Justin Ash of Baker City caps EOU cross-country career with second straight All-American honors

Published 6:38 am Tuesday, December 3, 2024

LA GRANDE — Justin Ash of Baker City, a Powder Valley High School graduate, capped his cross-country career at Eastern Oregon University by finishing ninth in the NAIA championships on Nov. 22 to earn All-American honors for the second straight year.

Ash, a senior, led the Mountaineers to an 11th-place finish in the mens race at Columbia, Missouri.

The EOU women placed 25th.

Ash’s time was 24 minutes even in the 8-kilometer course.

“Justin ran a fantastic race,” EOU head coach Ben Welch said. “This was a very deep year from a talent standpoint.”

Ash finished second in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships on Nov. 8.

As a junior in 2023, Ash placed third in the conference championships, and 20th in the NAIA championships.

As a sophomore in 2022, Ash won two events, the CCC Preview and the EOU Invitational. He was named conference athlete of the week three times.