EUGENE - In their fourth weekend of their outdoor slate, the Oregon track and field teams return home for the first of two final home meets before the championship slate begins in mid-May.
A decathlon and heptathlon kick off the Ducks’ largest home meet at noon on Thursday (4/21) and Friday (4/22), and the women’s and men’s 10,000-meter races will be held Friday evening at 7:15 and 8 pm, respectively.
Saturday’s dual session affair will run from 10 am in the morning until 8:45 pm at night and will feature approximately 900 entrants ? a mix of collegians largely from West Coast schools of all sizes and select post-collegians.
Tickets are required only for the Saturday afternoon/evening session that starts with field events at 3 pm and running events at 4:45 pm (a complete schedule is included several paragraphs later). Admission is free for all of Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning's events.
The following week, the Ducks will send sprinters, jumpers and throwers to the Drake Relays, while a handful of distance runners could head to the Cardinal Invitational, Fri., April 30 at Stanford.
The following weekend, the Ducks wrap up their regular season in the Oregon Twilight, Sat., May 7, against another melange of collegiate and post-collegiate talent. That same weekend, the UO decathletes and heptathletes get a jump on their teammates in the Pac-10 Championships decathlon/heptathlon at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, Sat.-Sun., May 7-8.
Last weekend, Eric Mitchum took the collegiate lead in the 110 hurdles (13.56) in the Mt. SAC Relays Sunday in Los Angeles. The day before in the Golden Bear Invite in Berkeley, Calif., on Sat., Sarah Malone was only 2 1/2 feet off her school record in the javelin (first, 177-1), Leonidas Watson moved to fourth all-time for UO in the triple jump (first, 52-9 1/2) and the men’s 4x100 ran the second-fastest time in school history (first, 39.83) ? only .03 seconds off the school record from 1991 (39.80).
THIS WEEK'S OREGON INVITATIONAL MEET INFO
Location: Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.
Date: Thursday-Saturday, April 21-23
Results Website: www.GoDucks.com
Schools: Albertson, Arizona State, Boise State, BYU, Chico State, C. Washington, Clackamas, Clark, Colorado, UC Davis, E. Illinois, E. Oregon, E. Washington, Gonzaga, Highline CC, Idaho, Illinois, Lane CC, Minnesota, Montana, Montana State, Northwest Nazarene, Northwest, Oregon State, Portland, Portland State, St. Martin’s, Seattle Pacific, Seattle, Simon Fraser, SW Oregon CC, Spokane CC, Texas, USC, Utah, Utah State, Washington, Weber State
Promotions: Tickets from Saturday’s track meet are also good for the Duck softball game at 1 pm Saturday vs. Pac-10 leader Oregon State at Howe Field (and vice versa).
Single Meet Track & Field Tickets:
Reserved $6; General Admission - $5 Adult, $3 Children (high school or younger) and Senior Citizens (62 or older). $2 per person group rates (10 or more). The Bowerman Building ticket office will open Saturday at 1:30 pm. The heptathlon/decathlon and 10K races (Thu.-Fri.) and Saturday’s Day Session are free. Only Saturday’s Twilight Session (starting at 3 pm) requires tickets.
QUICK MEET SCHEDULE
Thu. (Dec.-Hep. only) (Free): First Event: Noon, ends at approx. 5:30 pm
Fri. (Dec.-Hep. only) (Free): First Event: Noon, ends at approx. 5:15 pm
Fri. (M&W 10K) (Free): First Event: 7:15 pm, ends at approx. 8:45 pm
Sat. Day Session (Free): First Event: 10 am, W 5K; Last Event: 2 pm, M 4x400
Sat. Twilight Session (Tickets necessary): First Event: 3 pm, W Hammer; Last Event: 8:15 pm, M 10K
WEEKLY WOMEN’S PREVIEW: Malone Returns to NCAA Spotlight.
In the Golden Bear Invitational at Cal last weekend, senior Sofie Abildtrup ran a 200 season best (third, 24.32), and now sets her sights on the 400 ? an event she ranks third all-time for the Ducks with her time from the 2004 Pac-10 prelims (52.92). Freshman 400 hurdler Kasey Harwood notched a regional qualifier and moved to eighth all-time for UO last weekend at Cal (first, 60.73), after she debuted the week before in the Pepsi Team Invite at Oregon’s all-time 10-spot (61.08). Indoors in ?05, Harwood ranked second on the team in the 800 (2:12.01) and ran a high-2:10 800 split on the team’s NCAA provisional qualifying distance medley in February (11:27.77). Redshirt junior Sara Schaaf ran the third-fastest 800 clocking of her career two weeks ago in the Pepsi Team Invite (2:08.52), behind her 2004 times from the West Regional prelims (2:07.89) and Oregon Twilight (2:08.08). To join the UO all-time top-10 list, she needs to run a time of 2:07.1 or faster this weekend. Redshirt senior Laura Harmon makes her outdoor 5,000 season debut after she ran an indoor best of 16:18.56 in February that netted an NCAA invite. Her outdoor best of 16:33.37 dates back to the 2004 West Regional Championships that placed her third. Two-time All-American and redshirt senior Sarah Malone jumped into the national top five Saturday at Cal with her winning mark (177-1) that was her third-best ever behind her 2004 tosses in Austin, Texas in the Texas Relays (first, school record 179-7) and NCAA Championships (third, 178-1). The twice-honored javelin All-America pair of Roslyn Lundeen and Elisa Crumley look to climb the national and regional lists and own season bests of 158-9 and 144-10, respectively. Redshirt junior Brittany Hinchcliffe and redshirt senior Bree Fuqua return to their home hammer and shot put rings as school record holders after their winning tosses of 199-2 and 53-11, respectively, in the Pepsi Team Invitational two weekends ago.
WEEKLY MEN’S PREVIEW: 4x100 Relay Ready to Roll.
Last weekend in Berkeley, the 4x100 relay unit of senior Kedar Inico, juniors Matt Scherer and Richard Del Rincon and redshirt sophomore Jordan Kent won the Golden Bear Invitational (39.83) and missed the school record from 1991 by only .03 seconds. In his fourth week of practice, Kent continues to pick up speed after he won the 200 at Cal (21.06) ? only .07 seconds off his PR (20.99) that won the 2003 West Regional and ranks him sixth all-time at UO. He may also make his long jump debut Saturday, although the state high school record holder (PR 25-1 1/4w, w:2.3) has competed collegiately on the runway only twice as a freshman because of his limited practice availability after the basketball season. The 400 will be the Ducks’ top head-to-head event as the indoor All-America pair of Scherer and Inico look to improve on their outdoor debuts of 46.26 and 47.70 two weekends ago at home. Scherer ranks third all-time in UO outdoor history with his best (45.95) from the 2004 Pac-10 and West Regional finals, while Inico (46.41 indoors in '05, 46.92 outdoors in '04) needs to run 46.83 to join the UO all-time list. All-American and redshirt senior Brett Holts makes his steeplechase season debut, and took seventh in his last effort over the barriers in the steamy 2004 NCAA finale in Austin (8:57.75). This time he is on his home turf when he butts horns against Texas redshirt Mark Floreani who was two places back in his NCAA debut in ?04 (ninth, 9:03.45). Sophomore teammate Kyle Alcorn also navigates the water jump for the first time since he led Americans in the 2004 World Junior Champs (16th-prelims, 8:55.02) and won the U.S. Junior Champs (9:10.37) last summer. Junior and returning NCAA 110 hurdle runner-up Eric Mitchum opened last weekend with a win Saturday at Cal (13.77, w:0.7), then took the collegiate lead the next day in the Mt. SAC Relays (13.56, w:1.0). In his last long jump appearance, two-time All-American senior Leonidas Watson won the Pepsi Team Invitational two weekends ago (25-10 3/4) and moved to seventh all-time for UO ? only one inch behind former great and NCAA third-placer Mel Renfro (25-11 3/4, 1962). On Thursday and Friday, redshirt junior Andy Young makes his second decathlon appearance in three weeks after he braved windy gusts in the Texas Relays, Wed.-Thu., April 6-7 to post an NCAA provisional score of 7,016 points. The Newberg, Ore., native made his NCAA outdoor debut last year and finished 13th (7,302) - three places higher than his pre-meet seed based on his personal best three weeks prior in the Pac-10 Championships (third, 7,372).
TENTATIVE MEET SCHEDULE
Oregon Invitational
Hayward Field, University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Thursday, April 21 Hep./Dec. (Free)
12 noon - Decathlon - 100 m
12:20 pm - Heptathlon - 100 m Hurdles
12:50 pm - Decathlon - Long Jump
1:10 pm - Heptathlon - High Jump
2:05 pm - Decathlon - Shot Put
3:15 pm - Heptathlon - Shot Put
3:20 pm - Decathlon - High Jump
4:25 pm - Heptathlon - 200 m
5:25 pm - Decathlon - 400 meters
Friday, April 22 Hep./Dec. (Free)
12 noon - Decathlon - 110 m Hurdles
12:50 pm - Decathlon - Discus
2 pm - Heptathlon - Long Jump
2:10 pm - Decathlon - Pole Vault
3:10 pm - Heptathlon - Javelin
3:50 pm - Decathlon - Javelin
4:30 pm - Heptathlon - 800 m
5 pm - Decathlon - 1500 meters
Friday, April 23 Evening Session (Free)
7:15 pm - W 10,000m
8 pm - M 10,000m
Saturday, April, 23
Day Session (Free)
10 am - W 5000m (1)
10:10 am - M Discus
10:15 am - W Shot Put
10:25 am - W 100m H (2)
10:35 am - M 110m H (2)
10:45 am - W 100m (2)
10:55 am - M 100m (2)
*11 am - M Triple Jump
11:05 am - W 1500m (2)
11:15 am - W Triple Jump
11:20 am - M 1500m (2)
11:30 am W/M Pole Vault (lower section)
11:40 am - W 4x100m (1)
11:45 am - M 4x100m (1)
11:50 am - W High Jump
11:55 am - M Steeple (1)
12:15 pm - W 400m Hurdles (2)
12:20 pm - M Shot Put
12:25 pm - M 400m Hurdles (2)
12:35 pm - W 400m (2)
12:40 pm - M 400m (2)
12:45 pm - W Discus
12:50 pm - W 800m (2)
1 pm - M 800m (2)
1:10 pm - W 200m (2)
1:20 pm - M 200m (2)
1:30 pm - M 5000m (1)
1:50 pm - W 4x400m (1)
2 pm - M 4x400m (1)
Evening Session (Tickets necessary)
3 pm - W Hammer
3:40 pm - M Javelin
4:30 pm - M High Jump
4:45 pm - W 4x100m
4:50 pm - M 4x100m
4:55 pm - W Steeple
5:05 pm - W Pole vault (higher section)
*5:10 pm - W 100m Hurdles
5:15 pm - W Long Jump
*5:20 pm - M 110m Hurdles
5:25 pm - M Pole vault (higher section)
*5:30 pm - M Long Jump
*5:30 pm - W 400m
*5:35 pm - M 400m
5:40 pm - M Hammer
*5:45 pm - W 100m
*5:50 pm - M 100m
*5:55 pm - M Steeple
6:05 pm - W Javelin
*6:10 pm - W 800m
*6:15 pm - M 800m
*6:25 pm - W 400m Hurdles
*6:35 pm - M 400m Hurdles
*6:40 pm - W 200m
*6:45 pm - M 200m
*6:55 pm - W 5000m
*7:15 pm - W 4x400m
*7:25 pm - M 4x400m
*7:35 pm - W 1500m
*7:45 pm - M 1500m
*7:55 pm - M 5000m
*8:15 pm - M 10,000
NOTE: (*) indicates event times revised on 4/14 or 4/18
2005 UO WOMEN’S OUTLOOK: Field Events Again Pace Charge in ?05.
The field events again lead the Oregon women’s charge in 2005 with a trio of double All-Americans back in the javelin ? redshirt juniors Elisa Crumley (12th in ?02, 13th in ?03) and Roslyn Lundeen (seventh in ?02, eighth in ?03) and 2004 Olympic Trials runner-up Sarah Malone (seventh in ?02, third in ?04). The pole vault sports another pair of NCAA veterans in redshirt junior Hannah Moore and sophomore Emily Enders who made NCAA trips indoors and outdoors in ?04, and finished 13th (12-11 1/2) and 15th (12-9 1/2), respectively. Senior Bree Fuqua enjoyed a successful debut campaign for UO in 2004 with an NCAA trip outdoors in the shot put thanks to her then-personal best in the West Regional (fourth, 52-8 3/4) that left her second all-time for the Ducks. She was also a scorer in both the shot put (fourth, 52-5 1/2) and discus (fifth, 162-2) in the Pac-10 Champs. Senior Sofie Abildtrup paced the Ducks in all three sprint events in her debut season in ?04, and ranked top-10 outdoors all-time for UO last year in the 100 (10th, 12.01), 200 (seventh, 23.93) and 400 (third, 52.92), then added an NCAA trip in the 400. Redshirt senior Laura Harmon has made three straight NCAA trips, including invites in the 5,000 indoors in ?05 (15th) and outdoors in ?04 (18th) that book-ended an All-America honor in her NCAA harrier debut in ?04 (31st). Redshirt senior Magdalena Sandoval seeks renewed health after an impressive opening to her 2003-04 slate that featured an indoor school record in the 5,000 (16:04.40) and NCAA appearances indoors and in cross country. Two newcomers in particular expect to challenge for NCAA invites immediately. Redshirt junior hammer thrower Brittany Hinchcliffe ranked 29th in the U.S. with her 200-3 best as a redshirt in ?04, and junior transfer Lauryn Jordan just missed an NCAA indoors in the pentathlon in ?05 (3,894). The latter addition from San Joaquin Valley Community College arrived with the team’s top preseason PRs in the high jump (5-8 1/2), long jump (19-10) and heptathlon (4,895), and its second-best mark in the triple jump (40-8 1/4) ? while all four would have ranked top-10 in school history.
2005 DUCK MEN’S SEASON PREVIEW: UO Flexes Depth Around the Track.
The UO men return after a best-ever sixth-place NCAA indoor finish in March, thanks to a school record nine qualifiers and eight All-America honors ? including another pole vault crown from sophomore pole vaulter Tommy Skipper (18-4 1/2). The Duck sprint and hurdle crew ranks among the nation’s best with a pair of indoor All-American indoors in the 400 in ?05 ? senior Kedar Inico (sixth) and junior Matt Scherer (ninth) ? joined by 2004 NCAA outdoor 110 hurdle runner-up and junior Eric Mitchum, a three-time All-American and school record holder in the 110 hurdles (13.38). The UO 4x400 relay has run school records indoors in ?05 (3:04.17) and outdoors in ’04 (3:03.49), and followed with fifth-place finishes in both NCAA chases. Skipper is the top returning outdoor collegiate pole vaulter with his 2004 Pac-10 record (18-10 1/4) but is expected to miss the first 4-6 weeks of the season after left knee surgery in late March ? an injury he competed through three indoor meets that included an NCAA win (18-4 1/2) and USA runner-up finish (18-2 1/2). Last year, he won the NCAA outdoor crown (18-8 1/4) and took second indoors (18-4 1/2), and also broke the school indoor record with a mark of 18-8 3/4. Redshirt senior Leonidas Watson has rewritten the school long jump and triple jump indoor records several times the past two seasons. He sports indoor bests of 25-11 and 52-10 1/4, and was an All-American indoors in ?04 (ninth) and ?05 (fourth, PR 25-11). Redshirt seniors Eric Logsdon and Brett Holts have combined for seven All-America honors in cross country and track and field. Logsdon has won three honors in the 5,000 on the oval indoors in ?05 (seventh) and outdoors in ?04 (seventh) and ?03 (eighth) and in cross country in 2003 (29th) and ?02 (41st). This past indoor season in a five-week span, he also sped to school indoor records in the mile (4:01.86) and 5,000 (13:49.99) and moved to #2 in the 3,000 (7:54.29). Holts is a three-time top-four Pac-10 placer in the steeplechase and was an All-American over the NCAA barriers in ?04 (seventh), and in cross country in ?02 (43rd). Senior hammer thrower Paul Etter was an NCAA qualifier in ?04 in the hammer and a top-six placer in his 2004 Pac-10 and West Regional debuts (sixth/fifth). Other Ducks with NCAA experience include redshirt sophomore sprinter Jordan Kent (200, 20th, 2003), junior 110 hurdler A.K. Ikwuakor (110 hurdles, 23rd-prelims, 2004), indoor heptathlon All-American and redshirt junior Ryan Voge (10th, 2005) and redshirt junior decathlete Andy Young (13th, 2004). Top newcomers include junior sprint transfer Richard Del Rincon (100 10.23w-10.40; 200 20.57w-20.87) and freshman Canadian steeplechaser Chris Winter (8:54.94). Recent Danish national javelin runner-up Lars Mueller Laursen (javelin 233-6) joined the team for the spring term, as did freshman distance star and Portland native Galen Rupp ? the U.S. junior record holder for the 3,000 (8:03.57) and 5,000 (13:37.91).
NEWCOMERS TO WATCH: Del Rincon, Hinchcliffe and Jordan Go Green in ?05.
Top Duck women’s newcomers in 2005 include junior and San Joaquin Valley CC transfer Lauryn Jordan (PRs ? heptathlon 4,895, HJ 5-8.5, LJ 19-11.5-indoors, TJ 40-11.5), redshirt junior and Arizona State transfer Mandi Fitz-Gustafson (1,500 4:37.86, steeple 10:51.81), freshman sprinter Julie Schmidt-Scherer from Copenhagen, Denmark (200 24.45, 400 54.97) and redshirt junior and Washington State transfer Brittany Hinchcliffe (HT 200-3). Other notable women’s newcomers include freshman Kasey Harwood (800 2:12.02-i, 400H 60.73), Katie Leary (1,500 4:36, 3,000 10:00.38), sophomore and Boise State transfer Emily Mathis (800 2:13.98, 1,500 4:44.31), freshman Kalindra McFadden (200 25.00, 100 hurdles 14.64, HJ 5-4.5) and freshman Sarah Pearson (1,500 4:36.17, 3,000 9:56.92). Although she has to redshirt the '05 campaign because of transfer rules, junior Britney Henry arrived in Eugene with the LSU school record (207-9) and was an NCAA and Olympic Trials qualifier in 2004 for the Bayou Bengals. The men’s newcomer list is headlined by junior sprinter and Grossmont JC transfer Richard Del Rincon (100 10.40-10.23w, 200 20.87-20.57w), Danish junior javelin thrower Lars Mueller Laursen (233-6), freshman and North Vancouver, B.C. native Chris Winter (steeple 8:54.94), and juniors and Lane CC transfers Cody Fleming (decathlon 6,741, DT 154-2) and Brian Bartow (decathlon 6,422, JT 209-0). Other men’s newcomers that will vie for Pac-10 and West Regional invites include junior and Glendale Community College transfer Matt Adams (JT 203-3, DT 156-1), redshirt sophomore and BYU transfer Montrell Dunn (TJ 49-7-49-10w, LJ 23-10) and freshman and North Bend, Ore., native Brian Wuethrich (JT 202-0).
DUCK WOMEN’S NEWCOMERS
Ashley Bridenbeck, Fr., Lake Oswego, Ore. - 100 12.1, 200 25.56
Heather Fitz-Gustafson, Fr., The Dalles, Ore. - 800 2:18, 1,500 4:39.43. 3,000 10:27.33
Mandi Fitz-Gustafson, RJr.-TR, The Dalles, Ore. - 800 2:16.9, 1,500 4:37.86, Steeple 10:51.81
Kasey Harwood, Fr., Polson, Mont. - 800 2:12, 300H 44.10, 400H 60.73
Britney Henry, Jr.-TR, Spokane, Wash. - HT 211-8, JT 119-0
Brittany Hinchcliffe, Jr.-TR, Olympia, Wash. - HT 200-3, DT 154-11
Lauryn Jordan, Jr.-TR, Stockton, Calif. - HJ 5-8 1/2, LJ 19-10, TJ 40-8 1/4, Hep 4,895
Katie Leary, Fr., Klamath Falls, Ore. - 1,500 4:36, 3,000 10:00.38
Emily Mathis, So.-TR, Henley, Ore. - 800 2:13.98, 1,500 4:44.31
Kalindra McFadden, Fr., Bozeman, Mont. - 200 25.00, 100H 14.64, HJ 5-4.5
Sarah Pearson, Fr., Eugene, Ore. - 800 2:15.4, 1,500 4:36.17, 3,000 9:56.92
Irie Searcy, RFr., Portland, Ore. - 100 12.6-h, 200 25.6-h, 400 57.8-h
Julie Schmidt-Scherer, Fr., Copenhagen, Denmark - 200 24.45, 400 54.97, LJ 18-5 1/4
DUCK MEN’S NEWCOMERS
Matt Adams, Jr.-TR, Chino Valley, Ariz. - JT 199-10, DT 156-1
Brian Bartow, Jr.-TR, Grants Pass, Ore. - Dec. 6,422, JT 209-0
Nick Dalton, Sr.-TR, Clevedon, New Zealand - 1,500 3:50, 3,000 8:30
Richard Del Rincon, Jr.-TR, LaMesa, Calif. - 100 10.40 / 10.23w (w:3.7), 200 20.87 / 20.57w, 400 47.92
Montrell Dunn, Jr., Las Vegas, Nevada - LJ 23-10, TJ 49-7, 49-10w
Cody Fleming, Jr.-TR, Sparks, Nevada - 6,741, HJ 6-7, DT 154-2
Rob Gillespie, Fr., Eugene, Ore. - 400 49.12, 800 1:54.20
Steve Green, RFr., Malta, Mont. - TJ 46-0-ind, 45-7-hs
Michael Hill, Jr.-TR, Bend, Ore. - HT 169-1
Lars Mueller Laursen, Jr.-TR, Copenhagen, Denmark - JT 233-6
Galen Rupp, Fr., Portland, Ore. - 1,500 3:45.3, Mile 4:01.8, 3,000 8:03.57, 5,000 13:37.91, 10,000 29:09.56
Joel Sauvain, Fr.-HS, Canby, Ore. - 1,500 3:58, 3,000 8:44
Pat Swick, Fr., Las Vegas, Nevada - 800 1:59, 1,600 4:22, 3,200 9:22
Jacob Tolbert, RFr., San Jose, Calif. - LJ 22-10, TJ 45-9 1/4
Scott Wall, Fr., Portland, Ore. - 3,000 8:30.11
Patrick Werhane, RFr., Beaverton, Ore. - 1,500 4:08, 3,000 8:34.56, 5,000 14:54.24
Chris Winter, Fr., North Vancouver, B.C. - 1,500 3:53, 3,000 8:31.17, Steeple 8:54.94
J.K. Withers, Fr., Santa Rosa, Calif. - 800 1:53.21, 1,600 4:10.7, Mile 4:13.15, 3,000 8:36.17
Brian Wuethrich, Fr., North Bend, Ore. - JT 194-6 (HS), SP 56-3
TRACKWIRE NCAA CHAMPS PREDICTIONS
Available online since the 1997 season, the Trackwire 25 has established itself as the most widely respected and reported ranking of Division I collegiate track & field teams. During the collegiate track season, weekly updates are available via email, and free registration is available at www.trackwire.com.
The Trackwire 25 projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet, factoring in injury reports and other variables supported by information gathered from coaches and NCAA-qualfying competitions across the country. This projection is generated by scoring the Dandy Dozen, a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in each NCAA event.
The rankings are compiled by respected track & field statistician Gary Verigin
Men’s Top 25 Teams
1. Arkansas, 73
2. Florida, 60
3. Arizona, 44
4. LSU, 42
5. Stanford, 34
6. USC, 30
7. Arizona State, 29
8. Indiana, 28
9. Oregon, 24
10. Florida State, 22
11. Mississippi State, 21
12. Texas, 20
=13. Boise State, 18
=13. Michigan, 18
=15. Wisconsin, 17
=15. Auburn, 17
17. BYU, 16
18. Virginia Tech, 15
=19. UCLA, 14
=19. Dartmouth, 14
=19. North Carolina, 14
22. Georgia, 13
=23. Oklahoma, 12
=23. Baylor, 12
25. Texas Tech, 11
UO Men’s Individuals
5K - 11th, Eric Logson, UO
110 Hurdles - 2nd, Eric Mitchum, UO
4x400 Relay - 8th, UO
Pole Vault - 1st, Tommy Skipper, UO
Long Jump - 4th, Leonidas Watson, UO
Triple Jump - 9th, Leonidas Watson, UO
Women’s Top 25 Teams
1. Texas, 68
2. South Carolina, 49
3. Florida, 46
4. Tennessee, 45
5. UCLA, 43
=6. Nebraska, 34
=6. Stanford, 34
8. Miami, 28
9. USC, 25
10. Texas Southern, 20
11. BYU, 19
12. Arizona State, 18
=13. Auburn, 16
=13. Washington State, 16
=13. Alabama, 16
16. Georgia, 15
17. Kansas State, 14
=18. Georgia Tech, 13
=18. Cal Poly, 13
=18. Oklahoma State, 13
21. Arkansas, 12
=22. Wake Forest, 11
=22. Baylor, 11
=24. North Carolina, 10
=24. Colorado, 10
=24. SMU, 10
=24. Washington, 10
=24. Clemson, 10
=24. Air Force, 10
UO Women’s Individuals
JT - 3rd, Sarah Malone, UO
JT - 11th, Roslyn Lundeen, UO
STIRRING IT UP AT SAC: Mitchum Grabs NCAA Lead in 110 Hurdles.
WALNUT, Calif. (4/17/05) ? Junior Eric Mitchum wrapped up a busy weekend in California Sunday with his third straight appearance in the Mt. SAC Relays invitational 110 hurdles race. The Calumet City, Ill., native finished fourth overall (13.56, w:1.0) with his .16-second season best Sunday and the fourth-fastest wind-legal time of his career. The day before on Saturday at the Golden Bear Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., Mitchum also won the 110 hurdles in a time of 13.77 (w:0.7). Overall Sunday, former Washington State hurdler Domenique Arnold crossed the line first (13.35), ahead of fellow post-collegians Ron Bramlett (second, 13.40) and Micah Harris (third, 13.50). Mitchum leapfrogged to the top of the national list as returning NCAA champ Josh Walker ran a windy 13.57w in Gainesville, while the leaders the previous week were NCAA indoor 60 hurdle champ Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss (13.68) and Linnie Yarbrough of Middle Tennessee State (13.70). Mitchum’s Sunday race only trailed his faster times from the NCAA Championships (second-final, 13.38 (w:1.2); 13.54w-prelim (w:2.2)), Texas Relays (second, 13.50w, w:3.0) and Mt. SAC Relays (second, 13.53, w:2.0) in 2004.
Redshirt junior Elisa Crumley also double-dipped in California, and took ninth in the Mt. SAC Relays invitational javelin (142-8, 43.48m) in an event won by Denmark’s Christina Scherwin (191-8, 58.41m). The day before at Cal, she took fourth in the javelin (143-3). In the hammer Sunday, junior and redshirt Duck Britney Henry took sixth (211-8) and improved on her previous personal best (208-5) from the Western Oregon Throws Heptathlon, Wed, March 23 in Monmouth, Ore. Erin Gilreath of the New York Athletic Club won the event (226-0), trailed by Florida’s Candice Scott (second, 223-4). Eugene resident and Team XO member Cari Soong added fifth (216-1).
GOING BESERKLEY IN BERKELEY: Malone, Watson & 4x100 Take Aim at UO All-Time Lists.
BERKELEY, Calif. (4/16/05) ? In the Ducks’ first major road test of the outdoor season, several individuals notched top marks in the Golden Bear Invitational, Saturday at Edwards Stadium at the University of California. On the men’s side, the Duck men’s 4x100 of Richard Del Rincon, Matt Scherer, Kedar Inico and Jordan Kent won the race in the second-fastest time in school history (39.83) ? only .03 seconds off the record of 39.80 by Hosey, McClendon, Gray and Harris from 1991 (39.80). Kent returned to take second in the 200 (21.06), only .07 seconds off his personal best that won the 2003 West Regional (20.99). Kent’s time easily met the NCAA regional standard of 21.19, while the relay also earned an invite since they bettered the 40.66 mark. Other top sprint marks came from junior Richard Del Rincon (100, first, 10.54, w:1.4), senior Kedar Inico (200, third, regional qualifier 21.08, w:1.2), and juniors Matt Scherer (200, fifth, 21.52, w:1.2), Travis Anderson (400, fourth, 48.76), Eric Mitchum (110 hurdles, first, regional qualifier 13.77, w:0.7) and A.K. Ikwuakor (third, regional qualifier 14.10, w:0.7). In the triple jump, redshirt senior Leonidas Watson climbed three spots on the UO outdoor all-time list to fourth with his winning mark and personal best (52-9 1/2, w:0.4). Senior Paul Etter again topped the 190-foot line in the hammer (fourth, 192-4), and other solid men’s field event marks came from junior Jeff Lindsey (high jump, fourth, 6-8 3/4), sophomore Brandon Tower (shot put, seventh, 47-8 1/2; discus, seventh, 156-11) and the javelin duo of junior Matt Adams (eighth, 196-5) and freshman Brian Wuethrich (ninth, 194-9). On the women’s side, All-American and redshirt senior Sarah Malone was only 2 1/2 feet off her school record with her winning mark in the javelin (177-1). She was followed by All-America junior teammates Roslyn Lundeen (second, season best 158-9) and Elisa Crumley (fourth, 143-3). In other field event action, redshirt senior Bree Fuqua doubled up in the shot put (first, regional qualifier 51-9) and discus (third, 153-3), junior Lauryn Jordan added fourth in the long jump in an outdoor season best (19-3 1/2, w:-0.1) and sixth in the triple jump (39-4, w:0.0), redshirt junior Brittany Hinchcliffe won the hammer (regional qualifier 195-10) with her second-best mark of the year, redshirt senior Rachel Kriz-Wallace took third in the high jump (5-5), and senior Clarice Hayward-Lee placed fourth in the triple jump (39-10 3/4, w:1.7). Freshman 400 hurdler Kasey Harwood won (60.73) with a personal best and regional qualifier that moved her to eighth all-time for the Ducks, and senior teammate Kayla Mellott followed in second (61.57). In other sprint action, senior Sofie Abildtrup took third in the 200 (24.32, w:-0.4), freshman Julie Schmidt-Scherer and senior Michelle Donovan added fourth (56.65) and fifth (56.98) in the 400, and the 4x100 of Ashley Bridenbeck, Abildtrup, Donovan and Jordan placed third (46.83).
Oregon Invitational Women's Invitational Session Meet Records
100 - 11.62, Joyce Rainwater, Eastern Washington, 1994
200 - 23.65, Juan Ball, SC Cheetahs, 1999
400 - 53.55, Camara Jones, Unattached, 1994
800 - 2:03.45, Claudette Groenendaal, Oregon, 1986
1,500 - 4:13.22, Johanna Nilsson, Northern Arizona, 2003
3,000 - 9:03.32, Christine McMiken, Oklahoma State, 1986
Steeplechase - 10:05.90, Ida Nilsson, Northern Arizona, 2003
5,000 - 15:23.03, Kathy Hayes, Oregon, 1985
10,000 - 31:44.38, Annette Peters, Nike International, 1995
100 Hurdles - 13.56, Claudine Robinson, Washington, 1992
400 Hurdles - 55.35, Sandra Glover, Nike, 2000
400 Relay - 44.73, Florida State (Finn, Payne, Cliette, Givens), 1984
Sprint Medley - 1:41.46, Florida State (Finn, Cliette, Givens, Payne), 1984
1,600 Relay - 3:41.44, Athletics West (Brown, Addison, Arbogast, Emerson), 1984
2-Mile Relay - 8:23.56, Athletics West (Arbogast, Addison, Haworth, Decker), 1984
Distance Medley - 12:23.2, Wash. (Williams, Ichikawa, Lindgren, Bolender), 1985
4-Mile Relay - 18:39.58, Oregon (Bushnell, Warren, Hayes, Groenendaal), 1985
High Jump - 6-2.75, Vicki Borsheim, Westwood TC, 1990
Pole Vault - 14-5.5, Becky Holliday, New Balance, 2004
Long Jump - 21-1.5, Ringa Ropo, Finland, 1992
Triple Jump - 42-4, Sara Jessie, Oregon, 1995
Shot Put - 57-3.5, Meg Ritchie, Team Adidas, 1984
Discus - 213-4, Meg Ritchie, Team Adidas, 1984
Javelin - 174-5, Sarah Malone, Oregon, 2004
Hammer - 200-3, Brittany Hinchcliffe, Unattached, 2004
Heptathlon - 5,768, Kelly Blair, Oregon, 1994
Oregon Invitational Women's Day Session Running Event Meet Records
100 - 12.12, Vanessa Monar, Saskatoon TC, 1992
200 - 24.6, Tracy Griffin, Washington, 1992
200 - 24.63, Liza Conteh, Northern Arizona, 2004
400 - 56.49, Kellie Gamby, Washington, 1988
800 - 2:08.43, Francie Faure, Oregon, 1986
800 - Sarah Bolender, Washington, 1986
1,500 - 4:27.69, Jamie Haertel, Utah, 2004
3,000 - 9:19.23, Annette Hand, Montana State, 1985
5,000 - 16:44.09, Lauri Sax, Mountain West TC, 1990
100 Hurdles - 13.60, Cindy Greiner, Athletics West, 1985
400 Hurdles - 61.04, Julie Hilsenteger, Oregon, 1984
400 Relay - 47.11, Simon Fraser, 1992
Sprint Medley - 1:49.95, Simon Fraser, 1984
1,600 Relay - 3:51.73, Idaho State, 1990
2-Mile Relay - 9:19.87, Lane CC, 1984
Oregon Invitational Men's Invitational Session Meet Records
100 - 10.27, Pat Johnson, Oregon, 1995
200 - 20.46, Pat Johnson, Oregon, 1995
400 - 45.63, Cory Nelson, Boise State, 1999
800 - 1:46.84, Jose Barbosa, Lane CC, 1986
1,500 - 3:40.76, Dub Myers, Oregon, 1986
Mile - 4:02.26, Mike Miller, Army, 2002
Steeplechase - 8:24.72, Farley Gerber, Weber State, 1984
5,000 - 13:42.44, Chris Solinsky, Wisconsin, 2004
10,000 - 28:11.72, Paul McCloy, Memorial TC, 1984
110H - 13.68, Rod Jett, Goldwin TC, 1992
400H - 50.44, Brett Guymon, Utah State, 2001
400 Relay - 40.39, Oregon (Gray, Wilson,Russell, Weigeldt), 1989
1,600 Relay - 3:10.09, Oregon (Anderson, Scherer, Lorenzo, Holliday), 2003
Sprint Medley - 3:24.61, Accusplit TC (Henley, Cowling, Whitlock, Fricker), 1984
2-Mile Relay - 7:26.13, Athletics West (Tufariello, Redwine, Aragon, Wilson), 1984
Dist. Medley - 9:47.23, Athletics West (Mangan, Hanlon, Smith, Jensen), 1984
4-Mile Relay - 16:08.54, Athletics West (Aldridge, Padilla, Smith, Aragon), 1984
High Jump - 7-6.5, Rick Noji, Unattached, 1989
Pole Vault - 18-8.25, Tim Bright, Athletics West, 1989
Long Jump - 25-9.5, Latin Berry, Oregon, 1989
Triple Jump - 53-11.75, Joseph Taiwo, Unat., 1986
Shot Put - 62-0.25, Jarred Rhome, Boise State, 2000
Discus - 210-5, Doug Reynolds, Unattached, 2000
Hammer - 260-10, Lance Deal, New York AC, 1993
Javelin - 261-0, Brian Crouser, Unat., 1989
Decathlon - 8,059, Sheldon Blockburger, Unat., 1989
Oregon Invitational Men's Day Session Running Event Meet Records
100 - 10.62, Bill Ayears, Club Ballard, 1992
200 - 20.9, Cyprian Enweani, Saskatoon TC, 1992
400 - 47.63, Takahiro Watanabe, Japan, 1991
800 - 1:49.5, Dwight Wheaton, Washington, 1992
1,500 - 3:47.01, Colin Mathieson, Idaho State, 1992
Steeplechase - 8:57.38, Brandon Fuller, Eastern Washington, 2004
5,000 - 14:13.80, Andy Kore, S.W. Oregon CC, 1985
110H - 13.94, Dan O’Brien, Foot Locker TC, 1995
400 Hurdles - 52.24, Dustin Ainsworth, Idaho, 1992
400 Relay - 40.79, Sacramento City College, 1996
1,600 Relay - 3:15.25y, Washington, 1984
Sprint Medley - 3:31.88, Lane CC, 1984
2-Mile Relay - 7:29.92, Oregon State, 1984
2004 OREGON INVITE REWIND: Malone and Logsdon Lead Duck M&W.
EUGENE (4/22-24/04) ? Last year, the Duck track and field teams took advantage of another beautiful spring day to net 10 wins (6 M, 4 W) against a smattering of the West Coast’s top talent in the Oregon Invitational’s Saturday day and twilight sessions at Hayward Field. The Duck women posted four wins ? three of which came from the throws ? and seven regional and 11 Pac-10 qualifying marks (including one new regional qualifier and two new conference qualifiers). All-American national collegiate javelin leader Sarah Malone posted her third contest past 174 feet in four appearances in the early season en route to the win (174-5). The Newberg, Ore., native entered the meet ranked third in the USA and 26th in the world on the 2004 season best list with her school record from early April’s Texas Relays (179-7). First-year Duck Bree Fuqua upped her UO best in the discus by three feet, four inches in her win (164-1) and was just shy of her personal best for the Wisconsin Badgers (165-7). Junior and redshirt Duck Brittany Hinchcliffe again competed unattached since she transferred last summer from Washington State, and pushed her hammer personal best and would-be school record up another three feet (first, 200-3). Another pair of first-year hammer transfers ? Maegan Kriz and Katie Kersh ? also improved more than a foot on their bests to climb to third and sixth all-time for the Ducks, respectively, with marks of 184-1 (fourth) and 174-11 (sixth). Kersh’s mark was her first regional qualifier of the season after she eclipsed the 173-3 standard. On the oval Saturday morning, Haripurkh Khalsa logged the Ducks’ other victory, thanks to her 12-second personal best in the 5,000 ? also the first Pac-10 track qualifier of her career. The Los Angeles native led part of the race’s middle portions when the lead slowed, before she kicked back ahead late to the victory (17:25.33). Her clocking met the Pac-10 standard of 17:30.14, and drew her closer to the regional standard of 16:56.43. On the men’s side, the Ducks continued to pick up momentum three weeks before the Pac-10 Championships and sported six event wins, 13 regional qualifying marks (including four new qualifiers) and 19 Pac-10 qualifying marks (including 1 new qualifier). Overall, the Men of Oregon’s wins were evenly divided between the sprints (2), hurdles (1), middle distances (1) and jumps (2). NCAA vet Matt Scherer won his 2004 outdoor opener in the 400 (47.11) for Pac-10 and regional invites, ahead of Highline’s Melvin Jenkins (second, 47.28). In the 200, Kedar Inico lowered his season best by .27 seconds (third, 21.20w w:2.9) and missed the regional mark by .01 seconds (21.19). Freshman sprinter and football player Ryan Gilliam lowered his overall 100 best by .08 seconds (third, 10.64w, w:2.9) for his second Pac-10 qualifier in as many weeks, and edged closer to the regional mark of 10.50. In the morning session, Travis Ramme won the 100 (10.99w, w:2.4), then sped to a .51-second season best in the 200 (ninth, 22.19w, w:2.5). In the hurdles, Eric Mitchum claimed his second 400-hurdle win in Hayward Field in three weeks (first, 52.30). A.K. Ikwaukor finished narrowly behind in second thanks to a.38-second season best and Pac-10 qualifier (52.55) that was .04 seconds shy of the regional standard (52.51), with Duck senior Brandon Holliday not far behind in third (53.37). In the middle distances, Mike McGrath dipped under the Pac-10 standard in the 800 (first, 1:51.42) and held off Weber State’s Brad Osguthorp at the line (second, 1:51.47). In other distance action, Kyle Alcorn reeled off an auspicious steeplechase debut (ninth, 9:05.96) and cleared the regional (9:08.15) and Pac-10 (9:09.14) standards in the morning section. All-American Eric Logsdon capped the evening with arguably the Ducks’ top mark of the day as he chopped another four seconds of his 5,000 personal best (seventh, 13:48.12) that only eight collegians had bested previously in 2004. Logsdon’s mark moved him closer towards Oregon’s hallowed all-time 5,000 list with Dave Taylor ranked 10th at 13:43.82. The Canby, Ore., native’s first sub-14:00 effort and prior personal best came in last year’s edition (13:52.62). Overall in Saturday’s evening finale, Wisconsin freshman Chris Solinsky bested the 5K field with a personal best and meet record (13:42.44) over Japanese entrant Tomohiro Seto (second, 13:42.96). Northern Arizona’s Henrik Ahnstrom whittled another two seconds off his best from last year’s race for third place (13:43.88), followed by the Badgers’ Simon Bairu (fourth, 13:45.50) and Tim Keller (fifth, 13:47.40). Two other collegians almost broke 14:00 ? Montana’s Antony Ford (ninth, 14:01.05) and Wisconsin’s Tim Nelson (10th, 14:03.20) ? in a race held under perfect conditions (53 degrees, no wind, and clear sunset skies). In the field, UO high jumper Jeff Lindsey cleared 7 feet for the second straight meet outdoors with his winning leap (7-0 1/2) ? second only to his 7-1 3/4 winning height two weeks before in the Pepsi Team Invite in Eugene. Teammate Teddy Davis tied his then-outdoor season best (fifth, 6-10 3/4). Senior and All-America pole vaulter Trevor Woods improved his overall 2004 outdoor best to 17-1 and took second behind Matt Phillips of the Willamette Striders (first, 17-9). Fellow Oregon Coast native and North Bend product, Jon Derby improved his overall best by 2 1/2 inches to 16-9 1/4 and added third place. All-America junior and first-year Duck Leonidas Watson notched his second-best outdoor triple jump mark of 2004 (first, 51-1 3/4w, w:2.7) and was just shy of his wind-legal best of 51-5 from late March. In other field event action, Paul Etter hiked his hammer season best by more than three feet (sixth, 199-0) and missed his pre-Duck best from 2003 for Clackamas CC (199-3) by only three inches. Brandon Tower popped an almost- four-foot season best in the hammer (145-2), and his discus mark (seventh, 156-10) was a half-foot shy of his then-season best (157-4). Oregon’s decathletes also showed well as Gabriel LeMay celebrated a seven-inch personal best in the pole vault (16-0 3/4) and tied Andy Young for second place, and Ryan Voge added another noticeable best in third place (14-7 1/4). The trio also ran on the ?B’ 4x400 relay that placed fifth in 3:18.50, and featured an anchor leg added by Inico. On Thursday and Friday, the Duck decathletes and heptathletes got a jump on the competition. Senior Abby Andrus made her season debut on the NCAA provisional qualifying list with her fourth-place score (5,060). The returning NCAA qualifier posted final day marks of 17-2 3/4 in the long jump (w:-0.1), 113-6 in the javelin and 2:22.03 in the 800. Her javelin toss was only five feet shy of her personal best (118-4), while her other second-day event bests from last year include 18-5 1/4 in the long jump and 2:14.42 in the 800. On the first day, she ranked fifth with 3,072 points, and posted first day marks of 14.15 in the 100 hurdles, 5-3 3/4 in the high jump, 34-7 in the shot put, and 26.07 in the 200. Her hurdle time ranked second in the hurdles, her high jump ranked fourth, and her shot put and 200 stood fifth. Her first-day tally (3,072) was only 46 points off her first day personal best (3,108) that came in the 2003 Pac-10 Championships where she ultimately finished third with her current personal best (5,303). Andrus easily bested the NCAA provisional mark of 5,000 points on Thursday and Friday, and fell shy of the NCAA automatic standard (5,500) by 440 points. Looking back over her 1 1/2-year Duck career, Andrus’s season debut score was her third-highest tally ever behind her 2003 Pac-10 Champs third-place score (5,303) and her then-best in last year’s Oregon Invite (5,152). Oregon’s fifth-ranked heptathlete all-time made her NCAA seven-event debut last year (18th, 5,019), and followed with an NCAA invite indoors in 2004 in the pentathlon (16th, 3075) after she ranked 11th during the regular season with a personal best of 3,908. In the men’s decathlon, former Duck NCAA champion Santiago Lorenzo won by 166 points (7,551) over unattached entrant Andrew Levin (second, 7,385), while UO freshman and unattached entrant Ben Looney took sixth with 456-point personal best (6,470). The Coos Bay native compiled second day scores of 15.56 in the 110 hurdles (sixth overall, w:1.2), 100-6 in the discus (10th), eighth in the pole vault (13-1 1/2), 142-5 in the javelin (10th) and 4:37.39 in the 1,500 (second). On the first day, he stood sixth with 3,404 points thanks to the following marks and places in the 100 (ninth, 11.46, w:0.7), long jump (eighth, 21-7 1/4, w:2.7), shot put (10th, 35-8 1/2), high jump (eighth, 6-0) and 400 (seventh, 51.77). Overall, his score qualified him for a return trip to the U.S. Junior Championships in Buffalo, NY at the end of June since he cleared the 5,950-point standard. In 2003, he led the prep national list for decathlon marks with international implements (6,014), and ended the season with a ninth-place finish (5,972) in the U.S. Junior Champs in Stanford.
COACHING UPDATE: Gray Assumes Interim Director Title.
Outdoors in 2005, the Ducks are under the temporary direction of associate athletic director Gary Gray, who stepped into the role of interim director of track and field after the resignation of former coach Martin Smith on Fri., March 18. Gray serves as the department’s compliance director and also held prior titles of assistant athletic director and director of student services since he joined the staff in 1984. The State Center, Iowa native already oversaw the program as part of his administrative duties, and serves in the same capacity for the cross country and wrestling teams.
TYSON ON BOARD: Former Duck Tabbed Interim Men’s Distance Coach.
After the departure of former head coach Martin Smith, former Duck Pat Tyson joined the team in late March as a men’s volunteer distance coach for the spring season. As a student-athlete, the former walk-on was a two-time NCAA competitor for the Ducks in cross country (33rd in 1971, 54th in ?72) as the squad placed first and third, respectively, those seasons for former coach Bill Dellinger. On the track, Tyson ended his collegiate career in ?73 with top-six rankings for the Ducks in the 3-mile (sixth, 13:37.0) and 6-mile (fourth, 28:34.0). After graduation, he quickly began a 31-year prep coaching career that included a pair of initial stops in Seattle. However, he is best known as the men’s distance mentor at Mead High School in Spokane, Wash, and guided the Panthers to 26 combined individual titles (track and cross country) and 12 state cross country team titles since his arrival in 1986. His harrier teams have ranked top-five nationally seven seasons, and last fall his squad took third in the inaugural Nike Team Nationals in Portland. His seven Footlocker National Championships qualifiers rank third-most of any boy’s program nationally, and include a pair of Mead alum ? Matthew and Micah Davis ? that combined for five All-America honors in track and cross country for UO.
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. Looking ahead, the fabled facility will host the 2005 West Regional Championships (5/27-28/05) and 2006 Pacific-10 Conference Championships.
2005 NCAA INDOOR M RECAP: Ducks Claim Sixth with Eight All-Americans.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (3/11-12/05) ? In the 41st edition of the NCAA Indoor Men’s Track and Field Championships, the University of Oregon men’s team posted a best-ever sixth-place finish and 29 points, thanks to six top-eight efforts in the Randal Tyson Track Center. Individually, the Duck men claimed eight All-America honors among their nine entries, including their first-ever NCAA indoor crown courtesy of sophomore Tommy Skipper (pole vault, 18-4 1/2). Other men’s All-Americans included senior Leonidas Watson (long jump, fourth, 25-11), junior Eric Mitchum (60 hurdles, fourth, 7.73), the men’s 4x400 relay (fifth, 3:05.26), seniors Kedar Inico (400, sixth, 46.62) and Eric Logsdon (3,000, seventh, 8:04.27), and juniors Matt Scherer (400, ninth, 47.15) and Ryan Voge (heptathlon, 10th, 5,209). The only Duck not to place top-10 was redshirt junior pole vaulter Jon Derby who no-heighted. Their sixth-place team finish was the third top-20 NCAA indoor effort in three years as Oregon took ninth in 2002 and 18th in 2004 with 15 and 13 points, respectively. The Ducks also paced the Pacific-10 Conference in the team results, and were followed by Arizona (10th, 20 points), Arizona State and Stanford (13th-tie, 15 points), USC (22nd, 10), UCLA (25th, 9) and Washington (28th, 7), while California and Washington State did not score. The UO men also led the league in NCAA indoor qualifiers (9), ahead of Arizona State (7), Stanford (5), Arizona (4 entries, 3 athletes), UCLA (3), Washington (2), Washington State (2), California (1) and USC (1). Looking ahead to 2006, the Duck men graduate only three scorers and nine points from 2005’s NCAA indoor meet. Overall in the team race, meet host and favorite Arkansas tallied 56 points to edge Florida (second, 46), Wisconsin (third, 43) and Auburn (fourth, 37).
2005 NCAA INDOOR W RECAP: Harmon Debuts on NCAA Indoor Oval.
Oregon’s lone women’s NCAA indoor representative, redshirt senior Laura Harmon placed 15th in the 16-woman 5,000 meters (17:24.21) in her third race of the season at the distance. The Vancouver, Wash., native matched her pre-meet seed the first day which was based on her season best and NCAA provisional mark of 16:18.56 which she ran in mid-February in the Husky Classic in Seattle. Harmon also bettered the NCAA provisional mark of 16:45.00 in the UW Invitational at January’s end (16:29.17). Harmon followed the lead of teammate Magdalena Sandoval who made UO’s first-ever NCAA women’s indoor 5,000 appearance in 2004, and NCAA automatic qualifier with her school record (16:04.40) and a contender for All-America honors until the final kilometer when she faded from seventh to 17th because of a pre-race injury. In the 23rd edition of the NCAA women’s team race, Tennessee won its first NCAA crown with 46 points and became the seventh different school to win the indoor team title. Florida followed in second place (36), ahead of Miami (third, 32), Nebraska (fourth, 29) and South Carolina (fifth, 28).
ALL-AMERICA EQUATION: Breaking down the NCAA Honor.
Based on their NCAA Championships performances, individuals are awarded All-America honors 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.
THE ROAD TO SACTO: Explaining the Outdoor Regional System.
In contrast to the indoor season where athletes qualify based on season bests that meet NCAA automatic and provisional qualifying standards, the outdoor season relies on a head-to-head regional system that features four, two-day regionals, drawn in a vertical fashion geographically. This year, Eugene is one of four sites that will host a regional Fri.-Sat., May 27-28, and regional qualifying standards are based on the 100th best performance nationally from 2004 (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 individual regional event and top three relay placers automatically advance to the NCAA Championships, nearly two weeks later (June 8-11 in Sacramento, Calif.). Besides the automatic advancers from each regional, an additional 6-8 athletes nationally per event are 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 placed top eight in the regional. Coaches hope that the easier regional qualifying standards (compared to previous national automatic/provisional standards) enable 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. The switch to the regional method was made prior to the 2003 season, the same year the championships field sizes were increased approximately 40 percent. Most individual events were previously 18-21 deep with relays inviting 11-12 entries, and grew 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.
PICKS OF THE PAC-10: Skipper & Abildtrup Claimed Weekly Honors in 2004.
Freshman Tommy Skipper became the second Duck to be named track and field athlete of the week by the Pacific-10 Conference in the fifth and final edition of the award in 2004 (5/10). The then-freshman from Sandy, Ore., won the conference decathlon title in his collegiate event debut with an NCAA automatic score (7,589) that was 89 points above the NCAA automatic standard, and 105 points better than runner-up Arizona State senior Joshua Kinnaman (second, 7,484). Skipper gave Oregon its fourth straight Pac-10 decathlon title and 11th overall including Pac-8 history dating back to 1965. Among final day marks, he led the pole vault marks by almost a full foot with his clearance of 17-4 1/2, was also 18 feet better than the field in the javelin, and also topped the field the first day in the 100 (10.69) and shot put (44-6 3/4). In the award’s opening edition on April 12, 2004, UO junior Sofie Abildtrup claimed similar honors for the women’s track category. The Saturday before (4/10/04), she helped Oregon to team wins over Colorado, Minnesota and Washington in the Pepsi Team Invite and claimed individual blue ribbons in the 200 (23.94) and 400 (54.49), and also ran a 54.40-second split on the victorious 4x400 relay. Looking back to 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). Among current Ducks tabbed in 2003, 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). Another current Duck, Sarah Malone, won an honor in early May 2001 for her javelin school record and Oregon Twilight win (174-0).
2004 OLYMPIC TRIALS REVIEW: Malone Takes Second in Javelin.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (7/9-18/04) ? In the 2004 U.S. finale last July at Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium, Sarah Malone claimed UO’s highest placing of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials. The Newberg, Ore., native Malone took second in the 12-woman javelin final (Sun., 7/12) with a daily best of 177-11 (54.22m) on her final throw, and was edged only by American record holder and Nike entrant Kim Kreiner (first, 182-7). Her top-three Olympic Trials finish was the first step towards qualifying for the U.S. team for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece (8/20-29). However, she fell short in subsequent attempts to meet the Olympic ?A’ qualifying standard of 198-5 (60.50 meters) by August 8. At the end of the season, she ranked sixth in the U.S. and 95th in the world with her Texas Relays school record (179-7) from April. Malone made her second Olympic Trials trip after she competed as a prep for Newberg High School in Sacramento in 2000 (eighth-flight, 156-11, 47.84m) ? the same year she ranked third among preps and 38th in the U.S. (Prep implement 172-0). On the men’s side, Eric Mitchum placed seventh in the first of two 110-hurdles semifinals and ranked 14th among the 16 finishers with his clocking of 13.53 (w:0.6) ? his second fastest-ever wind-legal time and third best overall (13.38-NCAA, 13.50w-Texas Relays). Former Duck Micah Harris also competed in the same race on the meet’s final day and ranked eighth in the section and 15th overall among the two races (13.55). Among collegians, Mitchum ranked third in the semifinal results behind Ohio State’s Joel Brown (ninth, 13.39, w:1.6) and Ole Miss’s Antwon Hicks (11th, 13.45, w:0.6). Mitchum ran two rounds the day prior on Saturday (7/17), and clocked times of 13.67 in both the prelims (third-fourth heat, ninth overall, w:-0.8) and quarterfinals (fourth-third heat, 14th overall, w:-1.1). Going into the meet, Mitchum tied for 11th with Harris on the 2004 U.S. season best list in the 110 hurdles with his NCAA runner-up time and school record from mid-June in Austin, Texas (13.38, w:1.2). Looking back over ?04, Mitchum ran 15 sub-14.00 clockings in 16 races overall, including 10 efforts that were faster than his preseason best of 13.73 that ranked him second in school history heading into ?04 behind former UO record holder Harris (13.67, 2002). On the opening event of the opening day of the meet, freshman Tommy Skipper just missed advancing to the pole vault final (Fri., 7/9). The Sandy, Ore., native needed three attempts to clear the opening height of 17-8 1/2, then missed his three tries at 18-0 1/2. The event’s youngest competitor, Skipper tied for 14th overall, and if he would have cleared 17-8 1/2 on one of his first two tries he would have qualified for the 12-man final. The prelims marks were all noticeably hampered by a steady to strong crosswind from right-to-left that caused havoc to many approaches in the short, one-minute window for each attempt. One victim was American record holder Jeff Hartwig who no-heighted at his opening bars at 18-0 1/2. Skipper entered the meet ranked 10th in the U.S. on the 2004 best list that included seven Americans that had cleared 19 feet indoors and outdoors.
TEAM QUICK FACTS
Interim Head Coach/Administrator: Gary Gray, Associate AD
Returning Men's All-Americans (10): Brett Holts-7th in steeple-’04, 43rd in XC-02; Kedar Inico-6th indoors in 400-05; Eric Logsdon-7th indoors in 3K-05, 7th outdoors in 5K-04, 8th outdoors in 5K-03, 29th in XC-03, 41st in XC-02; Eric Mitchum-2nd outdoors in 110H in ?04, 4th indoors in 60H-05, 6th indoors in 60H-04; Matt Scherer-9th indoors in 400-05; Tommy Skipper-1st indoors in PV-05, 1st outdoors in PV-04, 2nd indoors in PV-04; Ryan Voge-10th indoors in hep-05; Leonidas Watson-4th indoors in LJ-05, 9th indoors in LJ-04; 4x400 Relay (Travis Anderson, Inico, A.K. Ikwuakor, Scherer), 5th indoors in ?05, (Anderson, Holliday (graduated), Inico, Scherer), 5th outdoors in ?04.
Returning Women's All-Americans (3): Elisa Crumley-12th in Jav-02, 13th in ?03; Laura Harmon-31st in XC-04; Roslyn Lundeen-7th in Jav-02; 8th in Jav-03; Sarah Malone-7th in Jav-01, 3rd in Jav-04.
Women's Track & Field Historical Info
NCAA Team Champions: 1 (1985)
NCAA/AIAW Individual Champions: 15 (TF)
All-Americans: 109 (TF), 32 (XC)
Pacific-10 Team Champions: 2 (TF), 7 (XC)
NorPac Team Champions: 4 (TF), 4 (XC)
Pac-10 Individual Champs: 36 (TF), 6 (XC)
NorPac Individual Champs 19 (TF), 2 (XC)
First Year: 1972
2004 Women’s Season Recap
NCAA Outdoor Champs: 34th (6 points)
NCAA Indoor Champs: DNS
West Regional: 9th (29 points)
Pac-10 Championships: 7th (59 points)
Dual Record: 3-0
Men's Historical Info
NCAA Team Champions: 5 (1962-64-65-70-84)
NCAA Individual Champions: 49 (TF), 4 (XC)
All-Americans: 276 (TF), 54 (XC)
Pacific-8/10 Team Champs: 8 (TF), 13 (XC)
Pacific-8/10 Individual Champs: 113 (TF), 9 (XC)
First Year: 1896
2004 Men’s Season Recap
NCAA Outdoor Champs: 9th (26 points)
NCAA Indoor Champs: 18th (13 points)
West Regional: 4th (63 points)
Pac-10 Champs: 2nd (126 points)
Dual Record: 3-0
ONLINE TRACK RESOURCES
UO Athletics: www.GoDucks.com
Pacific-10 Conference: www.pac-10.org
NCAA Championships: www.ncaasports.com
NCAA Championships Outdoor Host: www.HornetSports.com
NCAA: www.ncaa.org
College Track Results: www.TrackShark.com
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.org
Prefontaine Classic: www.preclassic.com
World Championships: www.helsinki2005.fi
World Rankings: www.tilastopaja.net
Runner’s World: www.runnersworld.com
Trackwire: www.trackwire.com
T&F News: www.trackandfieldnews.com
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