Under cold and bitter conditions of 22 degrees, nine degrees with the wind chill, seven Athletics East Running Club members took center stage …

The Athletics East Running Club made program history last weekend at the USATF State Championships held at Western Oregon University, with the girls claiming their first-ever first-place trophy while the boys clinched second place.

While running stride-for-stride with such a competitive group, The Dalles High School freshman Dillon Dorado finished with a time of 18 minutes and 59.30 seconds for 238th in the 15-to-18-year old division and 146th in his 15-to-16 age category at the USATF Junior Olympic Nationals held on Dec. 9 at Apalachee Regional Park, Fla.

For their first cross country race off the fall campaign, runners from the Athletics East Running Club rose to the challenge at the Oregon USATF Oregon Association Junior Olympic State Championships this past Saturday on the campus of Corbin University in Salem.