Mattox Finishes Ninth in Steeplechase at NCAA Championships

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

BEREA, OHIO -- Kimber Mattox (So., Bend, OR/Bend HS/Cornell Univ.) of Willamette University took ninth place in the field of 18 runners in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2010 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, May 28. Mattox recorded a time of 10:48.16.

Jacqui Wentz from Massachusetts Institute of Technology won the event in 10:16.16, as she earned the fastest time by an NCAA Division III runner in the event this spring. Kim Chinn of host Baldwin-Wallace College (Ohio) placed second at 10:30.53. Stephanie Perleberg from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was third at 10:32.64.

Evin Colignon (Jr., Poulsbo, WA/Charles Wright Academy) of Willamette placed 13th in the decathlon with 6,126 points. He was second in the shot put at 43' 8" on Thursday and earned two top 10 finishes on Friday. He was seventh in the discus throw with a toss of 115' 0" and placed ninth in the javelin throw at 160' 6".

Obinna Nwanna of Case Western Reserve University won the decathlon with 7,056 points. He won the shot put at 50' 4", placed second in the discus, was third in the 110-meter hurdles and took fourth place in both the javelin throw and the 100-meter dash.

Josh Lovell from Linfield College finished second overall with 7,022 points. He was third in three events: 100-meter dash, high jump and pole vault. Richard Roethel of Christopher Newport University placed third overall with 6,989 points. Roethel won the 100-meter dash in 11.06 seconds and placed first in the high jump at 6' 11.50".

Event winners on Friday were: Jared Engelking of Tufts University (Mass.) in the 110-meter hurdles at 14.76 seconds; James Wohrley from Cornell College (Iowa) in the discus at 127' 3"; Ben Harmon from Washington University (Mo.) in the pole vault at 15' 7"; Brock Solveson of Concordia University (Wisc.) in the javelin at 204' 2"; and Wohrley in the 1,500-meter run at 4:33.93.

The NCAA Championships completed the Willamette track and field season. Earlier this spring, the WU women's team won its ninth consecutive Northwest Conference championship, while the Bearcat men's team placed second in the NWC.

Seven members of the men's team achieved eight NCAA provisional qualifying marks during the season and three athletes on the women's team earned four provisional marks. Sixteen new career-best marks were added to Willamette's all-time Top 10 lists for the men's team, while 11 new career-best marks were added to the women's Top 10 lists.