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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2019)
SPORTS 8A — THE OBSERVER MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019 Navarro finishes as an all-American to pace EOU men By Ronald Bond The Observer LA GRANDE — Alex Navarro finished his collegiate cross country career as an all-American. The fifth-year senior accom- plished his individual goal of break- ing into the top 10, finishing eighth in the nation with a time of 25:07.2 to lead the Eastern Oregon Univer- sity men’s cross country team to a 19th-place finish at Friday’s NAIA National Championship race in Vancouver, Washington. “It definitely was very surreal. It wasn’t until maybe my (fourth) year I could consider myself (a potential) all-American in cross,” Navarro said. “It’s weird. I was always OK at cross and saw myself as a better track runner, but you never know. One day you’re the middle of the back and the next you’re an all-American.” Navarro became the second EOU runner in three years to garner a top-10 finish, besting the ninth-place effort by Nic Maszk in 2017 on the same Vancouver course. He’s the third runner this decade to finish in the top 10 for the EOU men, and fourth to earn an all-American award for a top-30 finish. Maszk (2016 and 2017), Lucas Updike (2014), Isaac Updike (2013) and D.J. Flores (2010 and 2014) also earned all-American status. “He did a great job,” head coach Ben Welch said. “He ran an excel- lent race, got out really hard and was just patient. He did it by run- ning remarkably consistent.” Navarro’s performance, fur- thermore, is tied for fifth-best in NCU Athletics photo Alex Navarro tied for the fifth-best individual finish in the history of the Eastern Oregon University men’s cross country program by tak- ing eighth at Friday’s NAIA national championship meet. program history. Flores (second in 2014, fifth in 2010), Don Stearns (second in 1982) and Eric Griffiths (sixth in 2004) are the only runners to finish at nationals higher than Navarro. His effort ties the eighth- place finish by Alex McGladrey in 2004. “That’s running with some pretty big horses,” Welch said. Navarro was back in the pack in 81st at the 2K split, at which point he began picking runners off. “After that it was a lot of work. Basically I went out and started head hunting, one by one, started coming back,” he said. Navarro was one of three Moun- taineer runners to finish in the top half of the 335-man field. Travis Running also finished in the top 100, placing 52nd with a time of 25:56.5. Braxton Wilson was 139th, finishing in 26:41.7. “This is only his third year of cross country,” Welch said of Run- ning. “He raced extremely well, especially for someone as inexperi- enced as he is.” Hunter Nichols (27:13.5) and Hunter Schiess (27:41.2) rounded out EOU’s top five, taking 206th and 247th place, respectively. The five scoring runners netted 509 points for the 19th-place finish, matching the rank EOU finished with a season ago. Weyekin Wild Bill (27:47.0) and Robie Swanson (27:58.2) placed 254th and 267th, respectively. Oklahoma City earned the national championship with a total score of 110 points. Rival College of Idaho took fifth with 203 points to pace the Cascade Collegiate Conference teams. The Eastern Oregon women’s team, though, did not have the day it was anticipating at the national championship race. The Mountaineers entered the race in Vancouver, Washington, ranked 11th in the nation and with hopes of a top-10 finish, but the team took 29th with 718 points and didn’t put a runner in the top 100. “It was one of those things where if it could go wrong, it went wrong,” Welch said, noting that everything from injury flare-ups to runners starting too quickly to inexperience at the national race tripped up his squad. Megan Boals, the Mountaineers’ No. 2 runner most of the season, led Eastern in Friday’s race with a time of 19:45.3, which placed her 142nd overall. Freshman Mack- enzie Trainer trailed Boals by just 3.7 seconds, finishing in 152nd at 19:49.0. Trainer was one of the bright spots for EOU on the rough day. “Mackenzie ran well,” Welch said. “That’s about where I figured she would run. The problem was she was our No. 2, not our No. 4.” Michelle Herbes, Eastern’s top runner, slipped to third on the team, and 169th overall, with a time of 19:55.4 as she dealt with a hip issue. Ella Coughlan, another freshman, led the second pack of EOU runners in 249th with a time of 20:32.9, and Katie Jo Gebhardt (20:38.4) placed 255th. Lisa Megargee (20:58.6) and Stormy Bullard (21:24.9) finished in 280th and 290th for the Moun- taineers. A total of 340 runners completed the course. Michigan’s Madonna University was the national champion with 111 points, edging College of Idaho, which led the Cascade Collegiate Conference and took second with 147 points. EOU women make return trip to Alabama; men see season end outshot Baker in the open- ing half, 4-2, as the teams battled to a scoreless draw at the break. Salvoni, though, started a second half dominated by the Wildcats by scoring off a By Ronald Bond The Observer LA GRANDE — The Eastern Oregon Univer- sity women’s soccer team overcame two drama-filled contests and is headed back to the NAIA national tourna- ment’s final site. Morgan Farrington scored the game-winning goal in the final minutes of regula- tion to lift the Mountaineers past Bethel, Tennessee, 1-0 Friday, then Eastern won a shootout Saturday against John Brown University, 3-2, after the teams played to a scoreless tie. The matches, played in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, advanced the Mountaineers out of their opening round bracket and to the final 16. The Mountaineers sur- vived a major scare from the Wildcats to win Friday when Farrington scored the win- ning goal with just 1:43 to play. The junior took a pass from Josee Bassett, took one touch and then put in the winner from 8 yards out. The ball went right through the legs of Bethel keeper Shanay Ricketts, who up to that point had recorded six saves and had turned Farrington away on three previous oc- casions. Eastern goalkeeper Savannah Hutchinson had three saves in the win, including two in the second half when the game was still scoreless. Eastern found a rhythm on offense in the second half, outshooting Bethel 12-5 after facing a 9-5 disparity in shots in the first half. Saturday’s contest was even more dramatic. Hutchinson recorded six saves during the match — three in the second half and one in each overtime period — then lifted her game to another level with three more stops during the penalty kick round to push the Mountaineers to the next round. Both teams converted a successful penalty kick on the first attempt, with Farrington and JBU’s Jenna Miller putting their kicks in. After JBU keeper Chloe Griffin and Hutchinson both had saves on the second rebound in the 47th minute. Alonge, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, scored off a corner kick in the 55th minute to double the lead. Baker outshot the Mountaineers in the second half, 11-4. The loss brings EOU’s season — one that saw the Mountaineers reach the postseason for the first time — to an end with a final record of 9-10-3. TREASURE VALLEY STEEL, INC. Manufacturing Zee & Cee Purlins In-HouseCustom Cut Exact Lengths Ronald Bond/Observer file photo Eastern Oregon’s Morgan Farrington, shown earlier this season, had the game-winning goal in Friday’s match and made one of three penalty kicks Saturday for the Mountaineers to help them advance to the second round of the NAIA national tournament. kick, Nan Kiebert and Camie Edgington put home back-to-back attempts — while Hutchinson recorded another save — for a 3-2 lead. Griffin had a second stop to keep John Brown alive, but Hutchinson turned away JBU’s Kathryn Huff on the final attempt to secure the shootout victory. JBU gave Eastern all it could handle for the entire 110 minutes. The Golden Eagles held a 12-8 shot advantage and were the only team to attempt a shot in the overtime sessions. The Mountaineers (16-2-3 overall) face fourth-ranked and undefeated Central Methodist in the second round Dec. 2 in Orange Beach, Alabama. NATIONAL RUN ENDS FOR EOU MEN AT BAKER A second-half scoring burst by the Baker Univer- sity Wildcats brought an end to a magical ride by the Eastern Oregon University men’s soccer team. Massimo Salvoni and Jordan Alonge scored eight minutes apart early in the second half to break a stale- mate, and Baker blanked the Mountaineers, 2-0, Friday afternoon in Baldwin City, Kansas, during the opening round of the NAIA national playoffs. “It was a great game,” EOU head coach Zach Mills said. “Both teams were ready for it, and they had two set pieces that fell nicely for them. We missed a couple opportunities that may have changed the game, but I was proud of my guys for their resiliency. They gave it everything until the last whistle.” The Mountaineers played toe-to-toe with the home team Wildcats for the first 45 minutes, and actually • 24 Colors • Custom Trim • 2 1/2” Corrugated • Delivery Available • Full Soffitt Line • 3 ft. Gulf Coast Panel • 3 ft. PBR Panel • 3 ft. Mesa Panel • 3 ft. 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