Shipley Slides Under 15-Minute Mark At Gregory Final Qualifier

Shipley Slides Under 15-Minute Mark At Gregory Final Qualifier

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Thursday Results

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Tyler Shipley (Fr., Forest Grove, Ore.) reached another milestone in his young Pacific running career Thursday, becoming just the second athlete in school history to run under 15 minutes for 5,000 meters at the Gregory Last Chance Qualifier, held Thursday at North Central College's Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
 
The last of 28 men to qualify for the fastest of three sections of the race, Shipley finished sixth with a time of 14:57.06.  One other exhibition runner not affiliated with a college ran faster than Shipley to make him seventh out of a field of 80 athletes.
 
"I am really proud of Tyler's effort tonight," said Pacific Head Track and Field Coach Tim Boyce.  "To end the year with a personal best and his first race under 15 minutes is awesome.  It's been a great first year for him."
 
Only one runner at Pacific has run faster than Shipley.  Roger Hansen owns the top spot on Pacific's 5,000-meter list with a time of 14:36.8 (converted from yards) run in 1976.
 
While the time is a season best for the reigning Northwest Conference champion, it will not be enough to send the freshman to the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships in La Crosse, Wis.  To have been in contention for a qualifying spot, Shipley would have needed to meet or beat the current No. 18 time of 14:30.03 owned by Michael LeDuc of Conn College.  Only the race winner, Andrew Padgett of Washington (Mo.), ran faster with his time of 14:25.47.
 
The future continues to be bright for Shipley after an outstanding freshman season.  He was named the Men's Track Athlete of the Meet at April's NWC Championships after winning both the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters.  In cross country, Shipley earned Second Team All-NWC and All-West Region honors, qualifying for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships.
 
Shipley will have the option of one more race as he entered in the meet's 1,500 meters, which will be run on Friday.  Teammate Kelson Kawai (Jr., North Kohala, Hawaii) will also compete as he looks to secure a spot in the national meet in the men's high jump.
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