes, 43 seconds. “I think we all raced our hearts out and gave it our all,” stated Knudson. “I’m proud of how we did as a whole.”

Linfield's senior trio of Audrey Lichten, Brooke Niemann and Calli Dowdy contributed to Linfield's total team score of 257 points. Lichten registered a career-high finish, placing 51st in 23:52.2. Niemann placed 60th (24:07.3) and Dowdy, competing in her first regional meet, was 78th (24:48.8).

Senior Audrey Lichten battles mid-race in her final xc race as a Wildcat.

"We had some misfortune and hiccups as the season wound-down,” stated associate head coach Greg Mitchell. “I mean, our top runner on the men’s side broke his toe during the regional race. How often does that happen? That said, the men and women persevered and are better runners and tougher racers now than they were at the beginning of the season. They’re only going to continue to get better.”

Freshman Kaelia Neal celebrates her All-Region status.

Gage Races with Elites at NYC Marathon
November 2, 2014

NewYork, NY - Linfield Alum and XC All-American Marci (Klimek) Gage, battled high winds and world-class competition at the legendary New York City Marathon recently. Gage finished in an impressive time of 2:40, which was good enough to place her seventh among American women and 17th overall among female competitors.

"The experience of the race was amazing, it was so much fun to be able to have the freedom to race a marathon, not just for time, but primarily as a competitor," stated Gage. "I would be lying if I didn't say that I was disappointed with the finishing time, but, I know that there will be other days built for fast times, NYC was a day to soak in the true enjoyment of racing and the excitement of race day. It's a unique and wonderful thing that over comes not only the people within the race, bring them to tears of joy and pain, but also fills the lungs, eyes, minds and hearts of the people and city surrounding the race."

For a more in-depth analysis of Gage's NYC Marathon race experience, be sure to check out her blog: Runner Marci

Marci Gage (left) battles against her competition and the elements at the NYC Marathon.

Wildcats Battle at NWC Championships

November 1, 2014

SALEM, Ore. – Placing among the Top 25 competitors in their respective races, Alex Mangan and Kaelia Neal paced the Wildcats at the Northwest Conference Cross Country Championships, contested Saturday morning at Bush's Pasture Park.

The men's start at the 2014 NWC Championships.

Mangan was Linfield's highest finisher overall, placing 19th in the men's eight-kilometer race. The junior Wildcat clocked in at 26 minutes, 43.6 seconds. As a team, the Linfield men placed sixth, totaling 161 points. The Wildcat women also placed sixth in the team standings, totaling 153 points.

“While we didn't finish where we wanted as a team, I was proud with the way everybody competed,” said head coach Travis Olson. “I feel like we gave our best effort on both sides and that is all I can ever ask of my team. We are looking forward to improving at Regionals in a couple of weeks.”

Competing in her first conference championship meet, Neal finished 24th in the women's 6K with a time of 23 minutes, 26 seconds. Linfield's scoring runners finished within 43 seconds of each other and all placed among the Top 40 competitors.

Kaelia Neal leads the Wildcats at the NWC Championships.

Emma Kundson snuck into the Top 30, clocking in at 23:42.2 for 29th place. Seniors Audrey Lichten, Calli Dowdy and Brooke Niemann rounded out the scoring for the Wildcats. Lichten was 35th (23:52.2), Dowdy 36th (24:04.2) and Niemann 39th (24:09.1). It was Dowdy's highest career finish, topping her 63rd-place effort in 2013.

Emma Knudson, Audrey Lichten and Calli Dowdy push the pace.

On the men's side, Jeff Lee made his NWC Championships debut with a 27th-place performance, coming in at 27 minutes, 0.3 seconds. Adrian Clifford and Chris Poole recorded career-high finishes with Clifford finishing 33rd (27:21.3) and Poole taking 40th (27:31.7).

Flint Martino and Chris Poole work together to move up mid-race. 

Chris Roth competing in his first championship meet, finished 45th in 27 minutes, 43.7 seconds. Linfield competed without Michael O'Neil, a second team all-NWC performer last season as a freshman, due to injury


"I know nobody is going to be overly impressed with 6th place finishes," stated associate head coach Greg Mitchell. "But I think this group ran pretty well. We've got a lot of young runners who gained championship experience and we've got some athletes coming back from injury who will benefit from two more weeks of training... there is no doubt in my mind we'll beat some of the top five NWC teams at Regionals."

Wildcat Spotlight: Calli Dowdy is "Leaving Footprints"
October 29, 2014

Linfield senior and business marketing major Calli Dowdy used to consider herself a mid-distance track athlete who just ran cross country to stay in shape. But there's no denying she has stepped up to become a team leader on and off the course this fall…

Read the rest of the profile of this stand-out cross country captain on the Linfield College Athletics Website: Leaving Footprints.

Linfield's Calli Dowdy finishes strong at a recent cross country race.

Mitchell Wins USATF Masters 15k Title
October 25, 2014

TULSA, OK - Just three weeks after capturing the USATF Masters 5k title, Linfield associate head coach Greg Mitchell crossed the line first to win the 15k championship.

"It was pretty tough," stated Mitchell who overcame the hot weather and a hilly course to grab the title. "Who knew Oklahoma had so many hills?"

Mitchell came home in a time of 48:30 over the course, almost four minutes ahead of the second place finisher. The win was Mitchell's fifth masters national title since turning 40 in 2013.

Mitchell breaks the tape at the USATF 15k Championships.