Competing For Championships On Home Turf
06/07/22 | Track and Field, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon natives Jaida Ross and Micah Williams are adding to UO track and field's legacy entering this week's NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field.
When they were growing up in Oregon, neither Micah Williams nor Jaida Ross had many role models to look up to from their home state.
Williams was raised in Portland, and the closest he can remember as an in-state sprinting star was Ryan Bailey out of Salem. When Ross was coming up as a thrower from Medford, she looked up to Michelle Carter, a shot put luminary no doubt, but a graduate of Texas.
Some years from now, there may be a sprinter from Portland or a thrower from Southern Oregon who can indeed claim an Oregonian as a track and field role model. And they could be because of the exploits of Williams and Ross — exploits they can add to this week.
Hayward Field will host the NCAA Outdoor Championships beginning Wednesday, when Williams will run his semifinal in the 100 meters. The 2021 NCAA Indoor champion at 60 meters, Williams is looking to become the Ducks' first men's 100 champion outdoors since Harry Jerome in 1964.
Ross, meanwhile, qualified both for the shot put on Thursday and the discus on Saturday. She's one of just six women in the country to qualify in both events, having spent the last year working to get her discus performances to the level of her acumen in the shot.
"It was a little unexpected," Ross said of qualifying in the discus as well as shot put. "Not for my coach (Erik Whitsitt) — which he'll brag about if you ever ask him — but I wasn't expecting it. Making a big meet feels good."
Ross grew up in Medford thinking soccer might be her sport, before gravitating to track and field. A broken ankle coaxed Williams to give up football, and boredom patrolling the outfield in baseball caused him to focus full-time on track.
One of his earliest memories in track is traveling with his family to a meet in North Carolina, then finishing last in his opening heat of the weekend and having to find other things to do with the rest of their time before flying home. Now, Williams is a favorite to bring home an NCAA Outdoor title this week.
"I never thought I'd make it this far," Williams said. "I don't know. I just never expected myself to be at the highest level."
Williams learned to run at Portland's Fernhill Park, and his goal is to be successful enough to one day refurbish that track for the sake of future kids from that neighborhood.
Oregon men's track and field is best known for success in the distances and the women's program has produced a host of elite sprinters. But Ross is proof there's talent from the program in the throws, and Williams is part of a less-heralded but burgeoning tradition of men's sprinters.
"We've set out to prove that tradition is what you make it," UO coach Robert Johnson said. "When you have talented coaches — which I think we have a great staff — they go out there and find good kids. Both Jaida and Micah being from Oregon is just a true testament of what you can do when you put your mind to it."
Said Williams: "I just want to leave a mark. And if that is a mark on the Oregon track and field men's legacy, that would be the biggest thing for me."
Williams isn't alone in looking to make a mark for the Ducks in the sprints this week; he will also run Wednesday in the semis of the 4x100-meter relay. Likewise, Ross will have company in the shot put, from teammate Mine De Klerk.
Ross, the UO school record-holder in the shot put at 57 feet, 7 inches, swept both the shot and discus at this year's Oregon Twilight meet. A month earlier in the Hayward Premiere, Ross and De Klerk went 1-2 in both events, with Ross winning the discuss and De Klerk winning the shot.
"It's good to have somebody just right next to you pushing you," Ross said, noting that she and De Klerk could be teammates for a few more years as Ducks. "I may have (the shot put record) right now, but at the end of the day we're going to end up competing for it back and forth. And I'm really excited for that."
Ross' development this year was enhanced by time spent last summer in the "speed school" conducted by legendary UO strength and conditioning coach Jim Radcliffe. The athleticism and explosiveness she gained from learning new techniques under Radcliffe, Ross said, has directly benefited her discus throwing.
Williams, meanwhile, spent time last summer in the relay pool for the 4x100 with the U.S. Olympic Team in Tokyo. He got to see up close the way runners like Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley and Grant Holloway carried themselves, and the mindset they brought to competitions.
As a kid, Williams could never envision himself competing for national championships or at an Olympics. But like Ross, Williams will compete for an NCAA Championship in his home state this week, having tapped into what it takes to win, both physically and mentally.
"I believe in myself," Williams said. "I've proven to myself multiple times this year I can compete with the best. So I just try to have confidence in myself, and keep believing in myself in that aspect."
Williams was raised in Portland, and the closest he can remember as an in-state sprinting star was Ryan Bailey out of Salem. When Ross was coming up as a thrower from Medford, she looked up to Michelle Carter, a shot put luminary no doubt, but a graduate of Texas.
Some years from now, there may be a sprinter from Portland or a thrower from Southern Oregon who can indeed claim an Oregonian as a track and field role model. And they could be because of the exploits of Williams and Ross — exploits they can add to this week.
Hayward Field will host the NCAA Outdoor Championships beginning Wednesday, when Williams will run his semifinal in the 100 meters. The 2021 NCAA Indoor champion at 60 meters, Williams is looking to become the Ducks' first men's 100 champion outdoors since Harry Jerome in 1964.
Ross, meanwhile, qualified both for the shot put on Thursday and the discus on Saturday. She's one of just six women in the country to qualify in both events, having spent the last year working to get her discus performances to the level of her acumen in the shot.
"It was a little unexpected," Ross said of qualifying in the discus as well as shot put. "Not for my coach (Erik Whitsitt) — which he'll brag about if you ever ask him — but I wasn't expecting it. Making a big meet feels good."
Ross grew up in Medford thinking soccer might be her sport, before gravitating to track and field. A broken ankle coaxed Williams to give up football, and boredom patrolling the outfield in baseball caused him to focus full-time on track.
One of his earliest memories in track is traveling with his family to a meet in North Carolina, then finishing last in his opening heat of the weekend and having to find other things to do with the rest of their time before flying home. Now, Williams is a favorite to bring home an NCAA Outdoor title this week.
"I never thought I'd make it this far," Williams said. "I don't know. I just never expected myself to be at the highest level."
Williams learned to run at Portland's Fernhill Park, and his goal is to be successful enough to one day refurbish that track for the sake of future kids from that neighborhood.
Oregon men's track and field is best known for success in the distances and the women's program has produced a host of elite sprinters. But Ross is proof there's talent from the program in the throws, and Williams is part of a less-heralded but burgeoning tradition of men's sprinters.
"We've set out to prove that tradition is what you make it," UO coach Robert Johnson said. "When you have talented coaches — which I think we have a great staff — they go out there and find good kids. Both Jaida and Micah being from Oregon is just a true testament of what you can do when you put your mind to it."
Said Williams: "I just want to leave a mark. And if that is a mark on the Oregon track and field men's legacy, that would be the biggest thing for me."
Williams isn't alone in looking to make a mark for the Ducks in the sprints this week; he will also run Wednesday in the semis of the 4x100-meter relay. Likewise, Ross will have company in the shot put, from teammate Mine De Klerk.
Ross, the UO school record-holder in the shot put at 57 feet, 7 inches, swept both the shot and discus at this year's Oregon Twilight meet. A month earlier in the Hayward Premiere, Ross and De Klerk went 1-2 in both events, with Ross winning the discuss and De Klerk winning the shot.
"It's good to have somebody just right next to you pushing you," Ross said, noting that she and De Klerk could be teammates for a few more years as Ducks. "I may have (the shot put record) right now, but at the end of the day we're going to end up competing for it back and forth. And I'm really excited for that."
Ross' development this year was enhanced by time spent last summer in the "speed school" conducted by legendary UO strength and conditioning coach Jim Radcliffe. The athleticism and explosiveness she gained from learning new techniques under Radcliffe, Ross said, has directly benefited her discus throwing.
Williams, meanwhile, spent time last summer in the relay pool for the 4x100 with the U.S. Olympic Team in Tokyo. He got to see up close the way runners like Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley and Grant Holloway carried themselves, and the mindset they brought to competitions.
As a kid, Williams could never envision himself competing for national championships or at an Olympics. But like Ross, Williams will compete for an NCAA Championship in his home state this week, having tapped into what it takes to win, both physically and mentally.
"I believe in myself," Williams said. "I've proven to myself multiple times this year I can compete with the best. So I just try to have confidence in myself, and keep believing in myself in that aspect."
Players Mentioned
Aaliyah McCormick | NCAA 100M Hurdles National Champion
Thursday, June 19
Matti Erickson | NCAA 800M Runner Up
Saturday, June 14
Hayward Field History
Thursday, June 12
2024-25 Oregon Track & Field Intro Video
Thursday, June 12
