Ducks Take on NCAA Indoors in Birmingham

EUGENE, Ore. – With 16 national qualifiers in tow, the University of Oregon track and field team travels to Birmingham, Ala., this weekend for the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships. The two-day indoor finale begins Friday, March 8 at the CrossPlex which previously hosted the NCAA meet in 2016.

"We have a good (number) of entries and I'm excited to go and see what we can do," head coach Robert Johnson said. "Of course, the message never changes. This is the meet we pin on our calendars because it's a championship meet and we always want to be at our best to contend for trophies."

In the program's history, the Ducks have combined for 11 NCAA indoor team crowns—including a men's and women's sweep in 2016 in Birmingham—and 41 event titles.

Men's NCAA Indoor Titles (4): 2009, 2014-16 || Women's NCAA Indoor Titles (7): 2010-14, '16-17

How to Follow
The 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships will be streamed live on ESPN3 and through the WatchESPN app. The full schedule including replays is below. Follow @OregonTF on Twitter for additional notes during the weekend.

Fri, March 8 | ESPN3/WatchESPN - 3:30 p.m.
Sat, March 9 | ESPN3/WatchESPN - 2 p.m.
Sun, March 10 | ESPN2 (replay) - 7 p.m.
Mon, March 11 | ESPNU (replay) - 7 p.m.
(All times Pacific)

Ducks in Birmingham
Oregon secured 16 NCAA qualifiers—14 individuals and two relays—when the list was unveiled last week. The Men of Oregon had 10 national qualifiers while the women will have six entries. The Women of Oregon are the defending NCAA champion in the DMR.

Reed Brown – Mile
Braxton Canady – 60m Hurdles
Chaquinn Cook – Triple Jump
Eric Edwards Jr. – 60m Hurdles
Susan Ejore – Mile
Rhesa Foster – Long Jump
Cravon Gillespie – 60 Meters
Blake Haney – Mile
Jessica Hull – 3,000 Meters
Charlie Hunter – Mile
Tristan James – Long Jump
Cooper Teare – 3,000 Meters
Hannah Waller – 400 Meters
James West – 3,000 Meters
Men's DMR
Women's DMR

In the Rankings
Based on their NCAA qualifiers, both teams maintain a spot inside the USTFCCCA top 10. The women check in at No. 8 in the March 4 release and the men enter the weekend as the No. 9 team in the country.

Best in the West
In recognition of their standout seasons, senior Jessica Hull was named the USTFCCCA West Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year and associate head coach Ben Thomas earned West Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year. Hull, an NCAA qualifier at 3,000 meters, broke the UO records in the mile and 3K and had the second-fastest times in both events nationally. Thomas coached six Ducks to sub-4:00 mile times this year and will have five entries at the NCAA meet.

Another Last Chance
The Ducks secured five of their 16 qualifying marks at the MPSF Championships (Feb. 22-23) in Seattle. That group of five (below) features two MPSF championship efforts.

Cravon Gillespie: 60m - 6.62; finished second
Susan Ejore: mile - 4:34.83; finished second
James West: 3,000m - 7:51.18; finished third
Women's DMR: 10:57.87; champion
Tristan James: long jump - 7.85m/25-9.25; champion

For more information about Oregon Track and Field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.