Focus Turns to Qualifying Marks as Ducks Fly to NYC

Photo by: Josh Phillips/GoDucks.com

Focus Turns to Qualifying Marks as Ducks Fly to NYC

01/23/18 | Track and Field

T&F Notes: Columbia Challenge Meet Website

Oregon track and field will head to New York this weekend to compete in the Columbia Challenge as part of the Dr. Sander Invitational at the historic Armory Track and Field Center

By: Nate Krueger

EUGENE, Ore. – After knocking off the rust in its 2018 indoor opener, the Oregon track and field team will turn its attention to securing NCAA qualifying marks when the Ducks travel to the historic Armory Track and Field Center in New York for the Columbia Challenge as part of the Dr. Sander Invitational (Jan. 26-27).

"We definitely need to get some qualifying marks there in New York," said head coach Robert Johnson. "Our focus will be on getting those DMR qualifiers and then anything we can get on top of that is icing on the cake."

MEET FORMAT
The Dr. Sander Invitational runs from Thursday, Jan. 25, to Saturday, Jan. 27, with the Ducks competing only on Friday and Saturday. The three-day event consists of two separate meets: the Armory Challenge (Jan. 25-26) and the Columbia Challenge (Jan. 26-27). The Ducks will compete in the Columbia Challenge.

HOW TO FOLLOW
The Dr. Sander Invitational will be streamed live through USATF.TV/RunnerSpace +Plus, and the NBC Sports Network will air two hours of live action on Saturday (2-4 p.m. PT). Live results can be found at results.armorytrack.com, and updates will be provided during the meet on Twitter via @OregonTF and @Run4Ducks.

UO LOOKING TO REPLICATE DMR SUCCESS IN NEW YORK
The Ducks head to New York focused on securing NCAA Indoor qualifying marks in the distance-medley relay, something they were able to accomplish in thrilling fashion last season at the Armory in New York. The quartet of Lilli Burdon (1,200m), Ashante Horsley (400m), Raevyn Rogers (800m) and Katie Rainsberger (1,600m) ran a blistering 10:48.77 to shatter the collegiate record by more than two seconds for the Men of Oregon, and the Men of Oregon got an NCAA-leading time of 9:30.86 from Matthew Maton (1,200m), Cameron Stone (400m), Mick Stanovsek (800m) and Edward Cheserek (1,600m).

DUCKS SHAKE OFF RUST AT INDOOR OPENER
The Ducks got comfortable with being back in a meet setting when they opened the 2018 season at the UW Preview in Seattle on Jan. 13. Many student-athletes competed in "off events" to kick off the rust from the offseason, while others shined in their specialties. Hannah Waller ran a new PR and the second-fastest 200-meter time (24.19) in the field, and was joined by six more Ducks in the top 12. Sabrina Southerland ran a huge PR in the mile (4:40.40), Ashlyn Hare got the collegiate win in the high jump (5'7") in her UO debut and freshman Sydnee Walker moved into seventh in UO history in the weight throw (58-7.5) in her first collegiate event. For the men, transfer Cravon Gillespie took third in the 60 meters in 6.77 to move into a tie for seventh all-time at Oregon, Cameron Stone won both his 200 and 600-meter heats and Ben Milligan (7'0.5") and Max Lydum (58-1.25) each reached new PRs in the high jump and weight throw, respectively.

DUCKS LOOK TO CONTINUE INDOOR DOMINANCE
The Men and Women of Oregon have frequently been at the top of the NCAA indoor track and field world over the past decade, winning 11 total indoor team titles since 2009. The UO women have won the last two indoor championships, including last year when they scored a meet record 84 points, and seven of the last eight. The UO men have won four indoor titles in the last nine years, including three straight from 2014 to 2016.

NEW FACES, SAME GOALS
There will be a lot of new faces for Duck fans to learn in 2018, as more than 30 newcomers have joined the Men and Women of Oregon. That is nearly triple the usual amount of new faces the Ducks welcome each year. Some of the notable newcomers by way of transfer include sprinters Cravon Gillespie (Mt. SAC) and Briyahna DesRosiers (Texas A&M), jumpers Tristan James (LCC) and Spenser Schmidt (PSU) and middle distance runners Sabrina Southerland (Georgetown), Amanda Gehrich (Utah) and Ruby Stauber (LSU). Oregon also brought in an abundance of talented freshmen, including hurdlers Joseph Anderson and Kaylah Robinson, sprinters Shae Anderson, Jasmin Reed, Lauren Rain Williams and Rocky Rainey, distance runners Cooper Teare and Reed Brown and throwers Jared Briere and Austin Glynn.

RANKINGS
The Women of Oregon are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, while the Men of Oregon slot in at No. 14.

UO WOMEN COMING OFF TRIPLE CROWN
The Women of Oregon will look to build off last year's magical season in 2018 after becoming the first NCAA DI women's program ever to complete the Triple Crown, with national titles in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field in the same academic year. The UO women began the historic run with a thrilling one-point win in the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships, and then dominated at the NCAA Indoor Championships for their seventh indoor title in the last eight years with a meet-record 84 points. With history on the line, the Ducks pulled out a narrow victory over Georgia at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with the 4x400 relay team running a collegiate record 3:23.13 to pull out a must-have victory in the final event and complete the Triple Crown.

WASHINGTON NAMED TO BOWERMAN WATCH LIST
Senior sprinter Ariana Washington, a three-time NCAA champion and eight-time all-American for the Ducks, was named to the preseason watch list for The Bowerman, the most prestigious award in collegiate track and field. Washington played a major part in last year's Triple Crown run for the Women of Oregon, winning the NCAA Indoor 200 meter title while also scoring indoors in the 60 meters as well as outdoors in both the 100 and 200 meters. Fellow sprinter Hannah Cunliffe also received votes for the Bowerman preseason watch list.

JOHNSON AMONG ALL-TIME GREAT COACHES
In just his sixth year as the Ducks' head coach, Robert Johnson has already led Oregon to 13 team NCAA championships, placing him fourth on the NCAA all-time list. Only John McDonell (42), Pat Henry (35) and Ted Banks (17) have led cross country or track and field teams to more national titles. Under Johnson, the Ducks have won two NCAA championships in women's cross country, four in women's indoor track and field, three in men's indoor track and field, two in women's outdoor track and field and two in men's outdoor track and field. Additionally, Johnson led the Women of Oregon to the the historic Triple Crown in 2016-17. Johnson has also guided his student-athletes to 48 individual national championships.

DUCKS SIGN NINE FOR 2019
The Ducks announced another elite recruiting class on Jan. 16, signing nine highly accomplished student-athletes from around the country and the world for 2019. The loaded incoming class includes a U.S. Junior and Pan-American champion, five state champions and three all-USA selections. The class is made up of hurdlers Eric Edwards Jr. and Emily Sloan, jumpers Lexi Ellis, DJ Henderson and Tori Sloan, middle distance runners Taylor Chiotti and Josh Hoey and multi-event athletes Oierce LaCoste and Maximilian Vollmer.

UP NEXT
The Ducks will split into two groups for their next competition after New York, with the sprinters and jumpers going to Albuquerque for the Don Kirby Elite (Feb. 9-10) and the throwers and distance runners traveling to Seattle for the Husky Classic (Feb. 9-10).

INTERVIEWS
Robert Johnson, Head Coach

Alaysha Johnson, Redshirt Junior, Hurdles

Braxton Canady, Sophomore, Hurdles