NAMPA, Idaho – Jimmy Oribo won the 5,000-meter run, while Fernando Esparanza finished fifth in two events as both Lewis-Clark State College runners qualified for the NAIA National Indoor Track and Field championships with strong performances in the two-day Jacksons Invitational at the Idaho Center.
Oribo, a junior from Kampala, Uganda, won the 5,000 meters in 15 minutes 11.36 seconds, while teammate Tommy Bollinger was sixth in 17:15.46. Oribo’s performance on Saturday helped make up for a disappointment on Friday when he was sixth in the 3,000 meters in 8:45.36, just missing the NAIA national qualifying standard by less than a second.
Esparanza met the qualifying standards in both the 3,000 and mile runs. He finished fifth in the 3,000 on Friday in 8:42.68, while Nick Pierson was 16th in 9:43.41 and Bollinger was 19th in 9:48.85. Esparanza, a senior from Huesca, Spain, then finished fifth in the mile on Saturday in a time of 4:21.90. Pierson finished 13th in 4:39.68.
Oribo and Esparanza are the first two LCSC competitors to qualify for the NAIA national meet, which will be held March 3-5 in Geneva, Ohio.
Also for the Warriors, Jake Meyer placed ninth in the weight throw with a toss of 44-feet 2-inches, while Mathias Ness was 16th in the 400 meters in 53.71 and 23rd in the 800 in 2:08.67.
The lone female competitor for LCSC was freshman AnnieKate, who ran 13:06.10 in the 3,000.
Warrior athletes will head back to Nampa next Saturday for the Boise State University Invite.
