Friday, May 22, 2015

ALLENDALE, Mich. - Katelyn Steen of Western Washington finished second in the women's  steeplechase in Day 2 of the 2015 NCAA Division II National Track and Field Championships Friday at Grand Valley State University Stadium.

Steen covered the 3,000 meters in a time of 10:13.93, less than a second off her own school and GNAC record she set earlier this spring.

Emily Oren of Hillsdale won the race in a time of 9:54.43, missing the national meet record by 41/100ths of a second.

“She (Steen) went right out with the leader (Oren) and ran pretty close to her personal best, so I was very pleased,” said WWU head coach Pee Wee Halsell (28th year). “She had a little trouble with the second barrier and that’s where Oren gained two or three strides and began to gradually pull away.”

The second-place finish earned Steen her second All-American award in outdoor track and field and her fourth overall.  She finished fourth last year in the steeplechase.  Earlier this year she also earned All-American honors in cross country with a fifth-place finish and in indoor track with a fourth place finish in the 5,000.

She'll go for All-American award No. 5 Saturday in the 5,000 where she is the No. 8 seed.  Simon Fraser's Jennifer Johnson comes in as the No. 4 seed.

Steen was one of three GNAC athletes to earn All-American honors with Top 8 finishes Friday.

Karolin Anders of Alaska Anchorage placed eighth in the heptathlon with a score of 5,092 points to earn her third consecutive All-American award in the event.  She was fifth in 2013 and second last year.

Also earning an eighth-place finish was Central Washington's Dani Eggleston, who placed eighth in the steeple in a school-record time of 10:28.79.  That time ranks third in GNAC history.

In prelims Friday, the only GNAC athletes to advance were  Lindsey Butterworth of Simon Fraser who placed second and Seattle Pacific's Lynelle Decker who was eighth in the women's 800 meters.  Butterworth is the season-long national leader in the event with a best of 2:04.11.

NATIONAL MEET NOTES: In three of the past four years, a GNAC athlete has finished second in the national meet in the steeplechase.  Prior to Steen, Alaska Anchorage's Susan Tanui accomplished that feat in both 2012 and 2013 ... Seventeen different GNAC athletes will compete in two events Saturday - 10 in the javelin (6 men, 4 women) and seven in the 5,000 meters (2 men, 5 women).

WOMEN (All Times Eastern)

Friday's Results:  Heptathlon - 8. Karolin Anders, UAA, 5092 (Long Jump - 5.33 - 17-6; Javelin - 35.84 - 117-7; 800 - 2:22.40).  200 Prelims  - 16. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 24.69.   800 Prelims - 2. Lindsey Butterworth, SFU, 2:06.87 (advances); 8. Lynelle Decker, SPU, 2:09.36 (advances); 18. Jessica Pakhala, UAA, 2:13.47.   Steeplechase - 2. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 10:13.93; 8. Dani Eggleston, CWU, 10:28.79.

Saturday's Schedule: 11 a.m. - Javelin (3. Katie Reichert, WWU, 50.48 – 165-7; 7. Kalli Walker, SMU, 47.36 – 155-4; 14. Amanda Short, WOU, 44.12 – 144-9; 15. Sheila Limas De La Cruz, WOU, 44.04 – 144-6). 2:25 p.m. – 1500 (O’Connor). 3:25 p.m. – 100 (Ashcroft). 3:45 p.m. – 800 (Butterworth, Decker). 4:10 p.m. – 400 Hurdles (Lloyd). 5 p.m. - 5000 (4. Jennifer Johnson, SFU, 16:26.59; 8. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 16:35.53; 9. Shannon Porter, SMU, 16:37.99; 11. Anna Patti, SPU, 16:41.56; 17. Amy Johnston, UAA, 16:52.50).

Thursday's Results: Heptathlon - 11 . Karolin Anders, UAA, 3,062 (Day 1: 100 Hurdles - 15.37 w2.1; High Jump - 1.67 - 5-5 3/4;  Shot Put - 11.59 - 38-0 1/4;  200 - 25.77).   Pole Vault - 9.  McKenna Emmert, CWU, 3.80 – 12-5 1/2. 1500 Prelims - 11. Haley O’Connor, WWU, 4:32.21 (advances); 14. Beatrice Decker, UAA, 4:35.07.  100 Prelims - 6.  Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 11.64 (advances). Steeplechase Prelims - 1. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 10:25.32 (advances); 8. Dani Eggleston, CWU, 10:35.21 (advances); 17. Erin Chinchar, CWU, 11:02.31.  400 Hurdles Prelims - 4. Haleigh Lloyd, UAA, 1:00.29 (advances). 10,000 - 9. Shannon Porter, SMU, 35:01.04; 11. Amy Johnston, UAA, 35:12.41; 13. Caroline Kurgat, UAA, 35:42.53.

MEN (All Times Eastern)

Friday's Results: Discus - 10. Ryan Macdonald, WWU, 53.81 - 176-6.  800 Prelims - 11. Cameron Proceviat, SFU, 1:51.28.  110 Hurdles Prelims - 16. Travis Milbrandt, WWU, 14.36.

Saturday's Schedule: 12:30 p.m. - Pole Vault (7. Payton Lewis, NNU, 5.15 – 16-10 ¾ ). 2:05 p.m. - High Jump (17. Mikel Smith, SMU, 2.10 – 6-10 ¾ ).  2:15 p.m. - Javelin (2. Franz Burghagen, UAA, 68.52 – 224-10; 8. Cody Parker, UAA, 65.91 – 216-3; 10. Brian Chalkley, SMU, 65.19 – 213-10; 13. John Haskin, WWU, 64.70 – 212-3; 14. Slater Hirst, WWU, 64.32 – 211-0; 18. Justin Larson, WOU, 63.12 – 207-1).  2:35 p.m. – 1500 (Vugteveen).  3:35 p.m. – 100 (Donigian). 5:25 p.m. - 5000 (5. Dominik Notz, UAA, 14:07.05; 9. Henry Cheseto, UAA, 14:08.86).

Thursday's Results: Hammer – 17. Kevin Stanley, CWU, fouled.  1500 Prelims - 12. Travis Vugteveen, SFU, 3:54.04 (advances); 17. Marc-Antoine Rouleau, SFU, 3:59.77.  100 Prelims - 7.  Alex Donigian, WWU, 10.50 (advances).  10,000 - 4.  Dominik Notz, UAA, 30:01.43.