Willamette Track and Field Teams are Nationally Ranked

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's and women's track and field teams are nationally ranked in the latest NCAA Division III Team Computer Rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday, April 13. The Willamette men's team is ranked #22 and the Bearcat women's team is ranked #25.

The top team in the men's rankings is McMurry University (Texas) with 208.53 points in the rankings. Central College (Iowa) is #2 with 136.14 points. The University of La Verne (Calif.) is #3 with 123.37 points, while the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is #4 at 121.1 and Washington University (Mo.) is #5 at 119.30.

In the women's rankings, Wartburg College (Iowa) is ranked #1 with 238.40 points, with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at #2 with 191.74 points. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) is listed at #3 with 135.81 points. Methodist College (N.C.) follows closely at #4 with 133.56 points, while Whitworth University is #5 at 116.42

Willamette has six athletes who have achieved a total of seven NCAA Division III provisional qualifying marks this spring.

Bearcats from the men's team with NCAA provisional marks are Leo Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS) in the 10,000-meter run, Evin Colignon (Sr., Poulsbo, WA/Charles Wright Academy) in the decathlon, Ben Donovan (Jr., Minneapolis, MN/South HS) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and David Oppat (Sr., Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) in the shot put.

Castillo's qualifying time was earned at the Celebration of Distance during the Willamette Invitational on April 1. He won the 10,000-meter run in a close finish with a time of 30:38.01. Colignon recorded his best qualifying mark so far this season with a score of 6,419 points while winning the decathlon title at the NWC Multi-Events Championships on April 21-22.

Donovan registered a time of 9:22.61 to win the steeplechase and earn his NCAA qualifying mark during the Willamette Opener on March 5. Oppat won the shot put at the Willamette Invitational for his top qualifying throw of 51'7".

Holding NCAA provisional qualifying marks for the women's team are Kimber Mattox (Jr., Bend, OR/Bend HS/Cornell Univ.) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run, and Brandi Miller (Jr., Grants Pass, OR/North Valley HS) in the heptathlon.

Mattox achieved a qualifying time of 10:47.41 in the steeplechase at the Willamette Opener. She added a qualifying mark in the 5,000-meter run during he Celebration of Distance, as she took second place with a time of 17:10.28. Miller earned her qualifying score of 4,102 points in the heptathlon while placing third at the NWC Multi-Event Championships.

In additional to holding national rankings, the Willamette track and field teams are ranked in the West Region. The Bearcat men are ranked #4 in the West, while the WU women are ranked #6.

Leading the West Region men's rankings is the University of Redlands. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is ranked #2, with Whitworth at #3. In the West Region women's rankings, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is #1, George Fox University is #2 and Whitworth University is #3.