Eastern Oregon University Athletics

The Eastern Oregon University track and field team recently completed the Spring sports season for the Mountaineers at the National Championships.

It marked the eighth EOU athletic program to end its season at the national championships. It also marked the completion of the 2009-10 athletic year.

The Mountaineer track and field teams broke 10 school records in 2010, had 10 All-Conference performers, a Cascade Collegiate Conference Athlete of the Year, three All-Americans, and seven Academic All-Americans.

Eastern sent 20 athletes to Marion, Ind. and the NAIA National Championships from May 27th through the 29th. The Mountaineers placed three athletes on the winner’s podium this year.

Chris Dilley finished in second place in the men's hammer throw. The senior became a four-time All-American with the finish. His best toss was 196 feet, three inches. He ends his career at EOU with a school-record throw of 204 feet, three inches in 2009.

Karlee Coffey finished her freshman season with an All-American finish in the women’s 10,000 meters. She entered as the sixth seed and ended with a sixth place finish. Coffey crossed the line at 36:44.45. It is Coffey's second All-American title this year after being named the same in cross country. She set a school record in the 10,000 meters this season with a time of 36:04.99.

Alma Garcilazo was named the conference women’s track and field Athlete of the Year after her record setting All-American finish at the national championships. The sophomore from Umatilla, Ore., was a two-time All-American in the 800 meters this past season, finishing fourth at both the NAIA indoor and outdoor national championships. Garcilazo clocked a school-record time of 2:11.00 at the national championships, breaking the mark she set earlier in the season.

Ryan Booth and Kimmy Moore each set school records in 2010. Booth ran a 1:50.64 in the 800 meters and had the fourth-seed entering the national championships. The sophomore was plagued by a late season injury, but managed to end the year in the national semifinals. Moore ran a 1:04.40 in the 400-meter hurdles, setting a new school record and hitting an automatic qualifying mark.

Eastern did very well in the relay races this season. The women set records in the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter events, while the men set a new record in the 4x400-meter relay. The women’s 4x100-meter team of Moore, Melisa Abesa, Kelsey Kinzer, and Maddison Stapleton, ran a 49.04 new EOU-best time. Abesa, Grace Deboodt, Talissa Baldovino, and Garcilazo ran to a new 4x400-meter record time of 3:52.04. The men’s 4x400-meter team of Booth, Dustin Cloud, Andrew Perri, and Andrew Wise ran a 3:17.03 for the new school record.

At the Cascade Conference Championships, The Mountaineer women finished in second place overall with 143 points, Concordia was first with 265. The EOU men were third behind Southern Oregon and Concordia. Eastern won five conference titles in Gresham, Ore. on the Mt. Hood Community College campus.

Eastern Oregon began the year in 30 degree weather in Nampa, Idaho and ended in 90 degree temperatures in Indiana. EOU competed in five states in 2010, finding success in California, Washington, Idaho, Indiana, and Oregon. During the season the Mountaineers had Moore, Garcilazo, Wise, Dilley, and Booth all named conference athletes of the week.

SOFTBALL

The Mountaineer softball team hit highs and lows in 2010. After beginning the season in record-setting fashion, EOU faced setbacks in the middle of the schedule, before finishing the year strong.

Eastern had its best start in five years with a 7-0 record to begin the season. The Mountaineers knocked off a pair of NCAA opponents on the road to open the schedule.

EOU picked a pair of victories in its road trip the Golden State, but then hit a 13-game losing streak in the middle of the season. The Mountaineers ended the skid with a sweep over conference preseason favorites, The College of Idaho, in La Grande.

After taking a game from Northwest Christian on the road, Eastern ended the year with a sweep over Walla Walla University at home. Ashleigh Byrne, Megan Hardman, Krista Kountz, and Iris Woodhead all closed out their careers at EOU this season.

Eastern Oregon’s Ashli Hughes was named to the Cascade Collegiate All-Conference team. Suzie Espinoza was named the first base gold glove winner as well.

Hughes led Eastern Oregon with a .365 batting average, which was also eighth in the Cascade Conference. The sophomore also led the Mountaineers with 10 steals in 2010. The outfielder finished the season with a slugging percentage of .479. The Nampa, Idaho native had 35 hits and 12 RBI for EOU.

Espinoza was solid at first base for the Mountaineers and received the gold glove honor at the position for the CCC. The sophomore made the transition from the mound to first base this season, and excelled in the infield. She appeared and started in 39 games for EOU and finished the season with a .990 fielding percentage, committing only three errors.

Eastern will bring back many young talented players next season and look to build off of successes found from this season.