OTC Elite athletes shine at UW Invitational

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By Curtis Anderson | Feb. 16, 2021

EUGENE, Ore. - Two victories and a trio of personal bests highlighted the performances of four Oregon Track Club Elite athletes at the UW Invitational in Seattle on Feb. 13.

OTC Elite newcomer Patrick Tiernan, a 2016 Olympian in the 5,000 meters, took first place in the men's mile at the University of Washington's Dempsey Indoor with a personal best of 3:56.82. He was followed across the finish line by teammates Vince Ciattei (4th, 3:57.63) and Will Paulson (5th, 3:58.03). Both of those times also were personal bests.

In the women's mile, OTC Elite's Hanna Green hit the tape in first place with a time of 4:29.08. She established her mile PR of 4:28.06 at last year's UW Invitational.

"A positive beginning," OTC Elite coach Mark Rowland said. "It was nice for the athletes to get a change of scenery and winning races is always important."

Tiernan, a native Australian, two-time World Championships qualifier, and former Villanova standout opened the 2021 season by winning the Las Vegas Half Marathon in 1:02.38 on Jan. 23. OTC Elite's Hassan Mead was ninth in 1:06.00.

Photo by Lumen Global