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Sports 8A — THE OBSERVER TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021 LABEL 8A Tuesday, March 2, 2021 Th e Observer Eastern Oregon track athletes and coaches receive awards MAKING HER MARK Union High grad Michelle Herbes joins 7 EOU teammates in trip to NAIA championships The Observer By DICK MASON LA GRANDE — Eastern Oregon University coaches and athletes received accolades from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The association on Friday, Feb. 27, announced its 2021 Regional Athlete and Coach of the Year awards. Two EOU coaches and two athletes received recognition: head men’s and women’s track and fi eld coach Ben Welch; assistant men’s and women’s coach Rebecca Rhodes; and athletes Allexander Kosel and Jasmine Devers. According to an EOU press release, the association named Welch the men’s West Region Head Coach of the Year and Rhodes the West Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year. The organization tabbed Kosel the Male West Region Field Athlete of the Year and Devers the West Region Female Track Ath- lete of the Year. Kosel and Devers both will be competing this week in Yankton, South Dakota, at the 2021 National Association of Intercollegiate Ath- letics Indoor Track & Field Cham- pionships. Six other EOU ath- letes join them in representing the Mountaineers. Welch is in his 19th year as East- ern’s head coach. He has led the EOU men to a 22nd ranking in the USTFCCCA National Rating Index and No. 1 in the West Region. Rhodes is in her fourth year as the top assistant under Welch at Eastern. She helped lead athletes to six national-qualifying positions in just two regular-season meets during the 2020-21 indoor season. The Observer LA GRANDE — Michelle Herbes stepped off Union High School’s volleyball court Four-and-a-half years ago and on to a path toward NAIA All-American status. Herbes, then a UHS senior, decided to turn out for cross-country in late summer of 2017 instead of volleyball, which she had played for three seasons. Now an Eastern Oregon University track star, Herbes said she made the switch believing her best chance of landing a college scholarship would be as a middle-distance runner. Today, there is no doubt Herbes made the right decision. She landed the athletic scholarship she sought after signing with EOU in 2018 fol- lowing a successful senior year in which she placed 11th at the state cross-country meet and won the state 400-meter title in track. She has continued to progress at Eastern and in 2020 placed eighth in the 1,000-meter run at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Indoor Track & Field Champion- ships, earning her All-American status. A year later, Herbes, the daughter of Mike and Janet Herbes of Union, is set to return to the indoor national championships to com- pete a second time in the same event. The college junior’s focus is not on placing. “My goal is to win,” Herbes said. The NAIA championships run March 3-6 in Yankton, South Dakota. Qualifying heats for the women’s 1,000 will be Wednesday, March 3, and the fi nal will be Thursday. Herbes qualifi ed for nationals with a mark of 3:03 at an outdoor race in Caldwell, Idaho, in early February. Conditions were far from ideal with the temperature 35 degrees during the 1,000-meter contest. “It was a little hard because my muscles were tight,” Herbes said. EOU head track and fi eld coach Ben Welch said he believes Herbes will run faster Eastern Oregon University/Contributed Photo Eastern Oregon University junior Michelle Herbes of Union runs the 4K during the College of Idaho Ice Chipper on Feb. 5, 2021. She placed ninth in the event and has her sights now set on winning the 1,000-meter run at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Indoor Track & Field Championships in Yankton, South Dakota. Seven of her EOU teammates also are com- peting in the championships March 3-6, 2021. at nationals because weather will not be an issue indoors. Welch said Herbes has excellent speed and is a tough competitor. The latter is important at indoor meets, he said, because they are on smaller tracks with tight turns, resulting in crowding and bumping. Welch said the best is defi nitely yet to come for Herbes. One reason is she pushes herself hard in workouts during all seasons. “The big key is that she trains consistently and intensely all year,” Welch said. “She knows only one way to train — and that is hard.” Welch said sometimes Herbes trains too intensely. He said there are times when she needs to ease up and give herself more recovery time, which she is doing. Herbes is majoring in exercise science at Eastern and wants to pursue a career as a cross-country and track coach after graduating. “I have a passion for running and helping people get better,” she said. Herbes is one of eight EOU athletes who will be competing at the NAIA 2021 Indoor Track & Field Championships. The following teammates join her: • Jasmine Devers, a sophomore from Boise, Idaho, who will compete in the wom- en’s 200-meter race. • Allexander Kosel, a junior from Rob- erts, Montana, in long jump and triple jump. • Cody Milmine, a sophomore from Buf- falo, Wyoming, in the 60-meter dash. • Hunter Nichols, a sophomore from Hep- pner who is running in the 1,000-meter race. • Darrian Walker, a junior from Emmett, Idaho, competing in the pole vault. • Tyler Davis, a junior from Sandpoint, Idaho, in the heptathlon. • Sam Roddewig, a senior from Helena, Montana, in the heptathlon. March 3 thru May 4, 2021! *30-Year annuity paid out in equal installments of $33,333.33 per year with no interest. **ARV $250,000 paid by check. ***ARV $200,000 awarded as $25,000 in Gift Cards and $175,000 paid by check. †ARV $50,000 Paid by check. ††Awarded Gift Cards valued at $5,000. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Game tickets end 5/4/21. Must be resident of an eligible U.S. state listed in rules; 18+. Visit www.shopplaywin.com for full rules, incl. how to enter without purchase. Series MON-14. MONOPOLY™ & © 1935, 2021 Hasbro, Pawtucket, RI 02861-1059 USA. All Rights Reserved. TM & ® denote U.S. Trademarks. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. clip or CLICK! Valid 3/2/21 thru 3/9/21 10 $ clip or CLICK! Valid 3/2/21 thru 3/9/21 OFF $ 50 or more * Save on your next grocery purchase of $50 or more * with your Club Card & this Savings Award. *Use this Savings Award on any shopping trip you choose at any Oregon Safeway or Albertsons store and S.W. Washington stores serving Clark, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Skamania, Walla Walla and Klickitat counties by 3/9/21. This $10.00 Savings Award excludes purchases of Alcoholic Beverages, Fluid Dairy Products, Tobacco, US Postage Stamps, Trimet Bus/ Commuter Passes, Money Orders, Container Deposits, Lottery, Gift Cards, Gift Certificates Sales, All Pharmacy Prescription Purchases, Safeway Club Savings, Safeway or Albertsons Store Coupons and Sales Tax. One Savings Award redeemable per household. COUPON CANNOT BE DOUBLED. Online and in-store prices, discounts, and offers may differ. 1 99 ea Thomas’ English Muffins, Bagels, Swirl Bread or Sara Lee Artesano Bread Selected sizes and varieties. *This coupon must be presented at time of purchase at Safeway / Albertsons. Offer valid with Card and Coupon. COUPON CANNOT BE DOUBLED or combined with digital coupon. Coupon valid 3/2/21 - 3/9/21. Prices in this ad are effective fective 6 AM T Tuesday, , March 2 thru Tuesday, T , March 9, 2021 (unless otherwise noted) in all Safeway or Albertsons stores in Oregon and S.W. S.W Washington ashington stores serving Wahkiakum, W ahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, W Walla Walla alla and Klickitat Counties. Items of offered for sale are not available to other dealers or wholesalers. Sales of products containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine limited limit ed by law. law . Quantity rights reserved. SOME ADVERTISING ITEMS MAY MA NOT BE AVAILABLE AILABLE IN ALL STORES. Some advertised prices may be even lower in some stores. On Buy One, Get One Free (“BOGO”) of offers, fers, customer must purchase the first item to receive the second item free. BOGO of offers fers are not 1/2 price sales. If only a single item purchased, the regular price applies. Manufacturers’ coupons may be used on purchased items only — not on free items. Limit one coupon per purchased item. Customer will be responsible for tax and deposits as required by law on the purchased and free items. No liquor sales in excess of 52 gallons. No liquor sales for resale. Liquor sales at licensed Safeway or Albertsons stores only. . ©2021 Safeway Inc. or ©2021 Albertsons LLC. Availability vailability of items may vary by store. Online and In-store prices, discounts and of offers may differ. dif PG 1,Common GL158596_030321_POR_ROP_SA_10.5x10.5_LaGrandeObserver_Common