OSU Ventures To Monmouth To Compete In The Western Oregon Twilight This Friday.
April 27, 2005
Monmouth, Ore. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Oregon State women's track will be traveling to Monmouth, Oregon Friday afternoon to compete in the Western Oregon Twilight. The Beavers will be competing in the 800 meters, 1,500 meters, 3,000 meters and 10,000 meters. The last event of the night will be the 10,000 at 7:15 p.m.
"It is Mom's Weekend, so we are trying to get a couple of races in before the weekend festivities begin," OSU head coach Kelly Sullivan said.
"We will be taking down about a dozen ladies to race on Friday," Sullivan said. "This race will give the ladies a chance who did not run in last weekend's meet to compete this weekend."
OREGON STATE'S LATEST MEET: Oregon State women's track participated in the Oregon Invitational this weekend, boasting a third place finish as well as an all-time top five finish in the 10,000 meters.
OSU's Nicole Crawford was the only lady entered in the 10,000 for the Beavers, finishing fifth with a time of 38:17.04. Crawford's time also placed her fifth on OSU's list of all-time performers in the event, behind Anne Harry's 1982 time of 38:13.59 in the event.
"This was Nicole's very first year of running track," OSU head coach Kelly Sullivan said. "She is the first lady on the team to have a chance to run the 10,000. She went out and ran against other collegiates that have been doing this for a while, so she did incredibly and handled it with a tremendous amount of grace."
Jean-Marie Peterson finished third in the first section of the 1,500 meters and 16th of 30 runners overall with a time of 4:45.68. Peterson's finish marked her best time in the event so far this season.
"We are plugging along and being consistent and running our personal best," Sullivan said. "Overall we had a good day."
OSU Women's Cross Country Makes 2004's Academic All-American List: The Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association has recognized the Oregon State University women's program as having the fifth-highest grade point average in the nation. The 24-member roster achieved a 3.598 cumulative GPA for fall term, the highest in the Pac-10 Conference.
"This is truly a special accomplishment for this team," head coach Kelly Sullivan said. "We continuously talk about being a student-athlete at this university and this gives us a strong indication that we are on the right track. I have been proud of this team all year."
Nine members of the team were honored for their achievements in the classroom by the Pac-10 Conference in mid-November. Junior Jamie Fuller (Philomath) and freshman Michelle Wilson (Hermiston) were named to the first team, and sophomore
Ashley Younce (Portland) was a second team selection. Honorable mention honors went to juniors Erin Clark (Prineville), Stacey Fischer (Molalla), Katie Magnuson (White Bear Lake, MN), and freshmen Nicole Crawford (Grand Junction, Colo.), Allie Schroeder (Portland), and Kelsea Schwing (Bend).
HEAD COACH KELLY SULLIVAN: Kelly Sullivan came to Oregon State in January, 2004 to re-start OSU's program after being head cross country and track and field coach at nearby Willamette University, a Division III school in Salem, Ore., since 1997. Sullivan was also an assistant coach at Auburn from 1984-96, and head coach at Clackamas Community College (Ore.) from 1980-84.
Sullivan, 47, guided Willamette's teams to three top-10 national finishes in cross country and track and coached 23 All-Americans, including five individuals who won national championships. t Auburn, he coached 36 All-Americans and at Clackamas he coached 24 NCAA All-Americans.
Sullivan was an All-American in the steeplechase and cross country at Willamette before graduating in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in History and Education. A native of Nehalem, Ore., he graduated from Neah-Kah-Nie High.
OREGON STATE TAKES TO THE ROAD: Oregon State will spend at least the first season of its revived cross country and track programs without a home course or track. The Beavers ran in one meet in Corvallis during cross country season at the Oregon State Track Club Invitational, however they will remain on the road for all of their 2005 track season.
