McMINNVILLE, Ore.—Junior
Evan Markelz and sophomore
Talia Tomhave both ran Northwest Conference Championship qualifying marks in the 10,000M, to lead Lewis & Clark outdoor track & field in their 2026 season opener.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Markelz and Tomhave led a trio of River Otters on each side, who kicked off the outdoor track & field season at the Erik Anderson Memorial Icebreaker Meet on Friday night.
The women's 10K was the first event of the night and the meet.
Tomhave made her collegiate debut in the event at Linfield. She finished 22
nd out of 38 runners with a new PR time of 41:32.04.
Senior
Emogene Lutz finished second on the women's team. Lutz placed 27
th overall with a time of 42:26.46.
Fellow senior
Ali Kerschner came across in 30
th place. Kerschner posted the second-fastest time of her collegiate career in the event with a mark of 43:14.62.
Markelz led the three River Otter men in the 10,000M.
He raced in the second of two heats. Markelz placed 30
th in the fast heat to finish 30
th out of 92 competitors. The junior, who finished third in the event at last year's NWC Championship Meet, notched a time of 31:38.06.
Sophomore
AJ Gibbs made his collegiate debut in the 10K in the first heat. The sophomore crossed the line in 33:52.07 to finish 66
th overall.
First year
Knox Orchard made his collegiate outdoor track & field debut on Friday. The first year placed 72
ndwith a time of 34:18.97.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Tomhave's time moved her into 29th in program history in the 10K.
- To qualify for the NWC Championship Meet in the 10K, student-athletes must run a time of 33:15 or faster on the men's side and a 42:00 or faster on the women's.
- Markelz finished third amongst NCAA DIII runners in the men's field.
- Gibbs cracked the top-50 in program history in the event. He moved up to 46th all-time in the event.
- Lutz (2x) and Markelz (1x) are the only River Otters who raced on Friday, who have competed in the 10K at the NWC Championship Meet.
WHAT'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark will take on Willamette University in a dual meet on Saturday in Salem. It will be the first time the River Otters and Bearcats have squared off in the Eldon & Chuck Throw Down. The field events will kick off the day starting at 10 a.m.
