Track & Field Teams Showcase Sprinters, Jumpers & Throwers in Boise
EUGENE, Ore. ? In their second stop of the indoor track and field season, the University of Oregon men’s and women’s teams will travel to Boise State University’s United Heritage Invitational, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4 at Jacksons Track in nearby Nampa, Idaho.
The Duck jumps group will make their season debuts, while the throws and sprints units will compete for the second straight weekend. A majority of the squad opened their season in the University of Washington Indoor Invitational in Seattle, last Fri-Sat., Jan. 27-28, while several pole vaulters competed in the Pole Vault Summit in Reno last weekend.
Junior pole vaulter Tommy Skipper will return to the friendly confines of Jacksons Track ? the site of two of UO’s three highest indoor marks ever ? his school record in the same meet in 2004 (18-8 3/4, 5.71m) and the Athletes.com Invitational in 2005 (18-6 1/2, 5.60m). The defending NCAA indoor champion competed last weekend in the Pole Vault Summit against an all-star field, and cleared his opening height of 17-8 1/2 but missed his three ensuing tries at 18-0 1/2 (5.50m). In his season opener in Seattle in the UW Indoor Preview, Sat., Jan. 14, he took fourth (17-4 1/2, 5.30m) with an NCAA provisional mark, while his Pole Vault Summit appearance was in an ?exhibition’ event and not valid for NCAA qualifying.
Among other members of the +20-athlete travel party this weekend, 2005 NCAA outdoor and indoor pole vault qualifier Jonathan Derby cleared his second-highest height in the Pole Vault Summit last weekend (17-0 3/4). Fellow NCAA veteran and junior Emily Enders enjoyed a 6-inch best in Reno herself (12-11 1/2) that moved her to fifth all-time for UO behind four NCAA indoor qualifiers.
Looking forward to her season opener, senior multi-eventer Lauryn Jordan is the school’s indoor long jump record holder (19-11 1/2), and also ranks top-five indoors in the pentathlon (second, 3,894) and high jump (fourth, 5-8). Outdoors for UO, she stands top-10 all-time in the heptathlon (fifth, 5,367), high jump (fifth, 5-10), long jump (10th, 19-9) and triple jump (fourth, 40-11 1/2), and also scored top-eight Pac-10 finishes in all four events in her Pac-10 meet debut in ?05.
She will be joined this weekend by freshman multi-eventer Kalindra McFadden who moved to third all-time for UO in the pentathlon with her NCAA provisional score from Seattle (3,850 points) ? 150 points better than the provisional standard (3,700).
Several other Ducks climbed UO all-time indoor lists last week and included:
Michael McGrath, RSo. - 800 meters (fifth, 1:51.61), mile (second, 4:03.53)
Galen Rupp, Fr. - 5,000 meters (fifth, 14:17.24
Rebekah Noble, Fr. ? 800 meters (first, 2:04.72)
Britney Henry, RJr. ? Weight Throw (first, 60-10.75)
Distance Medley Relay ? Dana Buchanan, Sara Schaaf, Rebekah Noble, Amber McGown (first, 11:22.81)
(*Note: Click the link above to the right in the ARTICLE LINKS box for an updated list of UO all-time indoor lists.)
The men’s and women's sprint crew will return for duty, including several who will gravitate towards their natural events. Senior Richard Del Rincon will make his season debuts in the 60 and 200 meters ? events he ranks second (6.73) and fourth (21.53), respectively, for the Ducks all-time based on his 2005 season bests.
Oregon’s much-hyped hurdle trio will take their second turn on the track. Last weekend in Seattle, two-time All-American and senior Eric Mitchum broke the track record with his winning time (7.78) ? a clocking that was only .09 seconds off his school record from the 2004 NCAA prelims (7.69), and a mark only two collegians had bettered in '06 before last weekend.
Also in Seattle, senior Akobundu (AK) Ikwuakor took third in the 60 hurdles (8.04), and was only .01 seconds off his personal best (8.03) that ranks fourth all-time for UO. Freshman and prep outdoor All-American Jared Huske ran 8.29 in the prelims ? a mark that was only .14 seconds from the UO all-time indoor top-five list (fifth is Jacob Galick, 8.17, 2001).
In the throws last weekend, redshirt junior Britney Henry broke the weight throw school record twice, including a daily best of 60-10 3/4. Former record holder and senior Brittany Hinchcliffe followed in fourth place (57-9).
On the men’s side, redshirt junior Colin Veldman debuted for the Ducks in the shot put (55-0 1/4) and weight throw (58-2) - marks that were only 3/4 inches and 3 3/4 inches from UO’s fifth-ranked performers all-time in each event, respectively.
More meet information is located at Boise State University's www.BroncoSports.com website.
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