Track Teams Bound for Austin City Limits
With a week to go before the Pepsi Team Invitational, Oregon will prep its sprinters, jumpers and throwers against many of the nation’s best this week in the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. The Duck will also get a sneak peak at the six-year-old Mike A. Myers Stadium that will host the NCAA Championships for the first time two months later, Wed.-Sat., June 9-12 (although the NCAA finale has appeared in Austin five times prior). The following week, the Duck teams renew their team-scored tradition with the 15th edition of the Pepsi Team Invitational, Sat., April 10. This year’s field features return appearances by Colorado, Minnesota (the two-time Big Ten men’s runner-up) and Washington. The UO M&W return after their spring break opener in Stanford and Tucson last weekend. A trio of Duck decathletes scored NCAA provisional marks and +7,000-point totals in the Arizona desert, and the Stanford entourage featured another +165-foot Sarah Malone javelin toss (167-9), and Pac-10 and Regional qualifiers by Laura Harmon (5K) and Brett Holts (steeple).
This Week's Meet: 77th Texas Relays
Location: Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas
Host: University of Texas
Dates: Wednesday-Saturday, 3/31-4/3
Results Web Site: www.TexasSports.com
Wed. First/Last Event: Noon - M Decathlon, 8:20 pm - M 1,500
Thu. First/Last Event: 11 am - M Decathlon, 5:55 pm - M 5K
Fri. First/Last Event: 9:30 am - W 4x100, 9:45 pm - M 4x1,500
Sat. First/Last Event: 11 am - M High Jump, 5 pm - M 4x400
Top Schools: Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, California, Florida, Georgetown, Indiana, LSU, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, USC, WSU, Wisconsin.
LONE STAR PREVIEW: UO Women Send Throws-Only Unit to Austin.
Junior transfer Bree Fuqua opened her Duck outdoor career with Pac-10 and Regional qualifying marks two weekends ago in the shot put (48-10 3/4) and discus (160-6), and her 2004 indoor best and NCAA provisional shot put mark of 51-3 1/2 put her second all-time in Oregon history. Redshirt junior and All-America javelin thrower Sarah Malone logged her second best meet ever in the Oregon Preview two weekends ago (first, 175-7), and also led collegians in the Stanford Invite last weekend (second overall, 167-9). Senior pole vaulter Kirsten Larwin cleared 13 feet for the first time outdoors in the Oregon Preview (13-1 1/2), and rewrote her former outdoor best (12-11 3/4) from the 2003 Stanford Invite, and just missed her overall best from the 2003 NCAA Indoor finale when (10th, 13-3 1/2). Sophomore and PSU transfer Megan Kriz enjoyed an auspicious debut in the hammer two weeks ago at Hayward Field and moved to fifth all-time for the Ducks (171-7) - the same event her older brother and former walk-on Adam competed in and won a pair of Pac-10 titles (2002, ?03) and All-America honors last year. In the same event, junior transfer Katie Kersh also met the Pac-10 qualifying standard (170-7) to move to seventh all-time for Oregon, and both were less than three feet from the regional standard (173-3).
TEXAS RELAYS MEN’S PREVIEW: Hurdlers Ready to Heat Up.
Oregon’s talented hurdle corps leads track action as former Pac-10 400 hurdle champion and senior Brandon Holliday opened 2004 in the Oregon Preview (51.89) two weeks ago, and a week earlier ran on the Ducks’ NCAA indoor 4x400 qualifiers. Sophomore hurdler Eric Mitchum took sixth (7.74) in the mid-March’s NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60 hurdles (7.69) - the same day he broke the school record in the prelims with the second-fastest time in the field. He opened the outdoor slate two weeks ago at home with a slightly windy 13.91w (w:2.5) to win the Oregon Preview. The All-America duo of senior Trevor Woods and freshman Tommy Skipper look for a favorable (but not too strong) tailwind in Saturday’s elite pole vault. Skipper took second in the NCAA indoor finale, and Woods took third as a sophomore in 2002 and was an All-American outdorrs last year (eighth-tie). Redshirt junior and St. Louis CC transfer Leonidas Watson opened outdoor field event duty last weekend in Tucson, Ariz., the long jump (25-4 1/2) and triple jump (51-5) two weeks after he made his NCAA indoor debut indoors (long jump, All-America ninth, 25-2 1/2; triple jump, 13th, 50-1 3/4). Sophomore and Mansfield, Texas native Jeff Lindsey graduates to the elite high jump section after he took second on the same track in the Texas state meet as a senior in 2002. Clackamas transfer and junior hammer thrower Paul Etter opened two weeks ago with a mark of 195-9 to cinch Pac-10 and regional invites in the Oregon Preview, and was barely seven feet from the Oregon top-10 (10th is 202-1).
TENTATIVE DUCK ENTRIES
Texas Relays
Mike A. Myers Stadium
University of Texas, Austin, Texas
Wednesday-Saturday, 3/31-4/3/04
Thursday, April 1
2 pm - W Hammer A Univ - Katie Kersh, Megan Kriz
3:30 pm - Pole Vault B Univ - Jon Derby, David Moore
4:30 pm - M Hammer Univ - Paul Etter
Friday, April 2
10 am - W Javlin B Univ - Rachael Kriz
10 am - 110H Univ Prelims - Eric Mitchum, AK Ikwuakor
10 am - W Pole Vault B Univ - Emily Enders, Kirsten Larwin
10:45 am - 4x400 Prelims
12:30 pm - M Long Jump A Univ - Leonidas Watson
1 pm - W Discus B Univ - Bree Fuqua, Jill Hoxmeier
Saturday, April 3
11 am - M High Jump B - Bobby Owen
11 am - W Javelin A Univ - Sarah Malone
12:20 pm - 400H Univ Prelims - Brandon Holliday, AK Ikwuakor, Eric Mitchum
12:30 pm - M Javelin A Univ - Adam Jenkins
1:30 pm - M Triple Jump A Univ - Leonidas Watson
2 pm - M High Jump A Univ - Jeff Lindsey
2:30 pm -W Shot Put A Univ - Bree Fuqua
3 pm - M Pole Vault A Univ - Tommy Skipper, Trevor Woods
2004 UO MEN’S PREVIEW: Balanced Corps Already Championship-Tested.
The Duck men return nine NCAA qualifiers and a 4x400 relay from last year’s NCAA outdoor finale, including three All-Americans (Jason Hartmann, 10K, fourth; Trevor Woods, pole vault, eighth; Eric Logsdon, 5K, eighth), to go along with two Pac-10 champions (Brandon Holliday, 400 hurdles; Adam Jenkins, javelin). Ten Duck men are ranked top-10 in UO history - Tommy Skipper (pole vault, first, 18-8 3/4), Eric Mitchum (110 hurdles, second, 13.75), Jason Hartmann (10,000, third, 28:31.96), Trevor Woods (pole vault, fourth, 18-0 1/2), Leonidas Watson (triple jump, fourth, 52-10 1/4, long jump, ninth, 25-5 1/2), Jeff Lindsey (high jump, fifth, 7-1 1/2), Jordan Kent (200, sixth, 20.99; 100, eighth, 10.46), Matt Scherer (400, fifth, 46.40), Brandon Holliday (400 hurdles, seventh, 50.73) and Adam Jenkins (javelin, eighth, 222-4). Indoors in 2004, the Duck men posted their most NCAA invites (7) and All-America (4) honors in history, and their 18th-place team finish (13) was their second highest ever behind 2002 (ninth, 15 points). All-Americans included Tommy Skipper (pole vault, second, 18-4 1/2), Eric Mitchum (60 hurdles, sixth, 7.74) Ryan Andrus (5,000, seventh, 14:03.21) and Leonidas Watson (long jump, ninth, 25-2 1/2).
2004 UO WOMEN’S PREVIEW: Field Events Again Pace Charge in 2004.
The Duck women return three All-Americans in 2003 - javelin throwers Sarah Malone (javelin-2001, 7th), Roslyn Lundeen (javelin-2002, 7th, 2003, 8th) and Elisa Crumley (javelin-2002, 13th), and two other NCAA veterans from last season - senior Kirsten Larwin (indoor pole vault, 10th) and Abby Andrus (heptathlon, 18th). Current Ducks on the all-time top-10 lists include Sarah Malone (javelin, first, 179-2), Elisa Crumley (javelin, second, 169-7), Hannah Moore (pole vault, third, 13-5), Kirsten (Riley) Larwin (pole vault, fourth, 13-3 1/2), Abby Andrus (heptathlon, fifth, 5,303; 400 hurdles, sixth, 59.90; 100 hurdles, seventh, 14.00), Megan Kriz (hammer, fifth, 171-1), Katie Kersh (hammer, seventh, 170-7), Magdalena Sandoval (5,000, 16:04.41), Clarice Hayward-Lee (triple jump, eighth, 40-1 1/4), Whitney Gum (hammer, eighth, 166-8), Jill Hoxmeier (hammer, 11th, 162-6), and Kayla Mellott (400 hurdles, ninth, 61.30). Indoors in 2004, the Ducks claimed a best-ever four NCAA invites courtesy of Hannah Moore (pole vault, 13th, 12-11 1/2), Abby Andrus (pentathlon, 16th, 3,075), Magdalena Sandoval (17th-injured, 16:29.69) and Eri Macdonald (800, 14th, 2:09.14).
NEWCOMERS TO WATCH: Abildtrup, Skipper & Watson Make Instant Impact.
A seven-woman group of newcomers share equal opportunity to contribute immediately. Junior sprint transfer Sofie Abildtrup arrives from Denmark and owns bests in the 100 (11.84), 200 (24.02) and 400 (54.16) that rank top-10 in Oregon history. Redshirt junior shot putter Bree Fuqua is the Wisconsin school record holder (51-5 1/2) and her 2004 indoor Duck best (51-3 1/2) put her second in UO history. Junior Katie Kersh hails from Sierra College near Sacramento and owns a hammer best (171-10) that would rank top-five in Duck history. Two other additions, junior Mandi Fitz-Gustafson (steeple) and Brittany Hinchcliffe (hammer), arrive from Arizona State and Washington State, respectively, but will sit out in 2004 because of inter-conference transfer rules. Hinchcliffe opened her Duck career in March’s Oregon Preview with a 10-foot personal best (197-2) that was almost six feet better than the school record set by Jordan Sauvage in 2003 (191-4). Freshman Emily Enders ranked 10th nationally among high school pole vaulters (12-7) in 2003, and that mark stands as the Ducks’ top prep best in an event that has developed one NCAA champion, two other All-Americans and another NCAA veteran. Freshman Amanda Santana won the state 300-hurdle crown last year and could compete in several sprints or hurdles events. The Duck men snagged the nation’s third-best recruiting class (and tops in the Pac-10) according to Track and Field News. St. Louis Community College transfer and junior Leonidas Watson won junior college titles in the triple jump indoors and outdoors last year and was second in the long jump in each. Barton Community College transfer and junior Roderick Dotts ran a 800 personal best of 1:48.41 that would have led the Pac-10 in 2003 and ranked 34th in the U.S. A pair of home-state freshmen - Mike McGrath and Tommy Skipper - led the national prep ranks in the 800 (1:48.56) and pole vault (18-3), respectively, as seniors with the latter tabbed prepster of the year after he upped the national pole vault by 3/4 inches. Sophomore hurdler and Colorado transfer AK Ikwuakor (110H 14.10, 400H 51.99) took fourth in the Big 12 400 hurdles last year, and his high hurdle mark would rank 10th all-time for the Ducks. Indoors in 2004, Skipper led the collegiate pole vault list during the regular season with a school record 18-8 3/4, Watson earned NCAA invites and ranked top 10 nationally in both the long jump and triple jump, and Abildtrup raced to an NCAA provisional mark in the 400 (54.46).
2003 TEXAS RELAYS RECAP: Lorenzo and Holliday Hooked Big Marks.
AUSTIN, Texas (4/2-5/03) ? In the 76th edition of the Texas Relays, redshirt senior decathlete Santiago Lorenzo punched his ticket for the NCAA Championships with a 22-point personal best (second, 7,911w) thanks to four personal bests over the two days (110 hurdles, 14.83, w:+3.1; discus, 145-8; 100, 10.87w, w:+5.0; long jump, 23-9 1/2w, w:+4.9). His other marks include second-day efforts in the pole vault (15-9), javelin (199-2), and 1,500 (4:32.58) and first-day efforts in the high jump (6-3 1/2), shot put (42-0 3/4) and 400 (50.11). Lorenzo’s score was impressive considering a first-day hamstring cramp in the shot put and high jump nearly ended his opener. In the overall points race, Lorenzo scored a pair of personal bests to open the second day, yet still trailed eventual winner and Auburn's Maurice Smith by 333 points lead with three events remaining. However, Lorenzo rallied in the eighth discipline with his 15-9 clearance in the pole vault - just shy of his personal best of 16-0 3/4 - to make up 196 points, then drew another 75 points closer in the javelin with a throw of 199-2 - his second-best ever javelin mark and just shy of his personal best of 202-5 from the 2000 Texas Relays. Heading into the final event, he needed to beat Smith by approximately 11 seconds - a tall feat consider Lorenzo’s all-time best of 4:21.84 was less than a second faster than Smith’s. But with Duck teammate Andy Young pulling him along and blocking most of the wind, the Oregon duo escaped Smith and started to open up a gap just before the midway point. At the finish line, as Young sped away in the final 200 meters and Lorenzo 10-15 meters at the finish, Smith finished only eight seconds back of Lorenzo and won the overall title by 14 points. Lorenzo’s appearance at the Mike A. Myers Stadium was his third in the Lone Star State classic, after he won the 2001 edition (then-PR 7,726w), and was the top collegian in 2000 (third overall, then-PR 7,580). The fourth-year Duck missed the 2002 edition with a quad muscle injury that forced him to redshirt the outdoor season. Helping pace Lorenzo’s late run for the win, Young capped an auspicious 10-event debut and took 11th overall (6,948) to easily meet the Pac-10 qualifying mark (6,800) and finish only 56 points shy of the NCAA provisional mark (7,000). The Newberg, Ore., native and Newberg High School graduate won the decathlon’s final event, the 1,500 (4:30.16) and led from start to finish. Earlier in the meet, Young posted personal best marks of 15.39w in the 110 hurdles (+4.4 wind), 15-9 in the pole vault and 170-10 in the javelin. His other first day marks came in the 100 (11.38w), long jump (21-8 3/4), shot put (33-8 3/4), high jump (6-1 1/4) and 400 (51.81), and his other second-day mark came in the discus (106-11). Gabriel LeMay completed the first three events of the decathlon before a hamstring strain in the fourth event, the high jump, ended his appearance prematurely, and his marks follow: 100 11.08w; LJ 21-4 1/4w; SP 41-10 1/2, HJ 6-0, 1st (4 events) 2,149. All-American Trevor Woods flew to success in the pole vault with his first legal mark and Regional qualifier of the outdoor season (third, 17-8 1/2) ? more than nine inches above his 2003 indoor best (16-10 3/4) and his second-highest outdoor mark ever. In the 110 hurdles, Eric Mitchum capitalized on an invite for the invitational section of the 110 hurdles and took fourth overall and second among collegians (13.98w, w:+2.4) ? a new windy personal best by .09 seconds off his outdoor debut in the Oregon Preview (first, 14.07w, w:+3.0), and the first sub-14.00 clocking of his young collegiate career. The day before in the prelims, he led freshmen and ranked 13th among the 52 entrants in the seven heats (second-fourth heat, 14.29). Notching their first Pac-10 qualifying marks in the 400 hurdles, Mitchum (heat five, second, 53.60) and Matt Scherer (heat two, fourth, 53.35) were just shy of the Regional standard of 52.70. On the relay circuit, the Ducks competed in the 4x400 (sixth, fourth heat, season best 3:12.06), 4x800 relay (seventh overall, 7:36.83) and sprint medley relay (200-200-400-800, eighth overall/seventh-heat, 3:22.43). On the women’s side, redshirt senior Becky Holliday repeated her pole vault crown from 2002 and posted the Ducks’ only win of the meet (first, 13-5 1/4). The three-time All-American fought off strong, swirling winds, and defeated an all-star pole vault field that featured five All-Americans and five more NCAA veterans among its 14 entrants, after clearing her opening height of 13-1 1/2 on her first attempt, and 13-5 1/4 on her third try. Her repeat win came after a 13-7 1/4 final clearance in the 2002 edition, and also stood as her first outdoor appearance of 2003 after missing the Oregon Preview two weeks before (3/22), after having to wait nearly two weeks after finishing second in the NCAA Indoor Championships because of cargo shipping delays. Kirsten Riley (Larwin) followed in a tie for eighth in the event’s elite section (12-1 1/2) with a second attempt-clearance at the event’s opening height and her only clearance of the day. In the collegiate section, Georgette Moyle posted her best outdoor mark of 2003 and a Pac-10 qualifier (third, 12-1 1/2), and was only four inches shy of her indoor season best. On the javelin runway, All-American Elisa Crumley made her season debut (third, 157-11) and only took four of her allotted six throws and rested her first two chances in the finals. The Hillsboro, Ore., native opened with preliminary throws of 152-11, 147-4 and 147-1, before upping her daily best to 157-11 on her final throw. Crumley cut her normal approach in half Saturday in the prelim and utilized a five-step approach for her first three throws since her training had been limited due to shoulder surgery last fall, then switched to a three-step crossover on her last and best daily effort. All-America sophomore Roslyn Lundeen returned for her second meet of the outdoor campaign (sixth, 152-1). The Victoria, B.C. naive opened with marks of 147-4, 150-9 and 152-1, and followed with a trio of fouls in the finals. In the shot put ring, senior Mary Etter enjoyed a season breakthrough of sorts in the shot put with a four-foot season best on her one legal mark among her six attempts (eighth, 49-2 1/4). In the discus, she posted her third straight meet past the 165-foot line (seventh, 166-0). Senior Amanda Brown cleared 40 feet in the triple jump for the third straight week and fourth meet in her career (third, 40-9 1/2). In her two other legal attempts, she posted wind-legal marks of 39-10 on her first leap and 39-5 3/4 on her third attempt. Friday’s best improved upon Brown’s previous best by 3/4 inches from the Oregon Preview two weeks ago (40-8 3/4). Holding on to fourth position all-time for the Ducks, she also continued to inch closer to the Ducks’ third-best all-time performer - Kim Carlisle (41-0 1/2, 1992) with second place also less than a foot away - Phyllis McKinney (41-4 1/4). Senior Jordan Sauvage upped her hammer throw personal best for the second time in three meets, this time with a three-foot, one-inch best (191-4) and ranked fourth among the 25 entrants.
2004 NCAA INDOOR M RECAP: Ducks Score Record Four All-America Nods.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (3/12-13) - In March’s indoor collegiate finale at the University of Arkansas, the Duck men posted school bests for most NCAA indoor entries (7) and All-America honors (4) and added their second-highest team finish (18th, 13 points) behind 2002 (ninth, 15 points). UO’s tally ranked third among Pac-10 teams just behind UCLA and ASU (12th-tie, 17), and ahead of Stanford (19th, 12), Washington (22nd, 11), Arizona (34th, 5), WSU (50th, 3) and USC (65th, 1 1/2). On the second day, freshman Tommy Skipper challenged for the NCAA pole vault title in the upper 18-foot range before he took second (18-4 1/2) with his second highest-ever clearance behind returning NCAA champion and indoor record holder Brad Walker, a redshirt senior for Washington (first, 18-8 1/4). Skipper opened the day with first attempt makes at 17-4 1/2, 17-8 1/2, 18-0 1/2, then lost the lead when he needed a second try to clear 18-4 1/2. In comparison, Washington’s 19-footer Walker missed only his opening attempt at his starting height of 17-8 1/2, then cleared the rest of his first tries through 18-8 1/4. Skipper led early thanks to his initial clean slate, but when he missed his first try at 18-8 1/2, and Walker converted, the Duck was forced to go up another bar to 19-0 1/4 for his remaining two tries, which he missed with solid attempts. The Sandy High School product Skipper entered the competition seeded first nationally thanks to a 5 3/4-inch personal best in early February in Idaho (18-8 3/4), while Walker followed one place behind on the national qualifying list (second, 18-1). On the Oregon all-time list, Skipper’s early season clearance broke the school record of Olympian Kory Tarpenning who cleared 18-6 1/2 in 1985. The first-year phenom will chase his own Olympic dream in July’s Olympic Trials after he met the A qualifying standard of 18-8 1/4. Skipper became the Ducks’ third indoor All-America pole vaulter in event history after Trevor Woods took third as a sophomore in 2002 (indoor best 17-11 3/4), and Piotr Buciarski also took third as a senior in 1998 (18-0 1/2). Skipper’s honor also stood as the Ducks’ 21st overall in the event including outdoor collegiate finales, as he also challenged for UO’s third NCAA crown after victories by George Rasmussen in 1947 (14-0) and 1948 (14-0). Horizontal jumper and redshirt junior Leonidas Watson added an All-America honor on the first day with his daily best on his second prelim effort in the long jump (ninth, 25-2 1/2), then added 13th in the triple jump the second day (50-1 3/4) and was less than eight inches away from making the event final. The transfer from St. Louis Community College Watson entered the meet seeded eighth in both events thanks to season bests (25-6 1/2 / 52-10 1/4) that ranked him ninth and fourth all-time for the Ducks. The 4x400 fell short of its All-America goal when anchor leg and sophomore Matt Scherer strained his right hamstring 150 meters into his anchor leg and fell. The Sumner, Ill., native got up to slowly jog the remaining lap to the finish. The unit of Scherer, senior Brandon Holliday, junior Roderick Dotts, and sophomore Travis Anderson entered the meet seeded seventh in its first NCAA indoor appearance thanks to a school record and NCAA automatic mark of 3:06.54 a month prior in the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa. Their nearly-three second season best rewrote the previous record of 3:06.73 from the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships that featured three of the 2004 NCAA indoor members (Anderson, Holliday and Scherer, and two-sport star Jordan Kent). In the first day’s 60 hurdles, sophomore Eric Mitchum claimed his first All-America honor as the top finisher in his class (sixth, 7.74) and trailed only seniors and juniors. Three hours earlier in the afternoon, the Calumet City, Ill., native Mitchum won the third of three prelims with a .09-second personal best and school record (7.69) that ranked second in the 18-man field. Mitchum entered the meet tied for ninth nationally with the Ducks’ former school record with his then-personal best from the previous weekend in Gainesville, Fla. (7.78), and bettered the NCAA provisional mark of 7.95 in all eight of his races this season. Redshirt senior Ryan Andrus added two more points in the 5,000 (seventh, 14:03.21) for his first track All-America honor after missing a similar plaque outdoors in the NCAA 10,000 outdoors in 2003 by one place and one second. The Orem, Utah., native entered the meet seeded fourth nationally after a surprise 15-second personal best and NCAA automatic qualifier (13:51.00) the previous weekend in Seattle. The Ducks’ other first-day entry, sophomore Matt Scherer added duty in the 400 (12th, 46.77) and missed the final by .32 seconds and four places. The Sumner, Ill., native finished fourth in the second of four heats (46.77), after he entered the meet seeded 13th with a season best of 46.40 a month before in Ames, Iowa - a clocking that broke the Oregon indoor school record and moved him to fifth all-time for the Ducks. He made his NCAA debut outdoors in 2003 as a freshman and ran his outdoor best (46.47) that then ranked him sixth in school history. Overall in the final team race, the LSU men won their second national men’s crown with 44 1/2 points to edge host Arkansas and Florida which tied for second (38), ahead of Texas (fourth , 31) and Michigan (fifth, 28). With their women’s victory, the Bayou Bengals LSU became the first school to sweep both titles in NCAA indoor history.
2004 NCAA W INDOOR RECAP: Three of Four Ducks Make NCAA Debuts.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (3/12-13) - Junior pole vaulter Hannah Moore sealed a strong postseason indoor run as the Ducks’ 12th NCAA pole vault entry in pole vault Mark Vanderville’s five-year tenure overseeing the event. The Reno, Nevada native Moore ended 13th overall with her second-highest mark ever (12-11 1/2) in a field that featured four Pac-10 vaulters and three All-Americans - Chelsea Johnson of UCLA (second, 13-11 1/4), Connie Jerz (third, 13-7 1/4) and Kate Soma (fifth-tie, 13-3 1/2). Moore opened the day with a second-attempt clearance at the opening height of 12-5 1/2 and third-try make at 12-11 1/2, before she missed her three attempts at 13-3 1/2. Moore entered the meet seeded 10th after her 1 foot, 1 1/4 inch personal best the previous weekend (13-5) for her first-ever NCAA provisional mark, and one that raised her to third all-time for the Ducks. Prior to the 2004 indoor season, she owned an indoor best of 11-8 in 2003, and an all-time best of 12-6 1/4 from the West Regional outdoors last spring. On the track the first day, redshirt junior Magdalena Sandoval gave a valiant effort in the 5,000 and ran the first 3/4 of the race in seventh place before an injury forced her to drop back to 17th (16:29.69). The Los Alamos, N.M. native entered the meet seeded sixth with an NCAA automatic time (16:04.40) from a month before in Seattle that was a 40-second personal best that also moved her to eighth all-time for the Ducks. Her NCAA indoor debut came on the heels of her first postseason harrier trip the previous November, when she suffered a hard fall in the opening quarter-mile of the 2003 NCAA Cross Country Championships last fall. She got up in last place, and had the courage to pass more than half of the nation’s best 255 runners to finish 105th on the 6K course. In the 800, redshirt senior Eri Macdonald closed her collegiate career with her NCAA track debut (14th, 2:09.14). The Honolulu, Hawai’i native entered the meet seeded 14th overall thanks to her 1 1/2-second indoor personal best in Seattle the previous weekend (2:06.75), and her NCAA prelim clocking ranked as her third-fastest ever indoors. All-time for the Ducks she ranked seventh in the event thanks to her outdoor best from 2002’s Washington Dual win (2:06.37). This indoor season, she also led the Duck season best list in the mile with her season opener also in Seattle (4:54.85). Her NCAA appearance ended a string of qualifying bad luck when she missed an NCAA outdoor invite in 2002 by .04 seconds and was just over a second away as a sophomore outdoors in 2002. On the second day, redshirt senior Abby Andrus made her first NCAA indoor appearance as the pentathlon made its collegiate indoor championships debut. Andrus had a good news and bad news effort with personal bests or near marks in three of the five events, before a trio of fouls in the long jump torpedoed her final tally and put her 16th overall with 3,075 points. Andrus opened with a mark of 9.20 in the 60 hurdles, then followed with marks of 5-6 in the high jump (only an inch off her hep best), and a 36-0 season best in the shot put, before her foul in the long jump. She closed with a 2:23.05 season best effort in the 800. The Peoria, Ariz., native Andrus entered the meet ranked 11th with a personal best and NCAA provisional mark of 3,908 points the previous weekend in Moscow, Idaho. Andrus’s appearance was her second in a collegiate finale after she took 18th with 5,019 points in the 2003 NCAA heptathlon. Overall in the final team race, the LSU women repeated as team champions with 52 points for their 14th title in 23 years of the championships’ existence (it started in 1982), and also won the men’s crown by a 6 1/2-point advantage for the first same-school team title sweep in NCAA indoor history.
LAST WEEK’S REVIEW: Watson & Malone Pace Spring Break Action.
TUCSON, Ariz./STANFORD, Calif. - The Duck M&W saw limited action last weekend in a pair of spring break contests in Arizona and California. The Men of Oregon sent three decathletes to the University of Arizona's Mike Maynard Multi-Events competition and several jumpers to the Jim Click Shootout (Sat., 3/27). Redshirt junior Leonidas Watson made his first outdoor jumping appearance of 2004, and won the long jump (25-4 1/2) with a mark only 3 1/2 inches shy of his all-time outdoor best (25-8). The St. Louis Community College transfer added second in the triple jump in his outdoor debut (51-5, w:0.2) - a foot in front of junior Derek Strubel who raised his outdoor best by more than three inches (fourth, 50-0 3/4) to also earn Pac-10 and regional invites. His previous best was 49-9 1/2 from the 2003 Oregon Invitational. Closer to home in the Stanford Invitational (3/26-27) last Friday, redshirt junior steeplechaser Brett Holts was less than a second off his personal best in his season debut (8:49.66) and barely a second out of third place. The Bend, Ore., native’s personal best (8:48.81) came last May in Stanford’s Cardinal Invitational and his 2003 conference-leading time earned him Pac-10 Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors three days later. On the women’s side in the Stanford Invitational, junior Clarice Hayward-Lee finally registered a new wind-legal personal best (fifth, 39-3 3/4, w:-1.2) after several farther efforts were negated by +2.0 meter per second tailwinds last season. Her previous best wind-legal outdoor effort came as a prep in 2001 (39-1 1/2). Also in the triple jump, junior Maegan Traver also claimed a personal best (fourth, 38-2) and eclipsed her former mark by 2 1/4 inches. All-American and redshirt junior Sarah Malone finished second overall and led collegians for the second straight meet (second overall, 167-9). Redshirt junior Rachael Kriz added a regional qualifier for the second straight meet in the javelin (eighth, 137-2) and was barely a foot off her season debut a week earlier. Redshirt junior Bree Fuqua paced UO women in B sections of the shot put (fourth, 46-10 1/4) and discus (third, 158-9), and redshirt junior Katie Kersh led the Ducks in the hammer (12th, 165-4) by one inch over sophomore Megan Kriz (13th, 165-3). Duck hurdlers won sections three (junior Kayla Mellott, 62.41) and four (senior C’Rel McAllister, 63.86), and Eugene native and freshman Amanda Santana made her event debut in Mellott’s section (sixth, 65.19). Mellott was less than a half second shy of the Pac-10 mark (62.04), and just over a second slower than her personal best from 2003 (61.30) that ranks her ninth all-time for the Ducks. In the distances, redshirt junior Laura Harmon knocked almost 26 seconds off her sophomore 5K personal best and placed fourth in the B section (16:46.97) ,and met Pac-10 (17:30.14) and regional (16:56.43) standards. Redshirt senior Erinn Gulbrandsen added a Pac-10 qualifier in the 1,500 for the second straight season (heat 2, sixth, 4:39.22) and was less than four seconds shy of her personal best from the 2003 Pac-10 Champs (4:35.70).
PAC-10 QUALIFYING UPDATE: Ducks Sprint Towards to 24-Person Limit.
Athletes qualify for the Pacific-10 Conference Championships (Sat.-Sun., May 5/14-15) based on their season best mark in an event and if he/she meets a pre-set league standard (see the 2004 outdoor season best list to see each event standard). Marks can be performed either indoors or outdoors in 2004, and sprint/jump marks are even accepted with wind readings of more than 4.0 meters per second (although +4.0 readings are not permissible for regional or NCAA qualifying). Each Duck squad is limited to a 24-person travel roster, composed of 1) qualifiers, 2) wild card entries (each is coach is allowed to enter 3 athletes without qualifying marks) and 3) right of entry additions (each is team is granted one entry per event by the right of entry rule regardless of the athlete’s season best). The Duck men have already qualified 24 individuals in 13 of the 18 possible events (there is no qualifying standard in the 4x100, 4x400 or 10,000) - Travis Anderson (400), Matt Scherer (400), Ryan Flaherty (800), Mike McGrath (800), Eric Logsdon (1,500), Brett Holts (steeple), Ryan Andrus (5,000), Jason Hartmann (5,000), Eric Mitchum (110H), Brandon Holliday (400H), AK Ikwuakor (110H, 400H), Jeff Lindsey (high jump), Teddy Davis (high jump), Bobby Owen (high jump), Joseph Reiter (high jump), Tommy Skipper (pole vault), Trevor Woods (pole vault), Jon Derby (pole vault), Andy Young (pole vault, decathlon), David Moore (pole vault), Leonidas Watson (long jump, triple jump), Derek Strubel (triple jump), Paul Etter (hammer), Gabriel LeMay (decathlon) and Ryan Voge (decathlon). Events with multiple men’s qualifiers include the pole vault (5), high jump (4), decathlon (3) and 400, 800, 5,000, 110H, 400H, triple jump (2). The Duck women have 17 qualifiers already this year among 11 events (the 4x100, 4x400 or the 10K which doesn’t have a standard) - Sofie Abildtrup (200, 400), Laura Harmon (1,500, 5,000), Erinn Gulbrandsen (1,500), Sara Schaaf (1,500), Magdalena Sandoval (5,000), Abby Andrus (high jump), Hannah Moore (pole vault), Kirsten Larwin (pole vault), Emily Enders (pole vault), Clarice Hayward-Lee (triple jump), Bree Fuqua (shot put, discus), Whitney Gum (shot put), Jill Hoxmeier (discus), Megan Kriz (hammer), Katie Kersh (hammer), Sarah Malone (javelin) and Rachael Kriz (javelin). Events with women’s multiple qualifiers include the pole vault (3), and hammer, javelin and 1,500 (2). Women’s qualifying newcomers include junior transfers Sofie Abildtrup, (200/400), Bree Fuqua (shot put, discus) and Katie Kersh (hammer), sophomores Sara Schaaf (1,500), Whitney Gum (shot put) and Megan Kriz (hammer), and freshman Emily Enders (pole vault). New additions last week included Brett Holts (steeple), decathletes Andy Young, Gabriel LeMay and Ryan Voge, Erinn Gulbrandsen (1,500) and Laura Harmon (5,000)
AT THE HELM: Duck Head Coach Martin Smith Profile.
In 2004, sixth-year men’s head coach Martin Smith adds the women’s head coach title for the first time after the retirement of Tom Heinonen last spring. The 2002 Pac-10 and West Regional Men’s Coach of the Year Smith guided the Duck men to the 2003 Pac-10 Championships team title ? their first since 1990. At the national level, he led the ?Men of Oregon’ to a trio of top-15 NCAA team finishes in 2001 (outdoors-ninth), 2002 (indoors-ninth) and 2003 (outdoors-13th), and three more top-15 cross country team finishes in 1999 (sixth), 2001 (13th) and 2002 (fifth). Individually, the Duck men have combined for 36 All-America honors in track and cross country (including two NCAA individual wins), 14 individual Pac-10 crowns, and nine Academic All-America honors in that stretch. Prior to his arrival in Eugene in July 1998, he served as the distance mentor and assistant track coach at Wisconsin, as his Badgers posted two cross country NCAA team titles (1982-88), five NCAA individual track and cross country wins, and 78 All-America honors (44 track and 34 XC). The Alexandria, Va., native made his initial mark on collegiate history as the Virginia women’s distance coach and guided the Cavaliers to consecutive harrier national crowns in 1981 and 1982, while individual Lesley Welch won the individual title in ?82.
HAYWARD FIELD PROFILE: Eugene Welcomed its Ninth NCAA Finale in ?01.
One of the most famous track facilities in the world, Hayward Field is named for Bill Hayward, who coached the Oregon’s men’s team from 1904-1947. Originally dedicated in 1919, the 10,205-seat stadium now boasts a standing room capacity of 10,505. In 2001, the venue welcomed the world’s fastest, strongest and most explosive to a Triple Crown of great meets ? the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Prefontaine Classic (www.preclassic.com) and USA Outdoor Championships. Altogether, nine NCAA Championships (1962-64-72-78-74-77-91-96-01) have visited Track City USA, along with three Olympic Trials (1972-76-80) and six U.S. Championships (AAU 1971-75, TAC 1986, USATF-1993-99-01). Since the NCAA started rotating outdoor championships sites in 1934, Oregon has welcomed more finals (9) than any other school. California follows with eight (although they haven’t hosted one since 1968), and no other school has hosted more than five.
THE ROAD TO AUSTIN: Explaining the NCAA Regional Qualifying System.
After several years of research and urging by the U.S. Track Coaches Association, the NCAA Championships Division 1 Board of Directors switched to a regional qualifying procedure for the first time for the 2003 outdoor season. Four, two-day regionals, drawn in a vertical fashion geographically, were held nationally on Fri.-Sat., May 30-31 with regional qualifying standards based on the 100th best performance nationally from 2002 (while all conference champions are also automatically invited to their respective regional). Except for the 10K and heptathlon/decathlon (which still operate on an automatic/provisional standard system), the top-five finishers from each regional event automatically advanced to the NCAA Championships, nearly two weeks later. Besides the automatic advancers, an additional 6-8 athletes nationally per event were invited by the NCAA Championships selection committee based on a season performance list (in case of injury, illness, false-start/DQ, etc.) as long as that athlete competed in the regional. Coaches hoped that the easier regional qualifying standards (compared to previous national provisional standards) enabled athletes to obtain marks during the regular season and avoid 'chasing marks', especially in mid- to late-May, while the regional competition encouraged head-to-head competition at the end of the season and increase fan and media interest. In other NCAA committee news, the championships field sizes were raised approximately 40 percent ? most individual events were previously 18-21 deep with relays inviting 11-12 entries, and will now grow to 27-29 and 15-16, respectively. Previous men's and women's fields were set at 388 athletes among the 21 individual and relay events, and in 2003, the number expanded to 544 each.
ALL-AMERICA EQUATION: Breaking down the NCAA Honor.
Based on their NCAA Championships performances, individuals are awarded All-America honors at season’s end by the U.S. Track Coaches Association. The top-eight finishers from each event are honored regardless of citizenship, and any additional U.S. finishers that are among the top eight American finishers are also rewarded. If necessary, the U.S.-based honors can even extend to the top performances in the preceding qualifying round if there are not eight Americans in the event’s final.
MEN’S 2003 SEASON REVIEW: Ducks Surge in Championship Slate.
With a narrow 131-130 Pac-10 Championships win over Stanford, the Duck men won their first league crown since 1990 in anticlimactic fashion when the meet was rescored in October because of an ineligible USC sprinter which dropped the Trojans from first to fourth. Three Duck men claimed Pac-10 crowns, and 23 of the team’s 24 entries (spread among 19 events) scored in an individual event or relay. Two weeks later at the end of May, The Oregon men captured 11 automatic NCAA invites courtesy of top-five finishes, including sprints wins by Samie Parker (100) and Jordan Kent (200). The Ducks continued to surge through the NCAA Championships with their second, top-15 outdoor finish in three years (13th, 19 1/4), and featured six All-Americans among their 14 entries. Two then-seniors capped the year with USA Championships appearances in the hammer and javelin. On the year-end season best list, three freshmen propelled the men’s 4x400 to a school record in the collegiate finale (3:06.73), Eric Mitchum and Samie Parker ended the year second and third on the Duck all-time charts in the 110 hurdles (13.75, 13.73w) and 100 (10.18). Indoors, Parker took third in the 60 final (6.64), after he broke his school record by .01 seconds in the prelim (6.62).
WOMEN’S 2003 SEASON REVIEW: Holliday Soars to New Heights.
Then-senior Becky Holliday penned a fairy-tale ending to her Duck pole vault collegiate career with a World Championships appearance and third-place USA finish (14-3 1/4) last summer. In the collegiate championship stretch she broke meet records in her victories in the NCAA (14-5 1/2), West Regional (14-8) and Pac-10 Championships (14-6) with her regional mark a collegiate outdoor record. Among the Ducks’ eight NCAA outdoor invites, Niki McEwen added fifth (pole vault, 13-5 1/4) and Roslyn Lundeen took eighth (javelin, 159-0) to give the Ducks 14 1/2 points which placed them 17th overall. In the inaugural West Regional, discus thrower Mary Etter joined Holliday on the victory stand as Tom Heinonen’s crew ended with seven, top-five finishes. In the Pac-10 showdown in USC, the women took seventh with 60 points and enjoyed runner-up efforts from Niki McEwen (pole vault, 13-3 1/2) and Roslyn Lundeen (javelin, 159-8). Joining Holliday in the Duck record books NCAA hammer qualifier Jordan Sauvage upped the UO hammer best in the Texas Relays by more than three feet (191-4), and Mary Etter climbed to second in the discus with her winning regional effort (179-7).
PICK OF THE PAC-10: Four Ducks Claim Weekly Honors in 2003.
In 2003, the Duck men tied with USC for the most weekly Pac-10 Athlete of the Week honors with USC (4), among the five editions that honor both a track and field event performer. The Duck men claimed the most field event honors (2), USC held court for most track honors (3), and UCLA claimed the other field event honor (1). The Trojans also led in women’s honors in 2003 (3), ahead of UCLA (2), ASU (1), Stanford (1) and WSU (1). Santiago Lorenzo claimed Oregon’s final AOW honor of 2003 for his Pac-10 decathlon victory in USC (7,564, 5/10-11) as he led the field in the javelin (187-4) and 400 (48.96), and stood top three in seven of the 10 overall events. Lorenzo’s win was also his fourth, top-two league decathlon finish after runner-up nods in 2000 (7,649) and 1999 (7,150). Lorenzo’s athlete of the week honor also stood as the fourth of his career. As a junior in 2001, the Buenos Aires, Argentina native was honored after winning the Pac-10 (7,617) and the Texas Relays (7,726) decathlons, and as a sophomore in 2000 after his Texas Relays decathlon then-personal best (third overall, 7,580). The previous week (Tue., 5/6), Brett Holts was selected in the men’s track category after he took the Pac-10 steeplechase lead with his four-second personal best in the Cardinal Invitational (8:48.81, Fri., 5/2). The week before (Mon., 4/28), Adam Jenkins was selected in the field event category after he leapfrogged teammate John Stiegeler to the top of the Pac-10 javelin rankings, thanks to his three-foot personal and six-foot, seven-inch season best in the Oregon Invitational (221-4). Hammer thrower Adam Kriz claimed his first conference award two weeks prior in 2003’s inaugural honor for his then-best and Pepsi Team Invite win (217-10). Besides this year’s quartet of honorees, two other current Ducks have combined for five other Pac-10 honors the past three seasons - Trevor Woods (Pepsi Team Invite 4/02, pole vault, first, 18-0 1/2) and Sarah Malone (Oregon Twilight 5/01, javelin, first, 174-0).
2003 NCAA OUTDOOR REVIEW: Ducks Net Most All-Americans Since ?96.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (6/11-14/03) - The men’s largest NCAA outdoor qualifying corps in recent memory came away with their second top-15 finish in three years (13th, 19 1/4 points), thanks to five All-America honors from Jason Hartmann (10,000, fourth, PR 28:31.96), John Stiegeler (javelin, fourth, 241-5), Samie Parker (100, fifth, 10.41), Adam Kriz (hammer, fifth, 220-2), Eric Logsdon (5,000, eighth, 13:59.00) and Trevor Woods (pole vault, eighth-tie, 16-10 3/4). Among other highlights, the 4x400 broke the school record with a two-second season best (3:06.73) that ranked 11th in prelims after the squad ended the regular season ranked 25th nationally with their prior runner-up clocking from the regional finale. Ryan Andrus just missed another All-America plaque in the 10,000 by one place and one second, although he still netted a one-second personal best (13th, 29:11.04). In last year’s women’s collegiate outdoor finale, Becky Holliday extended her amazing championship run with her third meet record in as many tries against the nation’s best. The native of nearby Penryn, Calif., topped the best-ever outdoor field with a meet record (14-5 1/2) and ended the meet with her first tries at 15 feet. Senior teammate Niki McEwen added her fourth All-America honor in her seventh NCAA trip and took fifth (13-5 1/4). The Ducks also sent a pair of javelin entries and Roslyn Lundeen posted her second straight All-America honor (eighth) after she set a season best in the prelims (161-10), while Elisa Crumley missed the final by one place with her 13th-place effort in prelims. Abby Andrus reeled off the 11th-best second day in the 27-person heptathlon field to finish 18th (5,019) after missing much of the previous 1 1/2 weeks of practice due to injuries. The Ducks’ other NCAA entries also came from three seniors and field-event specialists - Mary Etter (17th-prelim), Jordan Sauvage (hammer, 25th-prelim) and Amanda Brown (23rd-prelim).
2003 USA CHAMPS REVIEW: Hartmann & Holliday Go Top-Eight.
STANFORD, Calif. (6/19-21) ? On the second day of the three-day U.S. finale, redshirt senior pole vaulter Becky Holliday tied for third (14-3 1/4) to claim the final position on the U.S. squad for the World Championships. The event featured relatively low heights due to fairly strong and changing crosswinds ? the bane of most vaulters ? but Holliday’s concentration at her final clearance proved the difference as one of five vaulters that ended at that height and only two bound for France. She opened with first-attempt clearances at her first three heights ? 13-1 1/2 (4.00m), 13-7 1/4 (4.15m) and 13-11 1/4 (4.25m). She cleared her final height on the third try and slightly brushed the bar on the way down. As it bounced slightly on the pegs for a moment, Holliday gleefully celebrated below on the mat. Overall in the event, world record holder Stacy Dragila of Nike won with a final height of 14-9 to edge Nike’s Jillian Schwartz (second, 14-5 1/4) and Mary Sauer (third, 14-3 1/4). Normally, countries are offered three invites to the World Championships provided athletes meet the A qualifying standard (14-5 1/4), but the USA was offered a fourth spot since Dragila was the returning World Champion from 2001 and automatically offered an invitation. In the second-day javelin final, All-America sophomore Elisa Crumley recorded a daily best of 133-3 on her first throw and followed with two fouls to finish 15th overall. Unattached entrant Erica Wheeler pulled a surprise win in the event (first, 186-6) over former national record holder Kim Kreiner of Nike (second, 185-0). Stanford, Calif. (6/19-21) ? Senior and two-time All-America javelin thrower John Stiegeler took ninth with his second-best mark of the season (234-5) and stood as the fourth collegiate finisher. National record holder Breaux Greer of adidas (260-5) won the U.S. title over Boise State’s Rob Minnitti (second, 253-4) and Joshua Johnson (third, 249-10). On the second day, hammer All-American Adam Kriz finished 18th (202-9) in an event won by James Parker of the U.S. Air Force (first, 239-7).
2003 REGIONAL RECAP: M&W Claim 18 Top-Five Finishes & NCAA Invites.
STANFORD, Calif. (5/30-31) ? In the first go-around at regional qualifying, the Oregon men and women reaped one of their biggest lists of NCAA invitations in recent memory (13 men’s individuals & the 4x400 relay / eight women’s individuals). In the team scoring races, the Duck men third with 71 points behind UCLA (101) and USC (92), and the Oregon women tallied 60 points to place seventh in the 42-team race. Collegiate leader Becky Holliday stole first-day headlines with a 1/4-inch collegiate record (and two-inch Pac-10 record) that moved her to sixth all-time among Americans and fourth on the weekly world season best list. Niki McEwen added her seventh NCAA trip in the pole vault and tied her second-best outdoor mark ever (third-tie, 13-6 1/4), and three other Ducks vaulters competed in the 40-woman field that had all cleared 12-0 during the year, including Kirsten Riley (Larwin) and Hannah Moore tied for 16th and 24th (12-6 1/4). A pair of javelin All-Americans earned NCAA returns as Elisa Crumley and Roslyn Lundeen placed third (157-11) and fourth (157-3) and improved on eighth and fifth-place pre-meet seedings. Oregon’s other women’s winner, Mary Etter, claimed her fifth and most important blue ribbon of the season with a two-foot, six-inch discus season best (179-7). The Everett, Wash., native earned her fourth NCAA discus invite, and edged returning NCAA champion Chaniqua Ross of UCLA who took second (176-10) with a mark nearly three feet behind. The upset bug also bit Amanda Brown who springboarded off a ninth-place seeding in the triple jump to finish second (41-5w, w:+2.2) with a 7 1/2-inch best. After she had missed most of the previous week’s practice with an ankle injury, she started slowly with a halfway best of 39-10, then improved in the final to place four places better than her Pac-10 showing two weeks prior. Similar qualifying rumblings occurred in the hammer ring as Jordan Sauvage followed a similar method to finish fifth (183-11). She owned a prelim effort just past 179 feet that ranked her eighth overall, and climbed to fifth with a daily best on her fifth effort. On the high jump apron, Jenny Brogdon improved on her 17th-place seeding to tie her personal best (ninth-tie, 5-9 1/4) and miss an NCAA invite on number of total misses. The LaGrande, Ore., native had jumped that mark only once before in her career in her runner-up finish in the 2002 Pac-10 Championships, and tested her coach’s and teammates’ patience by relying on two attempts to clear 5-5 1/4, and three attempts at 5-7 3/4 and 5-9 1/4. Abby Andrus faced the fastest hurdles fields of her career and scored a .06-second windy best in the 100 hurdles prelims (fifth-heat, 14th overall, 13.93w). The Peoria, Ariz., native returned in the evening for the 400 hurdles prelims (third-heat, 12th overall, 60.22), and was only .43 seconds from the final time qualifier. The men’s squad featured a pair of wins in the sprints courtesy of Samie Parker in the 100 (10.25w, w:0.8) and Jordan Kent in the 200 (20.99, w:0.8), to go along with four more sprint and hurdle qualifiers and another field event invite. Parker claimed the first win of the meet for the ?Men of Oregon with his third fastest time of his career (10.25w, w:0.8) - and led the first day prelims by .12 seconds (10.34, w:+1.5). Kent, the sixth seed entering the meet, stole the win out of lane eight with a .10-second personal best (20.99) after leading much of the first half of the race, then surged again in the final stretch to hold off USC’s Wes Felix (second, 21.06). Kent also made his first season appearance on the 4x400 relay as the Ducks led from wire to wire in the slower section (3:08.05) in a time that stood up second-fastest overall, one second behind fast heat winner Stanford (3:07.23). Another freshman sprinter, Matt Scherer, entered the meet seeded 12th in the 400, and improved to fourth in the final (personal best, 46.56) after leading the previous day’s prelims (.02-second then-best, 46.85). That time also moved him up three positions to seventh all-time for the Ducks. Seeded second going into the 110 hurdles, Eric Mitchum ended up third in the final (13.95-final, 13.95-prelims (1st-heat, into -2.1 mps wind) behind a pair of senior rivals that included the eventual NCAA champion Ryan Wilson of USC (13.54). 400 hurdler Brandon Holliday netted his first NCAA invite (fifth, 50.73), and avenged a fall in the Pac-10 prelims earlier in May after winning the league title as a sophomore in 2001. In the distances, Brett Holts earned his first NCAA steeplechase invite and ran most of the race close to his final position (fifth, 8:50.70) in the heat and overall, with his second-fastest career effort. In the 5K, Eric Logsdon earned his first NCAA invite with a third-place effort in the 5,000 (13:54.28) and was less than two seconds off his personal best from the Oregon Invite (13:52.62), and improved two places off his pre-meet fifth-place seeding. In the 800, Ryan Flaherty capped his season with an eighth-place finish in a final marked by its share of physical contact (1:53.47). The Bend, Ore., native took second in the first of two prelim heats the day before (1:50.20) - and fourth-fastest of the 15 entries - with the second-fastest of his career. In the field, hammer thrower Adam Kriz wrapped up his final preparation for an NCAA return with runner-up honors (207-7) on the first day thanks to a daily best on his initial throw. Former NCAA javelin champion John Stiegeler earned his second NCAA trip thanks to an eight-foot season best (fourth, 228-2), and 2003 Pac-10 champ Adam Jenkins fell four feet shy of a second invite but still netted a one-foot personal best (seventh, 222-4). Triple jumper Foluso Akinradewo ranked seventh overall (50-11 1/2, w:+0.6) with his third-best mark of the season, and sophomore Derek Strubel added 13th (48-9).
2003 PAC-10 REVIEW: Ducks Combine for 4 Wins & 1 Duck Record.
LOS ANGELES (5/17-18) - In the 73rd and 17th annual Pacific-10 Conference Championships, the Duck men and women took first (131) and seventh (60 points) at USC’s Katherine Loker Stadium. The UO men initially finished third in the team race with 127 points behind USC (139) and Stanford (128), but were later awarded the win when USC’s Brandon Matlock, a scorer in the 200, 400, 4x100 and 4x400 was ruled ineligible and the meet was rescored and gave the Ducks a one-point decision over Stanford in the tightest 1st-4th race since 1969's 14-point spread. Individually in the league finale, collegiate season leader and Becky Holliday paced the UO women with their first-ever pole vault title (14-6) and her third outdoor meet above 14 feet in ’03, to go along with two others indoors. Niki McEwen tied for second in the same event (13-3 1/2), and Roslyn Lundeen also claimed runner-up honors in the javelin (159-8). The Duck men featured three individual champions ? Santiago Lorenzo (decathlon, 7,564), junior Adam Jenkins (javelin, 217-9) and Adam Kriz (hammer, 221-3) - and three runners-up ? Brett Holts (steeple, 8:55.00), Jason Hartmann (10,000, 29:18.00) and Eric Mitchum (110 hurdles, 13.73w, w:+3.8).
ONLINE TRACK RESOURCES
UO Athletics: www.GoDucks.com
Pacific-10 Conference: www.pac-10.org
NCAA Champs.: www.ncaasports.com
NCAA Outdoor Host: www.TexasSports.com
NCAA: www.ncaa.org
USATF Oregon: www.usatf-oregon.org
USA Track and Field: www.usatf.org
USOC: www.olympic-usa.org
IAAF: www.iaaf.org
High School T&F Info: www.dyestat.com
Oregon Track Club: www.oregontrackclub.com
Prefontaine Classic: www.preclassic.com
USA Championships: www.ustfnationals.org
World Champs: www.paris2003saintdenis.org
World Rankings: www.tilastopaja.net
Runner’s World: www.runnersworld.com
Trackwire: www.trackwire.com
Collegiate Track Results: www.trackshark.com
T&F News: www.trackandfieldnews.com
- www.GoDucks.com -
