Bearcats Set for First Day of NCAA Track and Field Championships

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

DELAWARE, OHIO -- Four of the six Willamette University athletes at the 2011 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be in action on Thursday, May 26, as the three-day national meet gets underway on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University. The NCAA Championships will continue on Friday and will conclude on Saturday.

Brandi Miller (Jr., Grants Pass, OR/North Valley HS) in the heptathlon and Evin Colignon (Sr., Poulsbo, WA/Charles Wright Academy) in the decathlon will participate in the first day of competition on their respective multi-event schedules.

Miller, who qualified for the NCAA Championships with a heptathlon score of 4,406 points, will compete in the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter run on Thursday. Colignon, who registered a score of 6,419 points to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the decathlon, will be involved in the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put , high jump and 400-meter dash during the first day of action.

Also competing for Willamette on Thursday will be Stefan Redfield (Sr., Sisters, OR/Sisters HS) in the preliminary heats of the men's 1,500-meter run and Leo Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS) in the finals of the 10,000-meter run. Redfield recorded a provisional qualifying time of 3:50.07 in the 1,500. Castillo earned a provisional qualifying time of 30:38.01 in the 10,000.

Miller and Colignon are set to finish the heptathlon and the decathlon, respectively, on Friday, May 27. Heptahtlon events on Friday will be the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run. Decathlon events scheduled for Friday will be the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1,500-meter run.

David Oppat (Sr., Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) of Willamette will compete in the men's shot put on Friday. Oppat earned his spot at the national meet with a provisional qualifying throw of 53' 3.75".

Also on Friday, Kimber Mattox (Jr., Bend, OR/Bend HS/Cornell Univ.) will participate in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Mattox owns an automatic qualifying time of 10:23.34 in the steeplechase. Her time is Willamette's school record in the event.

Mattox will run in the women's 5,000-meter final on Saturday. Her provisional qualifying time in the 5,000 is 17:10.28, which places her third on Willamette's all-time list. Finals in the men's 1,500-meter run also will be held on Saturday.

Willamette University at the
2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Thursday, May 26

Brandi Miller
Heptathlon, 100-meter hurdles (12 p.m. EDT/9 a.m. PDT)
High jump, shot put and 200-meter dash to follow with 30 minutes between events

Evin Colignon
Decathlon, 100-meter dash (1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT)
Long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter dash to follow with 30 minutes between events

Stefan Redfield
1,500-meter run, Prelims (6:45 p.m. EDT/3:45 p.m. PDT)

Leo Castillo
10,000-meter run, Finals (8:15 p.m. EDT/5:15 p.m. PDT)

Friday, May 27

Brandi Miller
Heptathlon, Long Jump (12 p.m. EDT/9 a.m. PDT)
Javelin throw and 800-meter run to follow with 30 minutes between events

Evin Colignon
Decathlon, 110-meter hurdles (1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT)
Discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1,500-meter run to follow with 30 minutes between events

David Oppat
Shot Put, Finals (4:30 p.m. EDT/1:30 p.m. PDT)

Kimber Mattox
3,000-meter steeplechase, Finals (9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT)

Saturday, May 28

Stefan Redfield
1,500-meter run, Finals (must qualify), (1:50 p.m. EDT/10:50 p.m. PDT)

Kimber Mattox
5,000-meter run, Finals (4:40 p.m. EDT/1:40 p.m. PDT)