Ducks Flock to Olympic Trials

EUGENE, Ore. — Whether facing the final rep of a tough workout or the final race of a long season, members of the Oregon track and field program have a motto they employ.

In that situation, one Duck is likely to turn to another and utter a single word: "LOBO." The acronym stands for "Last One, Best One" — encouragement to finish with an all-out effort.

The collegiate season ended a couple weeks ago with the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and one might have thought "lobo" was the theme of that meet for the Ducks. But for a program with more than 40 current or former athletes entered in the U.S. Olympic Trials that begin Friday at Hayward Field, the final meet of the collegiate season wasn't the finish line for several Ducks.

"A lot of us go in with the mindset of, 'NCs is not the last one,'" said sprinter Ariana Washington, who won the 100-meter and 200-meter titles at the NCAA Outdoor meet. "No one said 'lobo' for the NCAAs."

The Olympic Trials officially begin Friday with qualifying in the men's shot put at 11 a.m. The opening ceremony is set for 3:30 p.m., kicking off an evening program scheduled to include current or former UO track and field luminaries Raevyn Rogers and Laura Roesler in 800 qualifying, Jasmine Todd in the long jump, Marcus Chambers, Mike Berry and Phyllis Francis in the 400, and Galen Rupp and Eric Jenkins in the 10,000 final to close the session.

Ashton Eaton gets started with Mitch Modin in the decathlon Saturday, when Washington begins qualifying in the 100 alongside Todd, English Gardner, Jenna Prandini, Deajah Stevens and Mandy White. Other current members of the team accepted into the meet as of Thursday included Cody Danielson in the javelin Saturday, Brittany Mann in the shot put next Thursday, hurdlers Alaysha Johnson and Sasha Wallace later that same day and Devon Allen in the 110 hurdles next Friday.

In the women's 100, nearly an entire heat of eight lanes could be filled by runners from Oregon.

"It's pretty much my regular training group," Washington said.

Washington will be back in action the following Friday along with Prandini and Stevens as qualifying in the 200 begins. That's also the day Allen begins his quest for a spot on the Olympic team in the 110 hurdles.

The 2014 U.S. Outdoor champion, Allen is unbeaten in championship meets since the NCAA Outdoor final earlier that season. After missing the 2015 season with a knee injury suffered in football, Allen won NCAA titles indoors and outdoors this year.

"Hopefully I can keep that streak going, and make the Olympic team," Allen said.

With three spots on Team USA at stake, Allen expects the competition next week to be even tougher than what he faced in racing for the 2014 U.S. title. He expects a time around 13 seconds flat will be necessary to make it to Rio for the Olympics in August; Allen has run 13.32 this season, but has tailored his training all year to peak in the coming weeks.

"Every world championships or Olympic year, guys are fine-tuned, locked-in and ready to run fast," Allen said. "… The atmosphere around the track right now is really exciting. People are getting ready to rock and roll in a couple days."

Allen said he made qualifying for the 2016 Olympic team a goal around the time of the 2012 games. Washington, on the other hand, expected just a few weeks ago to treat this year's Trials as a dry run for future attempts at making it to the Olympics.

Then she went out and won twice in the NCAA Outdoor meet, about as elite a sprinting field as there is short of an Olympic Games.

"After NCs I'm like, OK, this is getting a little bit more serious than it was a couple weeks ago," Washington said. "I think I have a really good shot of making this team. I've just got to go out there with the right mindset. Things are becoming a little more surreal now than they were."

While Washington is set to run on the first weekend of the Trials, Allen will have to wait another week before his attempt as a spot on the Olympic team. That suits his training plan, but Allen had to admit that seeing Hayward Field get dressed up for the Trials in recent weeks has raised his level of anticipation.

"It's here," he said. "I'm ready."