School Record-Smashing Efforts in DMR, 3,000m at Pac-12 Invitational Have Given Beavers Rare Opportunity at NCAA Indoors

By Joe Zochert for DyeStat

Walking out of the Husky Indoor Invitational on Feb. 12, Oregon State head coach Louie Quintana asked his runners what they thought about putting a distance medley relay together.

“I think we have the pieces for a DMR. What do you guys think?” Quintana remembered asking. 

The members of the team — Kaylee Mitchell (1,200 leg), Adael Scatena (400), Mari Friedman (800) and Grace Fetherstonhaugh (1,600) — were up for it. 

Two weeks later and back at the Dempsey Indoor facility in Seattle, the Beavers put eveything together in a hotly competitive race with Oregon and Stanford and took second at the Pac-12 Indoor Invitational in 10:57.35. 

That performance broke the school record by nearly half a minute and moved the squad into the top six nationally entering the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships on March 11-12 at the Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala. 

Not only has OSU never qualified a DMR for the nationals before, the women's-only program has not scored at the indoor meet since 1984, when Carina Westover took sixth in the high jump. 

The DMR performance Feb. 25 came on the last-chance weekend for NCAA qualifying. And the Beavers nailed it on their first try. 

The story got even better for the team the following day when the catalysts for the team, Mitchell and Fetherstonhaugh, qualified individually for national meet in the 3,000 meters. 

The redshirt juniors have been key components to the Beavers’ rise in both cross country and on the track.  

Mitchell won the Pac-12 Invite title in the 3,000 with a 8:58.39, lowering the school record yet again, and Fetherstonhaugh came in third place with a 9:00.87. 

The two have similar goals and compete in the same events and have helped push each other all season.

It was the third time the OSU indoor 3,000 record fell this year. Mitchell broke it for her second time this year after Fetherstonhaugh broke her record Feb 12. 

“We are both working hard for our goals every day at practice,” Mitchell said of her about training partnership with Fetherstonhaugh. “So it makes everything just so much more fun to do together.”

Their relationship is special as their goals and events line up. Their impact on each other and the team is something that Quintana has noticed and sees the positive effect.

“They’re extremely good friends. They’re appropriately competitive and encouraging of one another,” he said.  “No egos involved and it helps the maturation of my whole program.”

This maturity and the team unity is exemplified by Fethersonhaugh and her excitement for the success in the DMR.

After earning a berth at the at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships last season and placing 14th in the 5,000 meters, Fetherstonhaugh is thankful to have qualified again and is motivated for a better individual result this weekend.

However, she is more excited to have brought teammates with her this time.

“We train together every day. It’s a huge moment for all of us,” said Fetherstonhaugh about the DMR qualifying NCAA’s. 

The best part for them is that they get to compete for each other and celebrate together.

“That’s definitely one of my all-time favorite track memories is celebrating with them after we ran 10:57 (at the Pac-12 Invitational),” Mitchell said.

The team departs Corvallis, Ore. on Wednesday for the championship meet. It's a chance to take another step forward as a program and make a little bit of history along the way.