Zerzan Selected for Prestigious NCAA Award

Sarah Zerzan, a runner on the Willamette University cross country and track and field teams, is one of the just eight senior student-athletes from the NCAA’s overall membership to be selected to receive the NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award for 2007.

Zerzan and seven other athletes were selected for the prestigious award for their athletic and academic achievements, plus character and leadership. The awards will be presented Jan. 13 at the NCAA Honors Celebration in Nashville, Tenn., as part of the annual NCAA Convention.

Zerzan (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame High School) is part of an exceptional group of individuals selected for the award. Previous winners include Peyton Manning (football, University of Tennessee, 1998), David Robinson (men’s basketball, U.S. Naval Academy, 1988), Cheryl Miller (women’s basketball, University of Southern California, 1987), Steve Young (football, Brigham Young University, 1984) and John Elway (football, Stanford University, 1983).

Zerzan won back-to-back NCAA Division III individual national championships in cross country in 2006 and 2007. She became only the third athlete to repeat as the women’s champion in the 27-year history of the NCAA Division III National Championships. She helped Willamette place ninth in the team standings at the 2007 NCAA National Championships, while earning All-America honors for the third consecutive season.

In track and field, she took second place in the women’s 5,000-meter run at the 2007 NCAA Division III National Championships. She was 11th in the 5,000-meter run at the 2006 National Championships. Last spring, she won the Northwest Conference title in the 1,500-meter run, helping Willamette claim the team title.

Zerzan was named NCAA Division III National Female Athlete of the Year in cross country in 2006 and 2007. She recently was selected as the nominee from cross country for the 2007-08 NCAA Division III Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Award. Zerzan also was the nominee from cross country for the Woman Athlete of the Year Award in 2006-07. Just 11 student-athletes are chosen as nominees each academic year.

Zerzan has a 3.93 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in biochemistry. She plans to attend medical school next year. In the summer of 2006, she studied abroad in Costa Rica, where she helped conduct ethnobiology field research through interviews with Costa Rican indigenous people.

She is a member of the steering committee for Willamette’s chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaign. She has volunteered at Waldo Middle School in the Russian-English bilingual mentorship program, she has served as a Spanish-English mentor at Richmond Elementary School, and she is member of the Chemistry Club.

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Zerzan Wins Second National Championship

Willamette University senior runner Sarah Zerzan won her second NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Championship Saturday, Nov. 17, at St. Olaf College.

Zerzan (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame High School) crossed the finish line in the 6-kilometer race with a time of 20:54, finishing 23 seconds ahead of second-place runner Liz Montgomery of SUNY Geneseo. Zerzan became only the third athlete to repeat as the NCAA Division III women’s national champion.

She concludes her Willamette career with two individual national titles, three West Region championships and two Northwest Conference titles. Zerzan and junior teammate Maddie Coffman (Boise, Idaho/Boise High School) earned All-America honors as they led the Bearcat women’s team to a ninth place finish. Coffman placed 11th individually (10th among scorers). The Willamette men’s team tied for 18th.

Zerzan’s accomplishments in running — and in the classroom — were featured in the Nov. 16 issue of The Oregonian. Read the article here: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/news/article/2007/11/sarah_zerzan_runs_toward_md.xml.

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Zerzan Chosen West Region Women’s Runner of the Year

Willamette senior Sarah Zerzan (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame High School) is the NCAA Division III West Region Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, as selected by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). This is her third consecutive time to receive the honor.

Zerzan won the West Regional individual title Nov. 10, as she concluded the 6-kilometer race in 20:51.65, for the fastest time in West Region history. The old record was 21:44. It was Zerzan’s third consecutive West Regional championship.

Zerzan, who won the NCAA Division III women’s individual national championship in 2006, will defend her title at the National Championships Saturday, Nov. 17. Willamette will have full teams running at the National Championships.

Zerzan’s accomplishments in running — and in the classroom — were featured in the Nov. 16 issue of The Oregonian. Read the article here: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/news/article/2007/11/sarah_zerzan_runs_toward_md.xml.

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McGuirk Named NCAA Division III Women’s Track and Field National Coach of the Year

Willamette University Head Coach Matt McGuirk has been named NCAA Division III Women’s Track and Field National Coach of the Year for 2007, as selected by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

McGuirk previously was selected NCAA Division III Men’s Track and Field National Coach of the Year in 2004. He led the Willamette women’s track and field team to its sixth consecutive Northwest Conference (NWC) championship this spring, as the Bearcats took first place at the NWC meet by more than a two-to-one margin. Ten athletes (plus a relay alternate) competed for the Willamette women’s team at the NCAA Division III Track and Field National Championships this past weekend in Wisconsin.

“This is a great honor for Matt and our track and field program,” said Mark Majeski, Willamette Director of Athletics. “He develops well-rounded young men and women who maximize their potential as athletes and human beings. Matt’s accomplishments provide a model for Division III athletics and one to which all coaches should aspire.”

Last week, McGuirk was named NCAA Division III West Region Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year for the third time, and in the fall he was chosen 2006 NCAA Division III West Region Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. He was named West Region Coach of the Year in men’s and women’s track and field in 2004 and 2005.

McGuirk joined the Willamette coaching staff in 1999 as interim head coach of men’s cross country, assistant women’s cross country coach and assistant men’s and women’s track and field coach. He became head coach of men’s cross country in 2000 and has been the head coach of the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams since the spring of 2004.

“You don’t get one of those awards [National Coach of the Year] unless you’ve got great people around you,” McGuirk said. “Our coaching staff is excellent and of course our athletes are, too.”

McGuirk has been selected NWC Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year all four years since becoming head coach. He was named NWC Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

McGuirk has guided both of Willamette’s track and field teams to national rankings this season. The women’s team is ranked fourth in the USTFCCCA Poll for NCAA Division III, while the men’s team is ranked 19th.

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Zerzan Finishes Second in 5,000-Meter Run at NCAA Championships

OSHKOSH, Wisc. — Willamette University’s Sarah Zerzan (Jr., San Carlos, CA/Notre Dame HS) took second place in the finals of the 5,000-meter race at the NCAA Division III Track and Field National Championships May 26 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Zerzan, who won the NCAA Division III women’s cross country national title in the fall, registered a time of 16.51.18 Saturday to finish less than two seconds out of the lead. Shauneen Garrahan, a senior from Amherst College, won the race in 16:49.54 to set a J.J. Keller Field record.

“Sarah almost pulled it out. The other girl [Garrahan] didn’t pass her until the last straight away, the final 80 yards or so,” said Willamette Head Coach Matt McGuirk.

Zerzan was running at the national championships for the second year in a row. Last season, she finished 11th in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:41.82.

In the final race of this year’s event, the Willamette 4x400-meter relay team took fifth place in a fast race for the championship. Wartburg College won the race in 3:44.20, setting a J.J. Keller Field record and earning the top time in Division III this season.

Willamette finished the relay in 3:47.42, as Andrea May (Sr., Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS), Jennifer Luecht (Fr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS), Lydia Marsalli (Fr., Klamath Falls, OR/Klamath Union HS) and Mariah Hanson (Sr., Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap HS) broke the school record by 43 one-hundredths of a second. The previous record, set at the NCAA National Championships a year ago by May, Lindsey Patterson, Jordyn Smith (Jr., Henderson, NV/Green Valley HS) and Hanson, was 3:47.85.

“It was a very physical race with lots of contact,” McGuirk said. “I think our ladies, especially the freshmen running the second and third legs [Luecht and Marsalli], were really good at not getting intimidated. All of our relay runners ran their best relay splits of the year. It was a great way to finish the meet.”

Jordyn Smith finished seventh in the finals of the women’s 800-meter run. Smith, who completed the race in 2:11.82, was less than a second out of fifth place and just over a second away from fourth. Heidi Porter of Wartburg won the event in 2:09.49 for a J.J. Keller Field record.

Zerzan, a two-time All-America selection in cross country, added track and field All-America honors on Saturday. All-America status also went to Smith and to all of the runners on Willamette’s 4x400-meter relay team. For Smith and May, this was their third straight All-America season.

Representing the men’s track and field team Saturday was Grant Piros (So., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS), who competed in the javelin throw. Piros recorded a toss of 181’ 11” for sixth place in the first flight, but did not advance to the finals.

The Willamette women finished in 18th place in the team standings with 14 points.

“We went to nationals with a whole lot of young kids, and we came out with six All-American awards,” McGuirk said. “That’s a pretty good week.”

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Bearcats Selected for National Championships

Indianapolis — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced its selections for the 2007 NCAA Division III National Track and Field Championships. Willamette University will be represented by two members of the men’s team and six members of the women’s squad, plus both women’s relay teams. The National Championships will be held May 24–26 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

“We’re really excited because we’re bringing a large group, a fine mix of newcomers with veterans,” Willamette University track and field head coach Matt McGuirk said. “It should be a very fun weekend. And after not having any men’s team members with previous experience at nationals, we had two guys get into the meet, so that’s exciting, too.”

Leading the list of selections for the Bearcats is Sarah Zerzan (Jr., San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame HS). Zerzan, who won the NCAA Division III individual women’s national championship in cross country last fall, achieved the top time among all athletes selected to compete in the women’s 5,000-meter run. Her qualifying time of 16:28.54 set Willamette University and Charles Bowles Track records. Zerzan, who also earned an automatic qualifying time in the 1,500-meter run at 4:31.52, will be competing only in the 5,000-meter run at the National Championships.

Mariah Hanson (Sr., Poulsbo, Wash./North Kitsap HS) will compete in the 400-meter dash. Her qualifying time was 56.86 seconds. Jordyn Smith (Jr., Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS) will run for the Bearcats in the 800-meter run, after registering a qualifying time of 2:10.87. Smith also qualified in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:02.34, but will concentrate on the 800 at the National Championships. She is seeded sixth in the race.

Other individual competitors set to compete for the Willamette women’s team next weekend are Maddie Coffman (So., Boise, Idaho/Boise HS) in the 1,500-meter run, Andrea May (Sr., Bellingham, Wash./Sehome HS) in the 100-meter hurdles and Jena Winger (So., Bonney Lake, Wash./Sumner HS) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Coffman’s top time in the 1,500 was 4:32.99. May qualified in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.72 seconds, while Winger registered a time of 10:52.71 in the steeplechase to set a Willamette record and qualify for the National Championships.

Both of the Willamette women’s relay teams will compete in Oshkosh for national titles. The 4 x 100-meter relay team of Autum Schmeck (Fr., Beaverton, Ore./Aloha HS), Lydia Marsalli (Fr., Klamath Falls, Ore./Klamath Union HS), Kaitlin St. John (Fr., Bend, Ore./Mountain View HS) and May earned its entry with a time of 48.19 seconds at the Western Oregon Last Chance Meet. The time set a new Bearcat record.

“Three-quarters of the relay (4 x 100) are freshmen,” McGuirk said. “It’s great for them to get in, to be in their first year and be going to nationals.”

WU’s 4 x 400-meter relay team includes Hanson, Jennifer Luecht (Fr., Milwaukie, Ore./Rex Putnam HS), Marsalli and May. Willamette’s qualifying time in the 4 x 400 relay was 3:50.19 during the Western Oregon Twilight Meet April 27.

The actual makeup of the relay teams will be determined by McGuirk and his assistants later in the week. Any of Willamette’s female athletes who have already been selected for the National Championships may run in one or both relay events. Also, Katie Klein (So., Forest Grove, Ore./Forest Grove HS), a sprinter who has participated in Willamette’s relays this season, will make the trip to the National Championships as a relay alternate.

Grant Piros (So., Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) in the javelin throw and Julio Vieyra (Sr., Salem, Ore./McKay HS) in the 1,500-meter run will represent the WU men’s team at the National Championships. Piros is seeded seventh in the javelin with a throw of 199’ 3”. Vieyra qualified in the 1,500 by achieving a time of 3:52.57.

Willamette has an outstanding history in track and field competition. The men’s team has benefited from the efforts of 25 All-Americans in NCAA Division III. Willamette’s men tied for third at the National Championships in 2004 and finished fourth in 2005. The Bearcat men have won nine individual national championships in Division III to go with five individual national titles in the NAIA.

The Bearcat women’s team has included 33 All-Americans in Division III. Willamette’s women tied for 11th at the National Championships in 2005. Willamette athletes on the women’s team have claimed one individual national title in Division III plus four individual national titles in the NAIA.

Willamette’s National Championship Entries

Men:
Grant Piros, Javelin Throw, 199’ 3”
Julio Vieyra, 1,500-Meter Run, 3:52.57

Women:
Maddie Coffman, 1,500-Meter Run, 4:32.99
Mariah Hanson, 400-Meter Dash, 56.86
Andrea May, 100-Meter Hurdles, 14.72
Jordyn Smith, 800-Meter Run, 2:10.87
Jena Winger, 3,000-Meter Steeplechase, 10:52.71
Sarah Zerzan, 5,000-Meter Run, 16:28.54

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Jones Named NCAA Division III Second Team All-America

Willamette University junior rower Laura Jones (Boise, Idaho/Boise HS) has received a prestigious honor by being named NCAA Division III Second Team All-America by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) for the 2006-07 season. The CRCA Pocock All-America squad includes eight rowers on the first team and eight rowers on the second team.

“Laura Jones works hard,” said Willamette Head Coach Susan Parkman. “Her work ethic is contagious, and she is able to row either side and to row in any seat. Her goal is to win and to do all she can in preparation and on race day to assure she is not alone with her goals. Her ability to build a team through her actions is evidenced by our team’s improvement with each race.”

Jones helped Willamette rank third in the Northwest Region of NCAA Division III in the women’s varsity eights and first in the Northwest Region in the women’s varsity fours. She was a leader as Willamette took second place in the Petite Final at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships and placed seventh at the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference (NCRC) Championships. Jones also helped WU place fifth in the Grand Final for women’s varsity fours at the WIRA Championships. WU’s fifth place finish was the top result for an NCAA Division III crew in the WV4 race.

The Willamette women’s varsity eight is ranked #20 this week in the cMax rankings for NCAA Division III. Other Northwest teams in the rankings are the University of Puget Sound at #4, Pacific Lutheran University at #8 and Lewis & Clark College at #22.

Jones recently was chosen to participate in the U.S. Rowing National Team Development Camp and at the Women’s National Team Freshman Camp, both this summer. She was one of just 22 rowers and two coxswains selected for the Freshman Camp.

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Coast-to-Coast Journey Ends Successfully in Miami

They did it.

It once seemed a nearly impossible feat, but recent Willamette University graduates Kevin Dean, Alex MacKenzie and Wes Randall did it — they successfully biked 3,200 miles from San Diego to Miami to honor their friend Kalan Morinaka and raise money for the ALS Association. Morinaka, 22, died this fall of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes loss of muscle control and typically is diagnosed in people older than 40.

The young men left San Diego Jan. 10 and arrived at Miami Beach Feb. 26. At the beach, they honored Morinaka further by spreading some of his ashes in the Atlantic Ocean. Morinaka was a longtime athlete and national competitor in judo, and the three riders befriended him through the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at Willamette.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be done and to know that we’ve completed something great and challenging,” Dean said. “Even though it was tough, it was for a great friend.”

So far, the men have collected more than $14,000 for the ALS Association, and they are still accepting donations. Their online blog detailing their adventures contains numerous comments from friends, family and other followers offering support.

Along the way, the men met many kind people who opened their homes to them, bought them dinner and helped them fix their bikes to continue their journey. They braved frigid winter temperatures, are in better shape than ever and have a plethora of unforgettable experiences — from singing karaoke with Elks Lodge members in Arizona, to watching cows run alongside them for miles in West Texas, to viewing the devastation that still exists on the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina.

“This trip opened my eyes to the facts of life,” MacKenzie said. “Every day we were reminded of the goodness of people and how wonderful this country is.”

To read their blog, learn more about Morinaka and the riders, or donate to their cause, visit www.coast2coast4kalan.net.

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Football Players Ride Coast-to-Coast to Honor Friend

Willamette University student Kalan Morinaka was a devoted scholar, the valedictorian of his high school class and on a pre-med track in college. But he also was a longtime athlete, a high school football and wrestling star, a national competitor in judo, a golfer.

So when Morinaka’s friends saw the 22-year-old deteriorate from a physically fit, active student to someone who could barely move and talk in less than two years, it was a shock. And when the cheerful young man died Nov. 9 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that typically hits people older than 40, his friends knew they had to honor him.

For them, that means attempting the gargantuan feat of riding their bikes 3,300 miles coast-to-coast to raise awareness and money for the ALS Association. Willamette seniors Alex MacKenzie, Kevin Dean and Wesley Randall, all of whom were Morinaka’s fraternity brothers in Sigma Alpha Epsilon, will ride from San Diego to Miami starting Jan. 10. Jonathan Irizarry, also a senior, will serve as their coordinator at home, tracking their progress and overseeing their efforts from Salem.

“Kalan was such a great competitor and athlete throughout his life, so we thought a physical feat like this was a great way to honor him,” MacKenzie said.

Morinaka, a senior from Nyssa, Ore., was past president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, supervisor of intramural sports on campus and a member of the psychology and chemistry clubs. It was the summer of 2005 when his mother noticed a slur in his speech, the first sign he had ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.

MacKenzie, Dean, Randall and Irizarry — all athletes on Willamette’s football team — can empathize with the frustration of no longer being able to participate in a beloved sport, and they were devastated at the news of Morinaka’s death. It’s only pushing them harder now as they train for the ride and collect money to pay for the trip and donate to the ALS Association. They hope to make the trip in 60 days. Their goal is to raise at least $30,000 for the ALS Association; so far, they have collected $5,000.

The students created a web site, www.coast2coast4kalan.net, which includes bios of each of them, a profile of Kalan, donation information and the trip itinerary. The students also plan to keep a blog on the site as they ride.

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Willamette Football Player Named to All-America Team

Willamette University junior offensive lineman Brandon Bennett was named this week to the 2006 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Coaches’ All-America Team. Bennett, a La Costa Canyon High School graduate from San Marcos, Calif., also has been named to the D3football.com Second Team for the All-West Region.

Bennett’s selection to the AFCA All-America Team is prestigious because the AFCA chooses only a first team. Most publications and organizations selecting All-America teams have a first, second and third team, or honorable mention squad.

At 6-feet, 2-inches and 300 pounds, Bennett also was a First Team All-Northwest Conference (NWC) selection for the second straight season, and was chosen by his teammates as Willamette’s 2006 Offensive Player of the Year.

Bennett graded out at 95 percent during the season, meaning he completed his blocking assignment on the field 95 percent of the time, for the best grade among Willamette’s offensive players. Other awards he has received during his three seasons at Willamette include:

• 2006 Don Hansen’s Football Gazette Preseason First Team All-America
• 2005 D3football.com Honorable Mention All-America
• 2005 D3football.com Third Team All-West Region
• 2005 First Team All-Northwest Conference
• 2004 Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference

The Bearcats finished the 2006 season 2-7 overall and 2-4 in NWC play. It was the team’s first losing season since 2001, and just its third losing season in the past 14 years. Looking to the future, Willamette will return eight starters on both sides of the ball, plus its punter, place-kicker and long-snapper.

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Willamette Runner Wins National Title

WEST CHESTER, Ohio — Willamette University cross country runner Sarah Zerzan battled a wet and muddy course to win the women’s individual title at the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships in West Chester, Ohio, Nov. 18. The junior from San Carlos, Calif., was the first of 279 runners to cross the finish line, becoming Willamette’s first national champion in cross country. She completed the 6-kilometer course in 22:31 to win by 20 seconds over the second-place finisher, Caitlin Bradley of Dickinson College.

“I’m excited,” Zerzan said. “It was difficult and challenging, but everyone else was running in the same mud. You can’t let it defeat you.”

Zerzan got off to a solid start and was behind two runners at the mile mark. With about two miles to go, she moved in front and began to increase her lead, winning by nearly 100 meters.

“She just kept pulling away,” Willamette Head Coach Matt McGuirk said. “I think she would have been there at the front even if it were dry. The course was extremely difficult.”

“It was like running in a swamp,” Zerzan said. “The water often went over our ankles. I’ve never run in consistent mud like that. I’m from California and we don’t get that much rain.”

Zerzan was one of just five runners to complete the women’s race in less than 23 minutes. Although she won by 20 seconds, the next three runners finished just two seconds apart. Willamette claimed 20th place in the women’s team standings. Willamette’s second runner to reach the finish line was Maddie Coffman, a sophomore from Idaho, who clocked in at 24:59 for 106th place.

Zerzan received All-America honors for the second consecutive season. She placed 25th at the 2005 NCAA National Championships to earn her first All-America award. The top 35 runners at the National Championships are selected as All-America each season.

“I have more confidence this year,” Zerzan said, “so I just think that I can run with these people, and I do. It was amazing. I’m so glad to be on this team.”

“We have a national champion among us tonight,” McGuirk said. “The entire team is happy about that. So many good things have happened this year. It’s been a very positive experience.”

The NCAA Division III National Championships completed an outstanding season for the Willamette cross country teams. In addition to placing 20th nationally, the women’s team won the Northwest Conference (NWC) title for the fifth consecutive year and claimed its fourth straight NCAA West Regional title. Zerzan completed a triple championship this fall, winning the NCAA, West Regional and NWC titles.

The WU men’s team won its fifth consecutive West Regional crown and won the NWC title for the sixth consecutive year. Ian Batch, a junior from Boise, Idaho, was the NWC’s individual champion and placed eighth at the West Regional.

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Symmonds Breaks NCAA Division III Record for the 800 Meters

Willamette University Senior Runs One of Fastest Times in Nation this Year

Willamette University senior Nick Symmonds broke the NCAA Division III record for the 800 meters late Saturday as he ran a 1:47.34, winning the Tennessee Distance Running Solution race at Vanderbilt University.

Symmonds, a five-time Division III national champion in the 800 and 1500 meters, broke the record held by Clive Terrelonger of Lincoln College by .22 seconds. Terrelonger set the old record in 1991.

The winning time—along with breaking the record—firmly plants Symmonds in the top five in the nation for all runners in the 800 meters. Only two runners, Khadevis Robinson of Nike and Christian Smith from Kansas State, are ahead of Symmonds. Robinson ran the top two times this year, including a 1:44.98. Smith’s best time is 1:47.11. Symmonds follows right behind with 1:47.34.

Running in a competitive field that included Jebreh Harris (#5 800m in US), Nike Farm Team member Sean O’Brien and two-time NCAA Division III 800 meter champion Matt Groose, Symmonds hit the bell lap in just over 52 seconds, tucked in behind several runners.

Sitting comfortably for the next 300 meters, Symmonds took the lead on the homestretch, setting a personal best by nearly 1.5 seconds, breaking his own Willamette University record and the NCAA Division III record.

Symmonds will attempt to defend his titles in the 1500 meters and 800 meters at the NCAA Division III Championships May 25-27 in Lisle, Ill. Earlier this year, Symmonds won the Northwest Conference Cross Country Championship.

Symmonds traveled to Tennessee hoping to qualify for the United States Track Association Championships, catching a 6 a.m. flight back to Oregon on Sunday to walk with his graduating class. Now his goal is to finish in the top three in the nation as he prepares for the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Olympics.

“This may have been the best weekend of my life,” Symmonds said. “It feels phenomenal to be a Division III runner ranked in the top 10 in the nation. I never thought I would have that chance going to a Division III school. But it’s still early in the season, and this is going to help me stay motivated and focused.”

The Tennessee Running Solution is a first-year meet. Meet Director Dave Milner said the 800 at the event was one of the fastest races run in the country this year.

“Nick ran an excellent race,” Milner said. “He was the star of the show. He got boxed in as they were coming into the final 300 meters, but he didn’t panic. When he saw his opening, he took it and out-kicked a very strong field to win the race.

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Willamette's Own Earn Top Athletic Honors

Matt McGuirk Named 2004 NCAA Men's National Track and Field Coach of the Year
Jake Stout Named Men's National Track and Field Athlete of the Year

Decatur, IL – As 15 Willamette athletes prepare for the Men’s and Women’s National Track and Field Championships, two Bearcats are already receiving national attention. Head Coach Matt McGuirk was honored three times on Wednesday night. After initially being named the West Region Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year at the NCAA Division III Championship Banquet in Decatur, Illinois, McGuirk capped off the evening with the grand prize; 2004 NCAA Men’s National Track and Field Coach of the Year.

The national top honor comes in addition to previously being named the Northwest Conference and West Region Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year this past fall and both Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach of the Year for the Northwest Conference this spring.

Senior Jake Stout, competing in the 5000m and Steeplechase, was honored twice last night. After initially being recognized as the West Region Male Athlete of the Year, Stout bagged the nation’s the top honor and was named the 2004 NCAA Track and Field Male Athlete of the year.

The Division III Track and Field Championships, in Decatur, IL, begin today, May 27 and will close on May 29th.

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Willamette wins NWC track & field titles for second straight year

Willamette wins NWC track & field titles for second straight year; Sullivan, Andrews, Symmonds win NWC honors; McGrane breaks school record in 400 hurdles

TACOMA, Wash. ­ For the second year in a row, Willamette¹s track & field teams were crowned champions of the Northwest Conference. The Bearcat squads won both titles on Saturday with relative ease at Pacific Lutheran University. The Willamette men won the team title by more than 100 points, outdistancing second-place Whitworth 264-160. Linfield was third with 108.5 points.

The Bearcat women tallied 227 points, well ahead of Whitworth (158) and Pacific Lutheran (114).

The Willamette women received individual championships from: Alicia Andrews in the 400 (58.32 ­ No. 3 all-time at WU) and 800 (2:18.81); Kari Holbert in the 1,500 (4:50.85); Natalie Muren in the 5,000 (18:19.26); Jazzmin Reece in the 100 hurdles (15.14 ­ No. 2 all-time at WU); Shannon McGrane in the 400 hurdles (1:02.43 ­ *new school record); Kasey Sorenson in the shot put (39-10 3/4); and the 4x400 relay (3:59.62 ­ No. 3 all-time at WU).

Andrews repeated her title in the 800, giving Willamette an NWC champion in that event for the seventh straight year Beth Fitzgerald Rainford (1997-99), Lisa Starkey (2000-01) and Andrews (2002).

The Bearcat men received individual titles from: Nick Symmonds in the 800 (1:55.03) and 1,500 (3:54.92); Brennan Garrelts in the 110 hurdles (15.09); Brett McNeil in the pole vault (15-1 3/4 ­ No. 3 all-time at WU); and Nate Matlock in the shot put (48-1 3/4). Matlock also won the shot put title in 2002.

Willamette also dominated the post-meet awards. Coach Kelly Sullivan was named NWC Coach of the Year for both the men and women. Andrews shared the NWC Women¹s Athlete of the Year award with George Fox senior Kelsey Baron (long jump, triple jump winner). Symmonds shared the NWC Men¹s Athlete of the Year award with GFU junior Ben Salisbury (100, 200 winner).

Holbert, who also won the steeplechase on Friday, set the only meet record in the championships with her winning time of 11:18.9.

* Former school record of 1:02.98 was set by Amy Carlson in 1994.

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Willamette University Names UC-Santa Cruz's Majeski as Director of Athletics

Willamette University announced today the appointment of Mark Majeski, as its new director of athletics. Majeski, who has been director of athletics at the University of California-Santa Cruz for the past five years, will begin at Willamette on Oct. 16.

Majeski will succeed Bill Trenbeath, who is retiring after 13 years as Willamette athletics director and 27 years with the University. Trenbeath, who turns 60 next Thursday, will remain on staff through the end of October to assist in the transition.

Majeski, 33, earned a bachelor's degree in communications in 1989 from Menlo College in Menlo, Calif. This year he will receive a master's in education, with an emphasis in administration, from San Jose State University.

Prior to coming to UC-Santa Cruz, Majeski was an assistant athletics director, sports information director and intramural director at Menlo for four years (1991-95).

At Santa Cruz Majeski managed a 12-sport NCAA Division III athletics program in addition to eight club sports. He increased permanent funding for women's sports by more than $50,000 and elevated men and women's water polo from club to varsity status.

Majeski also created a booster club at UC-Santa Cruz and orchestrated a student fee funding initiative with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Majeski also has a background in coaching. He served as both assistant women's basketball coach (1996-97) and interim head women's basketball coach (1998-99) at UC-Santa Cruz. While at Menlo, he coached the women's softball team from 1993-95. He also coached at the prep level at Menlo High School, working with boys and girls basketball and track & field teams from 1992-94.

Majeski worked the 1999 NCAA Division I Final Four in San Jose, was on the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games in the summer of 1996, and was an assistant to the director of operations for the 1994 World Cup (soccer) held at Stanford University.

In the 13-plus years under Trenbeath's direction, the Willamette athletic department:

• Won the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball championship (1993)
• Added women's golf and men's and women's rowing
• Made the transition from NAIA to NCAA (fall of 1998)
• Saw the construction of Roy S. "Spec" Keene Stadium for baseball, a boathouse and dock for rowing, and a new softball facility
• And saw the renovation of Charles E. McCulloch Stadium for football and track & field, and the expansion of the Lestle J. Sparks Center.

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Trenbeath to Retire as Athletic Director

Bill Trenbeath, Willamette University's athletic director for the past 11 years, announced on Friday that he's retiring from the position. Trenbeath, 59, will remain on staff until the University completes its search for his successor.

Trenbeath's tenure as athletic director, begun in the fall of 1988, will probably be best remembered for hiring a quality coaching staff and major athletic facility improvements. In those 11 years, Willamette has built Roy S. "Spec" Keene Stadium for baseball (1988), renovated Charles E. McCulloch Stadium (1993) for football and track, constructed an addition to the Lestle J. Sparks Center (1996), and built a new softball field and facility (1999), which has yet to be named.

"Under Bill's strong leadership, the University has seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of the athletic facilities as well as increased success in nearly all of our intercollegiate programs," said Willamette President Lee Pelton. "We will miss greatly his knowledge, enthusiasm and steadfast compassion for students."

Of the many athletic highlights since 1988, the most prominent would have to be the 1993 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship won in Nampa, Idaho; the school's first national title in a varsity sport. The 1997 football team nearly won a national crown under head coach Dan Hawkins, who was hired by Trenbeath. That team won 13 straight games before losing in the NAIA National Championship game to Findlay (Ohio), 14-7.

Trenbeath first came to Willamette in August of 1973 as head baseball coach, assistant football coach and assistant professor of physical education. In 13 baseball seasons, he coached the Bearcats to three Northwest Conference crowns and five NAIA District II playoff appearances. In his final campaign in 1986, Trenbeath was named NAIA District II Coach of the Year after Willamette won its first-ever District II title.

In the two years between coaching and becoming AD, Trenbeath was Willamette's director of annual funds. That position also allowed him to raise funds for the baseball stadium, which was constructed largely with volunteer community assistance.

A native of North Dakota, Trenbeath came to the Northwest to attend Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash. He played second base on the 1960 Pirate baseball team that claimed the NAIA National Championship. He graduated from Whitworth in 1963 and began his teaching and coaching career that year at Meridian Junior High School in Kent, Wash. He obtained his master's degree from the University of North Dakota in 1967.

His teaching and coaching career also took him to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, Horlick High School in Racine, Wis., Banning High School in Banning, Calif., Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and Oregon State University in Corvallis.

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Watts repeats as NCAA Division III decathlon champion; Scott, Starkey earn All-America honors

Willamette entered three track & field athletes in the NCAA Division III national championships and all three came away with All-America honors, highlighted by Jimmy Watts (sr., Lakeview HS) repeat championship in the decathlon May 25-27 at North Central College.

Watts scored a school-record 7,384 points in the two-day decathlon, outdistancing his nearest competitor by nearly 200 points, Shipley Ennis of Pacific Lutheran (7,196). Watts entered the meet with a personal best of 7,160 points and was hoping to surpass David Crumes 1984 school record of 7,199 points.

Watts national championship scored 10 points for Willamette, which put the Bearcats in a tie for 23rd place in the team scoring. He also placed 11th in the high jump with a mark of 6-6 3/4.

Monica Scott (jr., Nestucca HS) finished third in the javelin and Lisa Starkey (jr., Del Oro HS, Calif.) placed fourth in the 800 meters to earn All-America honors, which includes the top eight places. Scott threw just eight inches under her season best with a mark of of 135-11. The javelin was won by Rowans Kathleen Darling, who tossed the spear 146-8 for a meet and stadium record. Scott placed fifth at nationals in the javelin in 1999.

Starkey won one of three heats in the 800 with a personal best of 2:10.94, then placed fourth in the finals with a time of 2:12.44. Leah Juno of Wisconsin-Stevens Point edged favorite Heather Stone of the University of the South at the wire. Junos time was 2:10.60; Stone finished in 2:10.67.

The 11 points Scott and Starkey scored put Willamette in 22nd place, but the Bearcats were the highest scoring team at nationals among the Northwest Conference schools. Watts had a banner day during the first day of the decathlon on Thursday. He matched season bests in the 100 (11.47) and high jump (6-10 3/4), and set season bests in the long jump (22-3 1/2), shot put (42-10 1/4) and 400 meter run (50.51). His shot put was an improvement by more than five feet. All five of his marks on the second day were slightly below his season bests.

Willamette's Beth Fitzgerald (sr., McCall-Donnelly HS, Idaho) had qualified for the national meet in the 800 and 1,500, but did not participate due to injuries.

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