Karen Church
Track & Field

Karen, a 1985 Stanwood High graduate, was the 400m state champion in 1984 and 1985 and in ’85 she won state in the 200m. While at Stanwood, she also won six 2nd place titles in the 100m, 200m, and relay races. She still holds Stanwood’s records in the 100m, 200m and 400m, and is a member of the team that holds the school’s 4 X 200m relay record. She was the Most Dedicated Track Athlete during all her three years at Stanwood and as a senior, was Most Inspirational and team co-captain. She also lettered in basketball and cross country. In 1984 she was on the U.S. Junior National Team that competed in China as part of an International Sports Exchange. There, she set a stadium record in Hong Kong in the 400m. In 1985 she was Junior Olympic National Champion in the 400m.

She then attended University of Oregon (UO), 1985-89, on a track scholarship where she competed in the 100, 200, & 400 meters, lead leg on the 4 X 100m relay, and anchor leg on the 4 X 400m relay. In 1986 she was on the 4 X 400m relay team that was NORPAC Champions. In ‘87 she placed 4th in the 400m in the NCAA Junior Nationals. While attending OU she was a 4-year letter winner and consistent point scorer. As a junior and senior at UO, she was a Scholar Athlete, and as a senior received the Herald White Athletic Award and Daisy Duck Award.

After UO from 1990-2004, Karen raced for Nike and Reebok on the Canadian West Coast Circuits, East Coast Circuits, and Grand Pre II European Circuits. In the ‘96 Olympic Trials in the 800m, she missed qualifying by 1/100th of a second. In 2000, she again qualified in the B Standard in the 800m for the U.S. Nationals and Olympic Trials. While competing in 2004 at age 37, Karen ranked in the top five in the Masters Age Group in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters. In 2013, she was inducted into the inaugural class of the Stanwood High Hall of Fame.