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Oregon Preview
Turney Sets Oregon State Triple Jump Record At Oregon Preview
March 16, 2013 | Women's Track & Field
March 16, 2013
EUGENE, Ore. - Freshman Michele Turney broke a 29-year Oregon State record with a leap of 38' 6¼" in the triple jump to highlight a busy day of track & field action at the Oregon Preview at Hayward Field in Eugene on Saturday afternoon.
Turney's mark, which earned her second place in the event, surpassed the previous school record of 37' 3" which was set by Canadian Colleen Gibson in 1984. Gibson, a four-year letterwinner from 1981-84 also owns the school's record in the long jump and is fourth all-time in the 200m and 11th in the 100m.
"It was incredible," Oregon State assistant coach Travis Floeck said of Turney's jump. "We know she is really talented and that something like this was probably going to happen, but not in the first outdoor triple jump competition of the season. When she saw them put that mark on the board she had a look of shock on her face. It was amazing."
The jump easily surpassed Turney's previous best of 36' 10" from her time at Crescent Valley High School and also serves to give the hometown fans some added excitement heading into next Saturday's home meet at the Whyte Track & Field Center in Corvallis, Oregon State's first such event since 1988.
"It's a great improvement and she is going to continue to get better," Floeck added. "[Coaches] John Parks and Collin Cram have been working with her and say there is a lot more there. This could absolutely be a really promising season for Michele."
Turney's record-setting afternoon was the headliner among a solid group of times and marks from Oregon State student-athletes at historic Hayward Field.
Another freshman, Emily Weber, burst onto the scene in her first race in an OSU uniform by shaving four seconds off her high school PR to take ninth in the 1,500. The Salem product, who did not race during the cross country season, led the second heat wire-to-wire, looking strong and comfortable throughout to cross the line in 4:39.66.
"We've been anticipating the day that she was going to run in uniform," Floeck said of Weber. "She has almost been a sort of secret. I don't think anybody out there, besides our staff and her teammates, know how good she is going to be, but they got a glimpse today."
In the same 1,500, current Oregon State assistant coach and former all-American Laura Carlyle took second place running for Bowerman Athletic Club with an impressive mark of 4:21.83.
Aly Nielson was Oregon State's top finisher in the 3,000. The sophomore shaved two seconds off her personal best in the event, which she reached in the 2012 version of the Oregon Preview, running 10:09.92 to finish 10th overall.
"Aly ran a really strong race," Floeck said. "She didn't compete in cross and had a limited track season last year so today's performance was really good and sets her up well to run the 5K in a couple of weeks at Stanford."
Part of a formidable field, redshirt freshman Kelsi Schaer also ran an impressive race in the 800, finishing fifth overall with a time of 2:13.86. The event served as her first at that distance at Oregon State and Schaer was very close to her high school PR of 2:13.79.
"We knew, and Kelsi knew, that she is probably not prepped to run a fast 800 yet, but we wanted her to stick her nose in there and see what she could do," Floeck commented. "It has been a couple of years since she has run that event so to open up that quickly this early in the season gets you excited for the improvement that you know is going to come down the line."
On the men's side, the Beavers' lone entry in football player Ryan Cope cut two seconds off of his 400-meter hurdle result from the Willamette Opener to finish sixth in that event on Saturday with a time of 56.83.
Two other Beaver freshmen who were expected to compete at the Oregon Preview were scratched before the meet due to some minor ailments. Sara Almen was held out of the high jump and Lucinda Howard was removed from the Beavers' high jump, triple jump and long jump lineups.
Full results from the meet can be found here.
The Beavers are back in action next Saturday in what will be a historic day for the Oregon State track & field program, as it hosts its first home meet since 1988. OSU welcomes Willamette and Portland to the Whyte Track & Field Center for the event, which begins at 3 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
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