HEADING UP NORTH

The Loggers will head up to Bellingham on Friday for the final tune-up before next week's Northwest Conference Championship, hosted by George Fox University in Newberg, Ore.

The Loggers at Shotwell Invitational

Led by a top three sweep in the men's hammer and a provisional NCAA qualifying time in the women's 100m hurdles, the Puget Sound Loggers concluded the home portion of the 2008 track and field schedule with the Shotwell Invitational at Baker Stadium in Tacoma. The men took second while the women finished sixth.

On the men's side, Greg Bailey (Beaverton, Ore./Westview) won the men's hammer with a toss of 150-9 (45.94m). AJ Middleton (Lakewood, Wash./Clover Park) took second while Cody Dean (Burbank, Wash./Columbia) finished third. Trevor Hanlin (Grants Pass, Ore.) and Francis Reynolds (Palo Alto, Calif.) finished second and third in the men's 5000m run, finishing only to unattached runner Uli Steidl, the winner of the 2006 Seattle Marathon.

On the women's side, Brittany Hodgson (Grants Pass, Ore.) broke the 11-minute barrier in the 3000m steeplechase for the second time this season as she held off Casey Stepan of Linfield for first place. Caitlin McGrane (Colville, Wash.) broke the 15 second mark in the 100m hurdles to record an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 14.94 and defeat Michelle Howe of Western Washington by just one-hundredth of the second.

The Loggers at NWC Multi-Event Championships

It took a come from behind effort but Puget Sound sophomore Caitlin McGrane became the first Northwest Conference track and field champion of 2008, winning the heptathlon at the NWC Multi-Event Championships at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore.

McGrane recorded 4,295 points in the seven-event contest, an NCAA provisional qualifying mark and the fourth best point total in NCAA Division III this season. After winning the 100m hurdles on day one in a time of 15.24, McGrane used a win in the 800m dash to collect the victory. In addition to clinching the victory, McGrane's time of 2:22.65 in the 800 is the top UPS time in the event this season.

A pair of Loggers also competed in the men's decathlon. Matt Maze (Kailua Kona, Hawaii/Hawaii Prep) placed sixth with a score of 5,808 points while Frank Speetjens (Lihue, Hawaii/Kauai) took 15th with a score of 4,533.

The Coach

Mike Orechia became the Director of Cross Country/Track & Field at the University of Puget Sound in 1997. Orechia had spent the previous ten years as Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at the University of Chicago where he led his Women's Cross Country team to the UAA Championships in 1992 & 1993, earning himself the Coaching Staff of the Year award and the Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year award. It was through his leadership that the women's team qualified for the first time in the schools history to compete in a NCAA championship where they placed fourteenth in 1993. During his time at the University of Chicago, Orechia coached ten All-Americans.

His other coaching experience includes coaching Stella Edwinson who participated in the 1984 Olympic trials in the 400m hurdles, Assistant Track & Field/ Cross Country coach at San Francisco State University (1983-1987), and Head Girls Track Coach at Danvers High School (1979-1981). While coaching at Danvers High School in 1979, his team won the Class B Championship, as well as the All-State Championship and the New England championship.

Since joining the Logger staff, Orechia has been selected Men's USTCA Indoor Track West Region Coach of the Year 2004, Men's XC Coach of the Year in 2002 and Women's XC Coach of the Year in 2001, coached three Men's NWC XC Championship teams and three Women's NWC XC Championship teams, and led the Women's Track & Field team to a 9th place NAIA finish in 1998 and a 5th place finish in 1999. As a Logger, he has also helped produce four National Champions (2 XC, 2 track), 17 track All-Americans, 10 XC All-Americans, 16 Individual XC Academic All-Americans, 10 XC Team Academic All-Americans, 13 Individual track Academic All-Americans, and 8 track team Academic All-Americans.

Orechia earned his B.S. degree in Education from Springfield College in 1978 and his M.A. degree in Education from San Francisco State University in 1985.

Subscribe to Puget Sound RSS Feeds