Beavers Gear Up for NCAA Indoor Championships

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Four Oregon State track and field athletes are slated to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships, Mar. 11-12, in Birmingham, Ala. The distance medley relay (DMR) quartet of redshirt junior Kaylee Mitchell, sophomore Adael Scatena, senior Mari Friedman, and redshirt junior Grace Fetherstonhaugh will race at 8:45 p.m. CT (6:45 p.m. PT) on Friday. Saturday's action will see Fethterstonhaugh and Mitchell compete in the 3000 meters at 8 p.m. CT (6 p.m. PT). 
 
Fans are encouraged to gather on the south side of Gill Coliseum on Ralph Miller Lane for a sendoff at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 9. 
 
The Road to Championships
At the Pac-12 Invitational on Feb. 25, Mitchell, Scatena, Friedman, and Fetherstonhaugh shattered the Oregon State DMR record, clocking a time of 10:57.35 to finish second. The Beavers' time placed them seventh overall on the NCAA Indoor Performance List. The previous school record of 11:24.59 was set in 2017 by Juliana Mount, Kerissa D'Arpino, Gwyneth McMorris, and Morgan Anderson. 
 
Mitchell and Fetherstonhaugh have set and reset the Oregon State 3000-meter record a total of three times this season, all in Seattle, Wash. Mitchell first broke the record on Jan. 29 at the UW Invitational with a time of 9:03.26, beating the time of 9:23.36 set by Mount in 2019. Two weeks later, at the Husky Classic on Feb. 11, Fetherstonhaugh edged past Mitchell's record, stopping the clock at 9:01.74. Mitchell and Fetherstonhaugh both surpassed the new record on Feb. 26 at the Pac-12 Invitational. Mitchell, who is the current record holder, clinched first in the race and broke nine minutes with a time of 8:58.39. Fetherstonhaugh, who is now second in the OSU all-time list for the event, clocked a personal best of 9:00.87 and finished third in the race. 
 
This marks the fourth time in program history the Beavers have sent competitors to the NCAA Indoor Championships. Last season, Fetherstonhaugh finished 14th overall in the 5000 meters with a time of 16:22.03. In 2012, Laura Carlyle took 13th in the mile with a time of 4:46.93. Carina Westover is the only Oregon State women's track athlete to have scored at an indoor championship, clinching sixth in the high jump in 1984 with a clearance of 1.75m (5' 9"). With Westover's points, OSU finished 39th in the team standings that year.
 
Where to Watch
The NCAA Indoor Championships will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 starting at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) on Friday and 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT) on Saturday. A re-air of the championship will take place on Mar. 13, starting at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT).
 
NCAA Indoor Championships Schedule of Events
Birmingham Ala. | Mar. 11-12
Competing Beavers 
 
Friday, Mar. 11
8:45 p.m. CT (6:45 p.m. PT) - Distance Medley Relay
Kaylee Mitchell, Adael Scatena, Mari Friedman, Grace Fetherstonhaugh
Alternates: Amber Jackson, Christina Geisler
 
Saturday, Mar. 12
8:00 p.m. CT (6:00 p.m. PT) - 3000m
Grace Fetherstonhaugh
Kaylee Mitchell