September 21, 2013
Showing Some Wildcat Love

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – In a show of Wildcat solidarity, the Linfield cross country team turned out in big numbers for the Lady Wildcats soccer game against NWC rival University of Puget Sound. The boisterous crowd helped the ‘Cats come away with a 1-0 win against the two-time defending conference champs.

The Wildcat cross country team fills the stands at a recent Linfield women's soccer game.

The win also helped the Wildcats maintain their undefeated record this season. “I’m not going to call us a ‘lucky charm,’” stated senior Jason Hight. “No wait, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

The Linfield women's soccer team's lucky charms?

September 20, 2013
Wildcat Women Win NW Classic

EUGENE, Ore. – Third-place finisher Hannah Greider led a quintet of top-10 finishers that propelled the Wildcats to a women’s team victory at the Northwest Cross Country Classic. The Linfield men took third at the meet, hosted Friday afternoon at Lane Community College.

All five scoring Wildcats finished under 20 minutes for the women’s five-kilometer course. Greider completed the race in 19 minutes, 10 seconds as Linfield’s No. 1 runner, with teammate Siena Noe 13 seconds back, coming in fifth at 19:23. Katie Skinner and Madison Trowbridge finished together in seventh and eighth places, respectively. Skinner clocked in at 19:47 while Trowbridge crossed the tape after 19 minutes, 51 seconds.

The Lady Wildcats huddle up and get ready to roll at the NW XC Classic.

"The women's race was really a lot of fun to watch," stated assistant coach Chris McIsaac. "With five women under 20 minutes and 11 around or below 21 minutes for 5k, there was a whole lot of purple up front.

The Wildcats’ fifth scoring runner was Claire Hann, who was 10th in 19:57. As a team, Linfield scored 33 points, outdistancing Yamhill Country rival George Fox (57) by 24 points. Host Lane was third (75), followed by the University of Oregon Running Club (84) and Pacific (105).

Linfield's victorious women's cross country team cools down as the sun begins to set.

Joe Gladow paced the Wildcat men, who scored 85 points to finish as the top team from the Northwest Conference. The senior averaged 5 minutes, 19 seconds per mile over the four-mile course, clocking in at 21:15.

“Our men were running on tired legs and it showed,” stated McIsaac. “We went hard Tuesday and Thursday this week and you could tell it took it’s toll over the last bit of the race. When we sharpen up a bit, they’ll be ready to roll, no doubt.”

Three additional top-25 finishes came from Michael O’Neil, Calvin Howell and Alex Mangan, O’Neil was 14th in 21:28, Howell placed 22nd in 21:47 and Mangan took 25th in 21:54. Chad Linnerooth rounded out the scoring with a 33rd-place finish (22:19).

Joe Gladow and Michael O'Neil lead the charge early at the NW XC Classic.

Cal Hal is a Linfield Wildcat
September 19, 2013

Not every cross country team has a resident rapper, but not every team is Linfield College. Calvin Howell, AKA "Cal Hal," recently released "I'm A Linfield Wildcat" off his forthcoming album "Oregonized Volume II." To listen to Cal Hal's sweet rhymes, click on the link below:

Listen to I'm A Linfield Wildcat

Cal Hal representing.

Mitchell Far From Over the Hill
September 18, 2013

Greg Mitchell didn’t just settle for cake and presents for his 40th birthday – he now holds the American Master’s record in the 20,000 meters.

Mitchell, a 1995 Linfield graduate, associate cross country coach and accomplished runner, decided to do something special for his birthday. So he hit the track with nearly 200 friends and family in attendance and beat the record by more than three minutes. Read more about his recording-setting run on the Linfield Athletics website.

Linfield coach Greg Mitchell celebrates following his record-setting run.

New American Record

September 13, 2013

A new American Master's Track Record for the 20,000 meters was set by Linfield College associate head cross country and track coach, Greg Mitchell, on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013.  His official time of 1:04:47.16 smashed the old record by more than 3 minutes.  The former record of 1:08:21.5 was set in 2005 by John Metzgar in Jacksonville, FL.

Mitchell (bib #40) being paced through the early laps on his way to the record.

 Mitchell set the record in front of a noisy crowd at the track facility of Linfield College in McMinnville, OR.  The Master's record is for athletes age 40 and older and Mitchell set the new record the evening of his 40th birthday.  A total of five runners competed in the 20k (50 lap) event: Mitchell, Ben Zywicki, 1:04:47.32 (Louisville, CO); Chris McIsaac, 1:13:03.17 (Portland, OR); Brantley Lutz, 1:14:30.86 (Albuquerque, NM); and Cameron Chester, DNF (McMinnville, OR).

"I am thrilled that I got the record," stated Mitchell afterward.  "But having so many friends, family, my athletes, and community members there is what made it truly special.  It's a birthday I won't soon forget!"

Mitchell is an adidas and PowerBar sponsored athlete.  His running accomplishments include a top ten finish at the California International Marathon in 2010 with a time of 2:20:12 and a 34th place finish at the 2010 Boston Marathon (2:24:15).  Mitchell graduated from Linfield in 1995; his collegiate career included two conference crowns and two runner-up finishes in the 10,000 meters, as well as two second-place conference finishes in cross country. He competed in three cross country and two track and field national championship meets as a Wildcat.

Celebrating the new American Master's 20,000 meters record.
L-R: McIsaac, Chester, Mitchell, Lutz, Zywicki

Saturday, September 14, 2013
Wildcats tackle legendary “Dead Dog”

With no meet on the schedule, the Wildcats headed to the Yamhill County countryside for a traditional hard run with roots that date back to the early 1980s.  The team ran a hilly ten-mile workout that included the infamous “Dead Dog” Hill.  The name “Dead Dog” has filled countless Linfield runners with dread since the legend began nearly three decades ago. 

Senior Captain Hannah Greider is the first to emerge from the fog after cresting "Dead Dog."

 The story goes that former Linfield coach George Oja and some of his top runners were running a workout over a hilly farm road outside McMinnville, when a stray dog decided to trot along with them.  As the grade of the hills continued to increase, so too did the dog’s apparent suffering.  Eventually the group, with panting dog in tow, hit an absolutely brutal climb.  As the runners ascended the hill, they noticed that the dog’s heavy panting had subsided.  Looking over their shoulders for their four-legged companion, they saw the canine’s collapsed and lifeless body on the side of the road.  The legend of “Dead Dog” had been born.

The men's team descends on their cool down after reaching the end of the workout.

The 2013 Wildcats pose at High Heaven Road after completing the "Dead Dog" workout.

Though there is no record of any Linfield athletes collapsing on this particular run, all who run the workout would admit that there is a point on the climb where the possibility of death crosses one’s mind.  “This run is a gut-check,” stated associate head coach and former Linfield harrier Greg Mitchell.  “About 10 steps into it, you are presented with the dilemma:  am I going to be tough and press on or am I going to let the hill win?”

Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Rise and Shine

The Wildcat XC team practices every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6:30am, long before your typical Linfield student crawls out of bed for class. “We go early for a lot of reasons,” stated associate head coach Greg Mitchell. “First, we run into hot weather at the tail end of August and early September, so that’s a pretty practical reason. Next, there are no class conflicts at 6:30 in the morning. Team is very important here at Linfield so we want everybody there working together during hard efforts. There is no sense in having a roster full of good athletes if they can’t workout together – pushing and pulling each other closer to greatness. Finally, being dedicated and disciplined enough to go to bed at a reasonable hour so that you can perform well at practice helps shape a runner into an athlete who is tough to beat on race day.”

The men's team pushes the pace at the practice fields.

One of the many locations that the team is able to run is the Linfield College practice fields. The well maintained grass of the football, soccer and lacrosse practice fields is perfect for loops of many varying distances. “The practice field workouts are my favorite,” stated junior Calvin Howell. “Throwing on the spikes and hammering for an hour is always sweet!”

The Lady 'Cats crank out a workout on the practice fields as associate head coach Greg Mitchell looks on.