Mattox Achieves Second Place in NCAA Steeplechase for All-America Honors

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

DELAWARE, OHIO -- Willamette University runner Kimber Mattox (Jr., Bend, OR/Bend HS/Cornell Univ.) took second place in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:26.79 at the 2011 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, May 27. She earned All-America honors in the steeplechase for the second time in three years.

Also for the Willamette women's track and field team on Friday, Brandi Miller (Jr., Grants Pass, OR/North Valley HS) placed 18th in the heptathlon with 4,291 points.

For the Bearcat men's team (see separate story), Evin Colignon (Sr., Poulsbo, WA/Charles Wright Academy) earned fifth place in the decathlon with a personal record score of 6,614 points, as he claimed All-America honors, and David Oppat (Sr., Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) finished 18th in the shot put with a top throw of 50' 5.25".

Mattox and Kimberly Chinn from Baldwin-Wallace College were part of the lead pack of four runners for much of the race in the steeplechase. They were the two leaders over the last couple of laps, until Chinn started to pull away with about 200 or 300 yards left. Chinn finished in first place with a winning time of 10:24.22.

Tonya Turner from Willamette's NWC rival Whitworth University was third with a time of 10:28.21. Marissa Liberati from SUNY Geneseo (N.Y.) was fourth in 10:33.03 and Alyssa Smith, also from Geneseo, was fifth in 10:34.60.

While taking second in the race, Mattox registered only the second time under 10:30 in Bearcat women's steeplechase history. She earned the first sub-10:30 in WU history earlier this season when she ran the steeplechase in 10:23.34 at the Mt. SAC Relays to set the Willamette record.

Mattox claimed her first All-America award in the steeplechase in 2009, when she took sixth place at the NCAA Championships. She received All-America status in cross country this past fall by placing 35th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Up next for Mattox is the 5,000-meter run on Saturday, May 28. The race, which will feature a total of 23 runners, is scheduled to start at 4:40 p.m. (EDT)/1:40 p.m. (PDT).

Miller moved up four positions in the heptathlon on Friday after beginning the day in 22nd place. She took 17th in the long jump and finished 19th in the javelin throw, before concluding the competition by placing ninth in the 800-meter run.

In the long jump, Miller produced a top leap of 16' 1.50". During the javelin, her best throw covered 92' 0". In the 800-meter run, Miller achieved a time of 2:26.61, as she narrowly missed her personal record of 2:26.43, set in the heptathlon at the West Coast Invitational earlier this month.

It was Miller's first trip to the NCAA Championships. Her top event score was 796 in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.35 seconds on Thursday, May 26. Her overall score of 4,291 trailed only her career-best mark of 4,406, set at the West Coast Invitational.

The winner of the NCAA heptathlon was Janey Helland of Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) with 5,061 points. Emma Dewart from Ithaca College (N.Y.) took second with 5,015 points and Courtney Lauer from DePauw University was third with 4,906 points.

Event winners in the heptathlon on Friday were Helland in the long jump at 18' 5.25", Kelly Curtis from Springfield College (Mass.) in the javelin throw at 130' 6" and Jill Ziskovsky from Central College (Iowa) in the 800-meter run at 2:19.07.