The Umpqua Community College Track & Field team finished their season with their best efforts of the season at the Southern Region Championships. The highlight of the weekend was a 2nd place team finish by the women's squad. The RiverHawks scored 148 points compared to 257 of Lane Community College. Third place Southwestern Oregon Community College scored a total of 88 points.
Finishing in medal positions (top 3) were India Dishman (1st in Hammer, 3rd in Discus), Kaylee Hendron (1st in Discus), Kathryn Philbrook (1st in Steeple), Jaelin Hotz (2nd in Triple Jump), Kristen Thomas (2nd in 400m), Gracie Andersen (2nd in High Jump), Samantha Eichman (2nd in 800m), Gabriela Rudd (2nd in 400m hurdles), Genessa Eldredge (3rd in Pole Vault), and the women's 4x100m Relay (Kathryn Philbrook, Nevaeh Poore, Mikenna Fusco, Elisabeth Jarvis). In total the RiverHawks had 16 women competing in the meet, with 15 in top 8 scoring positions. Genessa and Gaby both broke and tied the school record for pole vault, clearing 3.39m/11-1.5ft. Gaby also set a school record for the 400 hurdles, and Genessa set the school record in the 100m hurdles. Kathryn Philbrook also established a school record for the women's 3k steeplechase. For the team's finish, Coach King was named the Women's Track & Field Coach of the Year.
For the men's team, Lane Community College ran away with the team title. It came down to a battle between Clackamas Community College, Southwestern Oregon Community College, and Umpqua Community College for the second place finish. In the end the RiverHawks wound up in the 4th place position, just three points behind SWOCC and six points behind Clackamas. Leading the way with top three podium finishes were led by Carson Burris with a 2nd place finish in Discus, 3rd place finish in Shot Put, and 3rd place in Hammer. Konrad Raum won the men's steeple followed by Noah Retherford in 3rd place. Christopher Penn finished with two podium finishes (2nd in the 100m and 3rd in the 200m). Dexter Patching capped the day with a 3rd place finish in the 5,000m run. A total of 13 men represented the RiverHawks with all 13 scoring points for the team.
"It was a great weekend for the team," said Head Coach Alan King. "It shows a lot of grit for such a small team to each battle and fight for each other and chase as many points as possible. This really bodes well for the future as most of the team will be returning next year."
