Oregon State injected life into its women’s track and field records this weekend as Grace Fetherstonhaugh won the first two Pac-12 individual championships in school history.
The senior from New Westminster, B.C. added to her Pac-12 gold medal total Sunday when Fetherstonhaugh won the 5,000-meter race at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif.
Fetherstonhaugh led Oregon State to its best-ever finish at the Pac-12 meet. The Beavers finished eighth with 55 points, missing a top-five finish by fewer than eight points. OSU’s previous bests were 10th place and 23.5 points.
Saturday night, Fetherstonhaugh won the 3,000-meter steeplechase to give Oregon State its first-ever first-place finish in the Pac-10 or 12 women’s meet. The Beavers have competed in the Pac-10/12s since 1987.
Fetherstonhaugh moved to the front of the pack before the midway point of the race. During the final 1,500 meters Fetherstonhaugh began to pull away, hitting the finish line in 16 minutes, 1.78 seconds. Her margin of victory over runner-up Colorado’s Ella Baran was nearly six seconds.
The last time OSU claimed an individual first place during a conference meet was 1984 at NorPac.
The Beavers also had a pair of second-place finishes. Kaylee Mitchell took second to Fetherstonhaugh during Saturday’s steeplechase. On Sunday, Jade Whitfield placed second in discus, with a throw of 189 feet, 5 inches.
One other notable performance came from Anneke Moersdorf, who finished fifth in heptathlon with 5,618 points.
–Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
