Dinsmore Takes Fourth in 100-Meter and 200-Meter Dashes at Oregon Twilight

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

EUGENE, ORE. -- Senior sprinter Jaela Dinsmore (Hines, OR/Burns HS) from Willamette University placed fourth in the women's 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the Oregon Twilight on Saturday, May 5. She set personal records in both events, as she lowered her top time at 100 meters to 12.17 seconds and reduced her top result at 200 meters to 24.93 seconds.

She also kept herself in position to qualify for NCAA Division III Championship berths in both events. She began the night ranked 21st in Division III in the 100-meter dash and was 15th in the 200-meter dash.

At the end of the night, despite other top performances throughout the nation on Saturday, she was listed 17th in the 100 and remained 15th in the 200.

The top 22 women's athletes in each event when the performance list closes later this month will qualify for the NCAA Championships, set for May 24-26 in Claremont, Calif.

Prior to Saturday, Dinsmore's personal record times were 12.26 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 25.10 seconds in the 200-meter dash. Both of her previous top marks were set earlier this year.

Dinsmore was part of a select group of Willamette track and field athletes who competed at the Oregon Twilight. She was Willamette's first competitor of the evening when she ran in the second heat of the 100-meter dash. The second heat was expected to be the faster of the two heats, and it was, with the top five finishers in the heat taking the top five places overall.

Mandy White, running unattached, took first place in 11.68 seconds, while Hannah Cunliffe from the Seattle Speed Track Club was second in 11.98 seconds. Madison McClung of Western Oregon University edged out Dinsmore for third, as they crossed the finish line in 12.16 and 12.17 seconds, respectively. Ebony Barnes from Spokane Community College was fifth in 12.26 seconds.

The 200-meter dash was held later in the evening and featured several of the same top runners. Again there were two heats, with the results combined to determine the top placings. As in the 100-meter dash, the top group of sprinters was in the second heat. They claimed the top six places.

White registered a double in the sprints by taking first place in the 200 in 24.00 seconds. Devin Gosberry from the University of Oregon was second in 24.65 seconds. Cunliffe was third in 24.86 seconds, finishing narrowly in front of Dinsmore, who was fourth at 24.93 seconds. McClung took fifth place with a time of 25.02 seconds.

Sam Nhim (Sr., Tigard, OR/Southridge HS) of Willamette also competed in the women's 100-meter and 200-meter races. She placed 11th in the 100 with a time of 12.78 seconds, 0.13 away from her personal record. She took 10th in the 200, registering a time of 26.39 seconds, as she barely missed her personal record of 26.36 seconds.

The women's 3,000-meter steeplechase featured two current Bearcats and one former Willamette track athlete.

Kimber Mattox '11, who earned NCAA Division III All-America honors in the steeplechase for Willamette last season and is now running at the University of Oregon as a graduate student, took fifth place on Saturday with a time of 10:07.91. She was 1.33 seconds away from her personal record of 10:06.58, which she set two weeks ago at the Oregon Relays.

Michaela Freeby (Fr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) of WU placed 12th in 11:03.58, narrowly missing her top time of 11:03.17. She is ranked 19th in NCAA Division III this spring. Teammate Sally Venable (Sr., Ventura, CA/Foothill Technology HS) placed 14th with a time of 11:34.12.

Former Penn State University athlete Bridget Franek, running for Oregon Track Club Elite, won the women's steeplechase in 9:39.77, setting a new Oregon Twilight meet record, while recording the fastest time in the world this year.

Other top results for Willamette:

Theresa Edwards (Jr., Lake Tapps, WA/Bonney Lake HS) placed 23rd in the women's 1,500-meter run. She earned a time of 4:48.87.

Elisa Ahern (Fr., Lake Forest Park, WA/Shorecrest HS) finished sixth and Rebekah Daniel (So., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS) was seventh in the women's triple jump. Ahern achieved a top distance of 35' 8.75" and Daniel registered a leap of 35' 5.25". Daniel set a personal record, breaking her previous top distance of 34' 7", set at the NWC Championships on April 21.

Kit Kingstad (So., Beaverton, OR/Beaverton HS) took 17th among 30 runners in the men's 1,500-meter race. His time was 3:55.79.

Ben Donovan (Sr., Minneapolis, MN/South HS) was 13th in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:27.34.

Up next for the Bearcats:

Willamette will host the West Coast Invitational on Saturday, May 12 at the Charles Bowles Track. Action will begin at 12 p.m. (PDT). The heptathlon and the decathlon will begin on Friday, May 11.