Seven Named to All-Century Team
05/24/16 | Track and Field
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 announced its 51 member All-Century Women's Track and Field team, Monday, which consisted of seven former Oregon student-athletes.
The team was voted on by a panel of 35 consisting of coaches, former athletes, administrators and members of the media. The top two vote getters in each of the 19 events automatically qualified for the squad. The remaining 12 spots, including ties, were selected from a wildcard ballot consisting of the third, fourth and fifth place vote getters in each event. Athletes with two events next to their name finished in the top two in each of those events.
The seven Ducks to be named were Jenna Prandini (2012-15), Phyllis Francis (2011-14), Laura Roesler (2011-14), Claudette Groenendaal (1982-85), Leann Warren (1980-85), Rachel Yurkovich (2006-09) and Brianne Theisen-Eaton (2008-12).
Jenna Prandini was a three time NCAA Champion and 2015 USATF Champion at 200 meters. She won the prestigious Bowerman Award in 2016 During her three years of competition at Oregon, Pandini was a 13-time All-American and five time Pac-12 Champion, being named both the Pac-12 Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2014. Her school records in the 100 and 200, set in 2015, still stand as do her indoor records in the 200 and long jump. As a professional, she won a silver medal in the 4x100 at the 2015 IAAF World Championships.
Phyllis Francis is the school record holder at 400 meters both indoors and outdoors as well as a member of 4x400 school records both indoors and outdoors. Francis was a four-time NCAA Champion including in the 400 meters at the 2014 indoor championships where she set the American and Collegiate records. She is a 15-time All-American and six-time Pac-12 Champion, winning the 400 three consecutive years at the Pac-12 Championships.
Laura Roesler holds the school record with 17 track and field All-America awards and is the school record holder in the 800 outdoors. She was a five-time NCAA Champion winning the 800 indoors and outdoors in 2014, while winning the Pac-12 Championship in the 800 three years in a row from 2012-14. Roesler currently owns the ninth-fastest time in NCAA in both indoor and outdoor history in the 800.
Claudette Groenendaal won the 1984 NCAA 1,500 meter title while also finishing second in the 800. A year later at the NCAA Championships, she won the 800 meter title while finishing second in the 1,500. The four-time NCAA All-American won the 800 at the NorPac Championships in 1984, the event where she is the outdoor school record holder. Groenendaal won the U.S. Championship in the 800 in 1985 and 1986.
Leann Warren took titles in both the 800 and 1,500 meters at the 1981 national meet and successfully defended her 1,500 title one year later in the first-ever NCAA championships for women. She earned a second-place showing at the 1981 cross country championships and amassed 10 All-America awards during her career. Today, she is still the school record holder in the 1,500 and the mile outdoors.
Rachel Yurkovich is four-time Pac-12 Champion and four-time All-American in the javelin, holding the Pac-12 record with the new implement. She was a back-to-back NCAA Champion in 2008 and 2009 and holds the school record in the javelin, ranking No. 6 in NCAA history. She qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games as well as the 2009 and 2011 World Championships.
Brianne Theisen-Eaton was a seven-time NCAA Champion, three times in the heptathlon and pentathlon as well with Oregon's 4x400 team. Theisen-Eaton was also a three-time Pac-10 champion in the heptathlon. Her accomplishments led to being named USTFCCCA Field athlete of the year and USTFCCCA Track Athlete of the year, earning each honor twice. The Pac-10 Field Athlete of the Year in 2010 and 2012 holds the second-best mark in NCAA history in the heptathlon and the fifth-best mark in the pentathlon, both of which are school records. A member of the Canadian Olympic team in 2012, she earned silver medals at the IAAF World Championships in 2013 and 2015.
The full Pac-12 All-Century Team can be found here.
Players Mentioned
