SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic --- University of Portland distance runner John Moore represented the United States well by taking the gold medal in the 10,000-meter run at the 2006 North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U-23 Track and Field Championships on Saturday at the Panamerican Stadium.

Moore posted a time of 30:16.03 in the finals, winning the race by over 21 seconds. Jhonatan Castañeda of Mexico won the silver medal at 30:37.08, while Joseph Campanelli of Canada took the bronze honors at 31:04.62.

The NACAC Athletic Association’s U-23 Championships are held every two years in one of the 32 member nations of the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association, one of six regional athletics associations affiliated with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Five hundred athletes from 28 countries competed in the the championships, including eight NCAA champions as part of Team USA.

For Moore, the accolades continue to roll in after a stellar sophomore season. He earned All-America honors at the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Championships, qualified for the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10,000 and was recently named the UP Male Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season.

The UP track and field team has also been receiving numerous national and international acclaim of late. In addition to Moore’s success, Derek Mandell won four gold medals at the 2006 Micronesian Games for his native Guam. It was also reported that the UP men’s track and field team posted the highest team grade-point average in the nation, while the women’s squad had the third highest GPA at the NCAA Division I level, according to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association of America.

2006 NACAC U-23 Track and Field Championships

10,000-meter run results (finals)