Måkestad & Bingisser compete in European Team Championship meets...

Former University of Washington track & field athletes Ingvill Måkestad and Martin Bingisser participated in the European team championship meets over the weekend.

In the SPAR European Team Championship meet held in Bergen, Norway, Måkestad,, representing the host country, finished sixth Sunday in the women's 1500 meter run, clocking 4:08.75, as Anna Mishchenko of Ukraine took the victory in a meet record time of 4:05.32.

On Saturday, Måkestad finished seventh in the 800 meters, running 2:04.81, as Nataliya Lupu won in 2:02.74.

In the second league championship meet held in Belgrade, Serbia, Bingisser, representing Switzerland, finished fifth in the hammer throw with a mark of 207-0 (63.11m), as Slovakia's Libor Chartreitag won with a toss of 251-10 (76.77m).

Bingisser's fifth place mark was worth three points for the Swiss team (one entry per event), as Switzerland won the meet, scoring 207 points and earning promotion into the first league for next year's European Team Championships.

Måkestad's Norwegian squad finished eleventh in the 12-nation Championship meet with 175 points, and will be relegated to the first league for next year's meet, where they will compete with Switzerland.

Greece (187.5), Norway & Finland (150) will be replaced by the Czech Republic, Sweden & Portugal for next year's meet.

Russia (379.5), Great Britain (317), and Germany (304.5) took the first three spots in Bergen.

Results from the SPAR European Team Championship meet in Bergen can be obtained here, while results from the European Team Championships--Second League meet in Belgrade, can be obtained here.

THREE COUGARS SELECTED FOR TEAM USA SQUAD FOR NACAC UNDER-23 CHAMPIONSHIPS NEXT MONTH…

Washington State University assistant coach Mark Macdonald dropped a note to the blog letting us know that 400 meter hurdler Jeshua Anderson, 800 meter runner Anna Layman, and javelin thrower Marissa Tschida were selected to compete in the NACAC Under-23 Championships July 9-11 in Miramar, Florida.

Athletes in the 23 and under category representing Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, St. Kitts/ Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turk and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands, and United States of America will bring an unprecedented showing of first class athletes to the City of Miramar.

University of Washington javelin thrower Kyle Nielsen, fresh off setting a personal best at the CALTAF meet in Calgary Saturday, also informed the blog that he will compete for Team Canada at the NACAC meet as well.