Photo by: Josh Phillips/GoDucks.com
Championship Aspirations Intact For Ducks
06/04/18 | Track and Field
The UO women have endured a transition year after the loss of some heralded veterans, but the Ducks feel they're peaking just in time for the NCAA Outdoor Championships this week at Hayward Field.
Nothing could top the historic nature of last year's Triple Crown completed by the UO women in the 2017 NCAA Outdoor championship meet. But the Ducks still hope to provide a little drama at this year's meet, which kicks off Wednesday at Hayward Field.
A top contender but not necessarily the favorite, the Oregon women will race for their second straight NCAA Outdoor team title this weekend at Hayward Field. The championship meet kicks off Wednesday with men's preliminaries and six finals, plus the start of the decathlon. Women's preliminaries and a handful of finals will be held Thursday, when the decathlon concludes; the heptathlon will be held Friday and Saturday, which also feature the bulk of the finals for the men and women, respectively.
The UO women qualified 19 entries this week, tied for the most in the nation. They're considered a top contender for the team title along with the likes of Georgia, Southern California and Kentucky.
"I think we have a lot of pieces," said senior Alli Cash, who will run in the 10,000-meter final Thursday night. "Looking at the lists, we've got a lot of people in. It's building momentum."
The entry list for the UO men includes 11 qualifiers. Among the finals to be held on the opening night Wednesday is the long jump, in which UO senior Damarcus Simpson is a leading contender.
Simpson is a two-time Pac-12 champion who soared a wind-aided 27 feet, 4 inches to win his second title earlier this spring. His best wind-legal effort that day, 26-6.65, is second all-time at Oregon, and his wind-aided mark of 26-11.75 led all competitors at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Competition begins Wednesday with the decathlon's 100-meter heats at 12:30 p.m., and the first field event is the hammer throw at 2 p.m. The first event on the track is the 4x100 relay at 4:32 p.m., and Simpson begins his quest for an NCAA long jump title at 6 p.m.
Women's events begin Thursday with the hammer throw at 1:30 p.m., and the track starts to heat up with the 4x100 relay at 4:02 p.m. That's the first event of the meet for the UO women, who bring ample motivation into this year's championship.
Despite being defending champs and having a big list of entries, the Ducks aren't considered favorites to win the team title. The most recent Track & Field News form chart projected a win for Georgia, with Oregon at No. 3 behind the Bulldogs and USC.
"We don't really look at those," Cash said. "Rankings ultimately don't determine the outcome. One of our defining characteristics is, we go in and run to the best of our ability; we don't do any more and we don't do any less. If we do that, we're satisfied with the result."
Some of the doubts about the Ducks are understandable given their up-and-down season. The winter was eye-opening for a UO squad rebuilding after the loss of veterans with national championship credentials like Deajah Stevens and Raevyn Rogers. Then, the UO women saw their nine-year streak of Pac-12 outdoor titles end at the hands of the Women of Troy.
"It takes one good butt-whipping to kind of learn your lesson," said junior Ariana Washington, the 2016 NCAA Outdoor champ at 100 and 200 meters. "I think we're ready to put everything on the line."
At the 2018 NCAA Indoor championships, the Oregon women finished off the podium in fifth place. That was despite wins by the distance-medley relay and by Sabrina Southerland in the 800, as the Ducks didn't enjoy their characteristic depth.
Now with more seasoning under their belts, freshmen like sprinters Jasmin Reed and Lauren Rain Williams are poised to have a bigger impact in the outdoor championship meet.
"We've been at it for a good bit now," UO head coach Robert Johnson said. "All of the kids are seasoned in their respective events. Whatever happens shouldn't be a surprise."
If there's any surprise come Saturday night, the UO women hope it's for the people who doubt their ability to repeat.
"A lot of our young kids have matured and grown up, and they're ready for the spotlight," Washington said. "I'm excited for them. …
"I think we're really going to shock a lot of people. I don't know what we're ranking, coming in – but I don't think it matters."
A top contender but not necessarily the favorite, the Oregon women will race for their second straight NCAA Outdoor team title this weekend at Hayward Field. The championship meet kicks off Wednesday with men's preliminaries and six finals, plus the start of the decathlon. Women's preliminaries and a handful of finals will be held Thursday, when the decathlon concludes; the heptathlon will be held Friday and Saturday, which also feature the bulk of the finals for the men and women, respectively.
The UO women qualified 19 entries this week, tied for the most in the nation. They're considered a top contender for the team title along with the likes of Georgia, Southern California and Kentucky.
"I think we have a lot of pieces," said senior Alli Cash, who will run in the 10,000-meter final Thursday night. "Looking at the lists, we've got a lot of people in. It's building momentum."
The entry list for the UO men includes 11 qualifiers. Among the finals to be held on the opening night Wednesday is the long jump, in which UO senior Damarcus Simpson is a leading contender.
Simpson is a two-time Pac-12 champion who soared a wind-aided 27 feet, 4 inches to win his second title earlier this spring. His best wind-legal effort that day, 26-6.65, is second all-time at Oregon, and his wind-aided mark of 26-11.75 led all competitors at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Competition begins Wednesday with the decathlon's 100-meter heats at 12:30 p.m., and the first field event is the hammer throw at 2 p.m. The first event on the track is the 4x100 relay at 4:32 p.m., and Simpson begins his quest for an NCAA long jump title at 6 p.m.
Women's events begin Thursday with the hammer throw at 1:30 p.m., and the track starts to heat up with the 4x100 relay at 4:02 p.m. That's the first event of the meet for the UO women, who bring ample motivation into this year's championship.
Despite being defending champs and having a big list of entries, the Ducks aren't considered favorites to win the team title. The most recent Track & Field News form chart projected a win for Georgia, with Oregon at No. 3 behind the Bulldogs and USC.
"We don't really look at those," Cash said. "Rankings ultimately don't determine the outcome. One of our defining characteristics is, we go in and run to the best of our ability; we don't do any more and we don't do any less. If we do that, we're satisfied with the result."
Some of the doubts about the Ducks are understandable given their up-and-down season. The winter was eye-opening for a UO squad rebuilding after the loss of veterans with national championship credentials like Deajah Stevens and Raevyn Rogers. Then, the UO women saw their nine-year streak of Pac-12 outdoor titles end at the hands of the Women of Troy.
"It takes one good butt-whipping to kind of learn your lesson," said junior Ariana Washington, the 2016 NCAA Outdoor champ at 100 and 200 meters. "I think we're ready to put everything on the line."
At the 2018 NCAA Indoor championships, the Oregon women finished off the podium in fifth place. That was despite wins by the distance-medley relay and by Sabrina Southerland in the 800, as the Ducks didn't enjoy their characteristic depth.
Now with more seasoning under their belts, freshmen like sprinters Jasmin Reed and Lauren Rain Williams are poised to have a bigger impact in the outdoor championship meet.
"We've been at it for a good bit now," UO head coach Robert Johnson said. "All of the kids are seasoned in their respective events. Whatever happens shouldn't be a surprise."
If there's any surprise come Saturday night, the UO women hope it's for the people who doubt their ability to repeat.
"A lot of our young kids have matured and grown up, and they're ready for the spotlight," Washington said. "I'm excited for them. …
"I think we're really going to shock a lot of people. I don't know what we're ranking, coming in – but I don't think it matters."
Players Mentioned
DIS
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
MD
/ Track and Field
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/ Track and Field
MDIS
/ Track and Field
SP
/ Track and Field
SP
/ Track and Field
Sprints
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