Track Teams Warm Up For Mt. SAC Relays
EUGENE - This weekend, the University of Oregon track and field teams will send a scaled-back crew of sprinters, jumpers and throwers to the 48th Annual Mt. SAC Relays in Los Angeles, Wednesday-Saturday, April 12-15.
Several UO multi-event athletes will also compete in the Mt. SAC Relays heptathlon and decathlon hosted at nearby Azusa Pacific University, Wednesday-Thursday, April 12-13.
The following week, the Ducks compete at home in a revamped Oregon Invitational that kicks off with a decathlon at noon on both Thu.-Fri., April 20-21. A Friday evening elite athlete distance carnival will welcome many of the nation’s top collegians and post-collegians, followed by a high performance session Saturday afternoon that runs from approximately 2:00-5:30 pm.
Last weekend, the Oregon women and men finished first and second in the 17th annual Pepsi Team Invitational, respectively, as Duck individuals combined for 13 wins (7M, 6W), 18 regional qualifying marks (7M, 11W), two women’s meet records and another women’s school record.
Freshman Rebekah Noble kicked to a meet record in the 800 meters (first, 2:03.11) and moved to fourth all-time for UO, while junior Dana Buchanan ran a meet and school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (first, 10:33.77).
Senior Eric Mitchum was tabbed the Pac-10 Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week Monday for his wins in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles (13.68W / 52.09), and also ran on 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays that finished first and second, respectively. Senior Matt Scherer made his outdoor season debut in the 400 meters (first, 46.06) and was only .36 seconds off his personal best from 2005 that ranks fourth all-time for UO (45.70).
THIS WEEKEND'S MEET INFORMATION
Meet: Mt. SAC Heptathlon/Decathlon
Location: Azusa Pacific University Stadium, Azusa, Calif.
Dates: Wednesday-Thursday, April 12-13
Wednesday First/Last UO Event: 11:15 am (Hep 100m Hurdles) / 7 pm (Dec. 400m)
Thursday First/Last UO Event: 12:30 pm (Dec 110m Hurdles) / 7:15 pm (Dec 1,500m)
Results Website: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/trackandfield
Tentative Oregon Entries
Heptathlon - Lauryn Jordan, Kalindra McFadden
Decathlon - Andy Young
Meet: Mt. SAC Relays
Host: Mt. San Antonio College
Location: Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, Calif.
Dates: Thursday-Saturday, April 13-15
Edition: 48th Annual
Results Website: http://relays.mtsac.edu or www.flashresults.com/flashwest
Tentative Oregon Entries
Thu. - Colin Veldman (Discus)
Fri. - Rachel Yurkovich (Javelin), Colin Veldman (Shot Put, Hammer)
Sat. - Matt Scherer (400), Eric Mitchum (110 Hurdles), Britney Henry (Hammer), Brittany Hinchcliffe (Hammer)
MIXING IT UP IN THE MULTIS: UO’s Talented Hep/Dec Crew Debuts Outdoors.
Redshirt senior Andrew Young will begin his quest for a third NCAA decathlon trip with his first appearance in the Mt. SAC Relays decathlon. The Newberg, Ore., native bettered his pre-meet seedings in his top-13 NCAA decathlon finishes in 2004 (13th, 7,302 points) and ’05 (11th, 7,049). The team co-captain is also a three-time top-five Pac-10 event finisher (second-’05, third-’04, fifth-’03), and his personal best (7,372) came from the second of those league battles. Senior heptathlete Lauryn Jordan was also an NCAA women’s qualifier for UO last season (14th, 5,367 points). Last May, she scored a then-best in the Pac-10 Championships heptathlon (fourth, 5,299), a week before she added top-eight finishes in the open high jump (second, 5-10), long jump (eighth, 19-9) and triple jump (fifth, 40-9 1/2). Her four, top-eight individual league finishes were the most by a Pac-10 athlete in ’05. Redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden will compete in her first heptathlon this weekend, and was a nine-time Montana state high school champion in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 100-meter hurdles, high jump and triple jump. Indoors in ’06, she was an NCAA provisional qualifier in the pentathlon and ranked 22nd nationally and second among freshmen with her UO school record (3,929). Both of UO’s heptathletes are under the charge of Olympian, former Duck and current assistant coach Kelly Blair LaBounty, a two-time Pac-10 champion and three-time All-American – including the NCAA champion and runner-up her junior and senior seasons in 1993 and ’94. Young is directed by assistant coach Dan Steele, a World Championships decathlete in 1999 (eighth, 8,130) after he took third in the USA Championships that season.
UO WOMEN’S WEEKEND OUTLOOK: Field Events Again Pace Charge in ‘06.
A trio of decorated throwers will represent the Duck women at Mt. SAC this weekend. Redshirt junior Britney Henry opened her Duck outdoor career in mid-March with a school hammer in the Oregon Preview (208-7) and ranks fourth nationally this outdoor season. She has also topped the 200-foot line in the Trojan Invitational (second, 208-4) and Pepsi Team Invitational (second, 200-11) the last two meets – all farther than senior teammate Brittany Hinchcliffe’s preseason school record (199-2). Last weekend at home in the Pepsi Team Invitational, the Olympia, Wash., native Hinchcliffe claimed a three-inch personal best (third, 200-6) that ranks her 11th nationally in 2006 and improved on her redshirt season personal best from ’04 (200-3). Last season Hinchcliffe was an NCAA finalist for Oregon (12th, 189-1), while Henry qualified for LSU in 2004, then transferred to UO and redshirted in ’05. Freshman Rachel Yurkovich is on the fast track for an NCAA invitation of her own. The returning U.S. junior and Pan-Am junior champion upped her best in her collegiate debut in the Oregon Preview (179-10) to move to second all-time for UO, and rewrote her former best of 176-5 from ’05 – a national high school record that came at Hayward Field last April. She ranks fourth nationally among collegians in '06, and since then has also topped 160 feet in the Trojan Invitational (first, 174-0) and Pepsi Team Invitational (first, 163-10).
UO MEN’S WEEKEND OUTLOOK: Mitchum Will Face All-Star Hurdles Field.
Senior Eric Mitchum will make his fourth trip to the Mt. SAC Relays and has run two of his fastest four regular season career-best times in the 110-meter hurdles in 2005 (13.53, w:2.0) and ’04 (13.56, w:1.0). He currently stands fourth nationally among collegians in 2006 with his season best (13.65, w:0.9) from the Trojan Invitational at the end of March at USC. Last weekend, the Calumet City, Ill., native claimed his first Pac-10 Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honor for his Pepsi Team Invitational wins in the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles (13.68W w:4.1, 52.09), and also ran legs on the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays that finished first and second, respectively – all within a three-hour window. Last month, he claimed his third All-America honor indoors in the 60-meter hurdles (third, 7.68), and is also a two-time outdoor All-American in the 110 hurdles, including the 2004 NCAA runner-up (school record 13.38). Senior Matt Scherer may receive an invitation to race the elite 400 meters section after an impressive outdoor sprint debut last weekend. The Sumner, Ill., native will likely jump into the collegiate top 10 this week in the 400 meters after his winning outdoor season debuts in the 200 and 400 last weekend at home (21.37/46.06). Last year he collected All-America 400 meters honors in the NCAA Championships outdoors (11th-semifinal, 45.70) and indoors (ninth, 47.15) and was a fourth-place finisher in the Pac-10 (46.11) and West Regional Championships (46.52). Career-wise, he has broken the 46.00-second barrier four times in his career – all in Pac-10, West Regional and NCAA action. His personal best from last year’s NCAA outdoor semifinal (45.70) ranks him fourth all-time for UO behind former world record holder Otis Davis (45.07, 1960), 2005 All-American Kedar Inico (45.22, 2005) and former Pac-10 champion Pat Johnson (45.38, 1995). Redshirt junior Colin Veldman has made an immediate impact for UO in the throws, and leads the team outdoors in ’06 with regional qualifying marks in the shot put (55-9 1/4), discus (180-8) and hammer (190-11). Last year, he ranked 33rd in the U.S. in the hammer (211-0) for Moorpark College in Los Angeles, and also threw outdoor bests of 58-10 and 184-6 in the shot put and discus last year.
2005 MT. SAC REWIND: Mitchum Grabbed NCAA Lead Last Season in 110 Hurdles.
WALNUT, Calif. (4/15-17/05) – Eric Mitchum wrapped up a busy weekend in California last year 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. His 2005 race trailed only his faster clockings from 2004 in the NCAA Championships (13.38-f, 13.54w-p), Texas Relays (13.50w) and Mt. SAC Relays (second, 13.53) and the 2005 NCAA Championships (13.53). The day before in the Golden Bear Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., Mitchum also won the 110 hurdles (13.77, w:0.7). In the Mt. SAC invitational hammer, then-redshirt Britney Henry took sixth (211-8) and improved on her previous personal best (208-5) from a month before. Elisa (Crumley) Reynoso also double-dipped in California, and took ninth in the Mt. SAC Relays invitational javelin (142-8, 43.48m) after she took fourth in the javelin the day before in Berkeley (143-3).
PEPSI WOMEN’S REVIEW: Duck Women and Men Take Second and First Last Weekend.
EUGENE – Last Saturday in front of the second-largest Pepsi Team Invitational crowd (5,004), the Oregon women won their 12th meet title by a four-point margin (203) over Penn State (second, 199), Washington (third, 152) and Boise State (fourth, 95). Individually, the Duck women combined for six wins, 11 regional qualifying marks, two meet records and another school record. Freshman Rebekah Noble kicked to a meet record in the 800 meters (first, 2:03.11) and broke the previous meet record set by Nebraska’s Lisa Graham in 1992 (2:06.24). Noble made her debut on the UO outdoor all-time list at fourth and improved upon her former personal best that won the 2005 USA Outdoor Junior Championships last June (2:03.73). Junior Dana Buchanan claimed a meet record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (first, 10:33.77) and also broke the UO record set by former All-American Carrie Zografos (10:42.02, 2002). Senior Lauryn Jordan also climbed the UO all-time charts in the long jump and triple jump and won both events with personal bests of 20-1 (w:1.3) and 41-4 1/2 (w:0.2), respectively, to move to sixth and second all-time for Oregon, and also met regional qualifying standards in both. Freshman javelin thrower Rachel Yurkovich notched her third straight win (163-10) and was one of three UO regional qualifiers in the event that included freshman Ashley McCrea (third, 146-9) and redshirt senior Roslyn Lundeen (fifth, season best 143-10). The hammer also notched two regional marks from redshirt junior Britney Henry (second, 200-11). Redshirt senior and NCAA veteran Brittany Hinchcliffe, who followed five inches behind (third, 200-6) and improved on her former personal best (200-3, 2004). Other regional qualifiers were claimed by redshirt senior Amanda Fitz-Gustafson (steeplechase, third, 10:45.68) and the 4x400-meter relay (second, regional qualifier 3:40.17) and freshman Lucy Cridland (discus, fourth, personal best 144-11).
PEPSI MEN’S REVIEW: Duck Men Nearly Win 11th Title.
EUGENE (4/8/06) – The ‘Men of Oregon‘ weathered bad luck in several events to still finish second last weekend in the Pepsi Team Invitational with 176 points - only two points behind Washington (first, 178) who won their first Pepsi men's team crown. Minnesota trailed close behind in third place (172 1/3), followed by Boise State (fourth, 84). Individually, UO claimed seven wins and seven regional qualifying marks. Senior Matt Scherer made his outdoor season debut in the 400 meters (first, 46.06) and was only .36 seconds off his personal best from 2006 (45.70) that ranks him fourth all-time for UO. The Sumner, Ill, native also won the 200 meters later in the day in a .15-second outdoor personal best (21.37, w:-1.9), and helped UO to a season best at meet’s end on the 4x400-meter relay (second, 3:11.31). Seniors Eric Mitchum and Akobundu Ikwuakor repeated their Pepsi Team Invitational finishes from last season in the 110-meter hurdles, and took first (13.68W, w:4.1) and second (14.07W, w:4.1) as the latter made his season event debut. Ikwuakor claimed a personal best nearly 20 minutes later in his 400 meters season debut (fifth, 48.60), and later ranked second on the team in the 200 meters (fourth, 22.14, w:-1.9). Mitchum returned to win the 400-meter hurdles with a regional qualifier (52.09) in his season debut and was only .82 seconds off his personal best (51.27) from 2004 that ranks him 10th all-time for UO. Redshirt freshman Christopher Winter won his first race in an Oregon uniform in the steeplechase (9:00.95) and ran a 3.79-second season best and regional qualifier, and pulled within six seconds of his personal best (8:54.94). Redshirt junior Colin Veldman led the ‘Men of Oregon’ in three throws events - the shot put (third, 177-8), discus (third, 177-8) and hammer (fifth, 183-1) and had regional qualifiers in the latter two events. Other men’s regional qualifiers came from the 4x100-meter relay (first, season best 40.33) and redshirt senior Jonathan Derby (pole vault, first, 16-6 3/4).
NEW BOWERMAN BOOK: Author Kenny Moore Unveiled First Copy at Pepsi Team Invite.
Hayward Field fans received a special bonus in the recent Pepsi Team Invitational as former UO distance runner and Olympian Kenny Moore unveiled his long-awaited book about famous Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman entitled “Bowerman and the Men of Oregon”. The Eugene native and North Eugene High School product personally delivered the first copy to Bowerman’s widow Barbara and her family at a special ceremony during the meet. Officially assigned a late April/early May release nationwide by Rodale Publishing, a link on the UO Bookstore ( www.uobookstore.com ) will include more information when it’s available on the UO campus. The UO alumni magazine – Oregon Quarterly ( www.oregonquarterly.com ) – recently ran an excerpt that’s still available online. The book will chronicle the legendary Duck mentor Bowerman who served as the UO men’s track and field head coach from 1949-1972. His men’s squads won four NCAA track and field team titles (1962-64-65-70) among their 16 top-10 NCAA finishes in his 24 years as head coach, to go along with 24 NCAA individual crowns He served as the U.S. Olympic head coach in 1972 and as an assistant coach in 1968. A founder of the famous athletic company Nike Inc. with another ex-UO distance runner Phil Knight, Bowerman introduced the idea of running shoes with waffle-iron-soles that are still popular today. Moore was one of Bowerman’s greatest distance runners and took fourth in the 1972 Olympic marathon (2:15.39.8) and ran the same Olympic event in 1968 (14th, 2:29.49.4). A Duck letterwinner from 1964-66, Moore was an All-American in the NCAA Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in ’64 (sixth, 9:02.8) and ’66 (sixth, 9:08.8).
2006 UO WOMEN’S OUTLOOK: Field Events Again Pace Charge in ‘06.
The field events again lead the Oregon women’s charge in 2006 with a pair of double All-Americans back in the javelin – redshirt seniors Elisa (Crumley) Reynoso (12th in ‘02, 13th in ‘03) and Roslyn Lundeen (seventh in ‘02, eighth in ‘03). The hammer throw sports a pair of NCAA veterans – redshirt senior Brittany Hinchcliffe (12th in ‘05) and redshirt junior Britney Henry (20‘04). Henry’s 2005 season and personal best (223-8) ranked fifth in the U.S. and 41st in the world. The pole vault sports another pair of NCAA veterans in redshirt senior Hannah Moore and junior Emily Enders who made NCAA trips indoors and outdoors in ‘04, respectively, and finished 13th (12-11 1/2) and 15th (12-9 1/2). At the Pac-10 level, Lundeen and Jordan are former Pac-10 runners-up in the javelin and high jump, and are among six Duck veterans that have scored previous top-eight Pac-10 placings. Several newcomers also expect to challenge for NCAA invitations. Freshman and Newberg, Ore., native Rachel Yurkovich broke the high school record in the javelin in 2005 (176-5), before she won USA Junior and Pan Junior titles in ‘05 (166-1 / 172-6) and also took fifth in the USA senior finale (170-3). Fellow javelin thrower and North Bend, Ore., native Ashley McCrea ranked second among preps in ‘05 (158-6), was a two-time state champion herself in the 3A ranks, and took fifth in the U.S. junior finale in ‘05 (146-11). Freshman Rebekah Noble was a USA junior and Pan-Am junior champion herself (2:03.73/2:04.07), and her season best (2:03.73) led the prep ranks in ‘05, ranked eighth on the all-time U.S. high school list and was the fastest time by a prep since 1982. Indoors in ‘06, Noble claimed NCAA runner-up honors in the 800 meters, and additional indoor All-America honors were claimed by Buchanan, McGown, redshirt senior Sara Schaaf, and sophomore Irie Searcy in the distance medley relay. Several other freshmen could challenge for NCAA invitations and include distance runners Katie Leary and Zoe Nelson, prep All-America hammer thrower Megan Maloney, and heptathlete Kalindra McFadden.
2006 DUCK MEN’S OUTLOOK: UO Flexes Depth Around the Track.
The UO men have claimed four straight top-two Pac-10 team finishes, including wins in 2003 and ‘05. In 2006, the ‘Men of Oregon’ finished a best-ever sixth place as a team indoors in the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and sported top-six finishes from senior Eric Mitchum (60 hurdles, third, 7.68), junior Tommy Skipper (pole vault, first, 18-6 1/2) and sophomore Galen Rupp (3,000, sixth, 8:07.85; 5,000, fifth, 13:56.41). Skipper also won NCAA titles indoors in ‘05 (18-4 1/2) and outdoors in ‘04 (18-8 1/4), and added a fourth top-two NCAA finish as a freshman indoors in ‘04 (second, 18-4 1/2). Mitchum is altogether a five-time All-American in previous NCAA finales outdoors in the 110-meter hurdles (second, 13.38, 2004; fourth, 13.53, 2005) and also indoors twice more in the 60 hurdles (sixth, 7.74, 2004; fourth, 7.73, 2005). Skipper and Mitchum are past Pac-10 and West Regional champions in the pole vault (2004) and 110-meter hurdles (2004, ‘05), respectively. Rupp also sped to an NCAA runner-up finish himself in 2005 in the 10,000 meters (28:23.75) and was a top-four placer in the Pac-10 5,000 and 10,000 meters (fourth/second) in 2005. The Duck sprint crew comes off a record-setting postseason run in 2005 that included school records in the NCAA outdoor finale in the 4x100-meter relay (sixth, 39.20) and 4x400-meter relay (third, 3:00.81), and the latter time would have won the NCAA finale every year prior since 1964 except four seasons. Other Ducks with NCAA experience include redshirt sophomore Patrick Werhane (cross country, 2005), redshirt junior Jordan Kent (200 meters, 2003), and seniors Matt Scherer (400 meters, 2003, ‘04, ‘05), Akobundu Ikwuakor (110-meter hurdles, 2004, ‘05; 400-meter hurdles ‘05), redshirt senior pole vaulter Jonathan Derby (pole vault outdoors and indoors in ‘05) and Andrew Young (decathlon, 2004, ‘05). Top newcomers include junior transfers Colin Veldman (shot put/discus/hammer) and Ryan Brandel (javelin), the distance pair of redshirt sophomore Michael McGrath (800 meters/1,500 meters) and redshirt freshman Christopher Winter (steeplechase), a host of freshman newcomers, including prep All-Americans Jared Huske (110-meter hurdles/400-meter hurdles) and Matthew Maloney (javelin), and Walter Thurmond III (110-meter hurdles), Mark Lewis (shot put), Alex Wolff (javelin) and Alexey Shkuratov (decathlon).
MEN’S NEWCOMERS: UO Sports Key Hurdles, Distances, Throws and Decathlon Additions
The men’s newcomer list welcomes back redshirt sophomore Michael McGrath who was an NCAA qualifier indoors in ’06 thanks to his first career sub-4:00 mile in early March (3:59.25). Also in the distances, redshirt freshman Christopher Winter is a two-time World Junior Championships qualifier in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and in cross country. Freshmen Matthew Maloney and Alex Wolff ranked first and fourth nationally in the prep javelin in ’05 and placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 2005 USA Junior Championships. Freshman Jared Huske ranked second among preps in the 110 hurdles in ’05 (13.71), while freshman cornerback Walter Thurmond III stood third on the squad indoors in the 60-meter hurdles (8.15) in ’06 behind a pair of NCAA outdoor high hurdles veterans. Redshirt junior Colin Veldman was an NCAA provisional qualifier in the shot put in ‘06 with his indoor school record (58-8 3/4), and freshman Alexey Shkuratov will contend for Pac-10 duty in the decathlon, 110 hurdles and long jump and owns bests of 14.53, 6,708 and 23-6, respectively.
TOP DUCK MEN’S NEWCOMERS
Michael McGrath, RSo., Portland, Ore. - 800 1:47.62, 1,500 3:42.44
Jeffrey Erb, RFr., Eugene, Ore. - 800 1:51.63
Andrew Perri, Fr., Oakridge, Calif. - 800 1:52.72, 1,500 3:58
Christopher Winter, RFr., N. Vancouver, B.C. - Steeplechase 8:54.94
Keegan Burnett, Jr.-TR, Sweet Home, Ore. - PV 16-5 1/4
Jared Huske, Fr., Topeka, Kan. - 110H 13.33w / 13.71 (#2 US ‘05), 300H 36.93 (#10 US ‘05), 400H 52.49 (#10 US ‘05)
Walter Thurmond III, Fr., West Covina, Calif. - 110H 14.29 (HS-14.16)
Colin Veldman, RJr.-TR, Fort Collins, Colo. - SP 58-10, DT 184-6, HT 211-0
Mark Lewis, RFr., Arroyo Grande, Calif. - SP 54-2 (indoors ‘06) (63-5 1/2-HS, #10 US ‘04)
Matthew Maloney, Fr., Barrington, R.I. - JT 231-5 (#1 HS ’05), HT (12 lb.) - 213-6
Alex Wolff, Fr., Newberg, Ore. - JT 213-5 (#4 HS ‘05)
Ryan Brandel, Jr.-TR, Milwaukie, Ore. - JT 212-0
Michael Hill, RJr., Bend, Ore. - HT 169-9
Brian Bartow, RJr., Grants Pass, Ore. - Dec. 6,772, JT 209-0
Alexey Shkuratov, RFr., Minsk, Belarus - Dec. 6,708, 110H 14.53
WOMEN’S NEWCOMERS: Throws and Middle Distances Ink Prep All-Americans.
A host of talented new faces will add ammunition in UO’s championship runs in ‘06. The Duck women’s newcomer class was ranked best in the nation by Track and Field News and featured a pair of national prep leaders and U.S. and Pan-Am junior champions – freshmen Rachel Yurkovich (javelin) and Rebekah Noble (800 meters). The distance corps has received immediate dividends from graduate student Amber McGown and junior Dana Buchanan who ran on its All-America indoor distance medley in ’06, while freshmen Zoe Nelson and Katie Leary were two of the team’s cross country runners in the fall. True freshman Megan Maloney ranked third nationally in the hammer among preps in ’05 (then-PR 169-10), and redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden was an NCAA provisional qualifier indoors in ’06 with her pentathlon school record (3,929).
TOP DUCK WOMEN’S NEWCOMERS
Leah Worthen, Fr., Coos Bay, Ore. - 100 12.2, 200 24.8, 400 55.9
Rebekah Noble, Fr., Spokane, Wash. - 400 53.3, 800 2:03.11 (HS-2:03.71-#1 HS ‘05)
Dana Buchanan, Jr.-TR, Beachburg, Ont. - 800 2:09.85, 1,500 4:23.88, Steeplechase 10:33.77
Amber McGown, RSr.-TR, Melfort, Sask. - 800 2:13.00, 1,500 4:21.30, Mile 4:41.48 (indoors)
Katie Leary, RFr., Klamath Falls, Ore. - 1,500 4:36.76, 3,000 10:00.38
Zoe Nelson, Fr., Kalispell, Mont., - 1,600 4:54.8, 3,000 9:43.4, 2-Mile 10:23.7 (#3 HS ’04), 5,000 16:50.60
Tara Rhein, Fr., Roseville, Calif. - PV 11-2
Britney Henry, RJr.-TR, Spokane, Wash. - HT 223-8
Megan Maloney, Fr., Barrington, R.I. - HT 174-2 (HS-169-10, #3 HS ’05)
Ashley McCrea, Fr., North Bend, Ore. - JT 158-6 (#2 HS ‘05)
Rachel Yurkovich, Fr., Newberg, Ore. - JT 179-10 (HS-176-5, #1HS ‘05)
Kalindra McFadden, RFr., Bozeman, Mont. - 100H 14.64/14.38W, 200 25.00
HAYWARD IS HAPPENING: More High-Caliber Meets On Tap in ‘06
Looking ahead to other home meets in ’06, a revamped Oregon Invitational on Friday-Saturday, April 21-22 features a Friday evening distance carnival with many of the nation’s top distance runners, and a Saturday afternoon elite section for the remaining events. The Oregon Twilight concludes the regular season Friday, May 5, immediately followed by the Pacific-10 Conference Championships Heptathlon and Decathlon, Saturday-Sunday, May 6-7. The following weekend, the Pac-10 Championships return to Eugene for the sixth time in school history, Saturday-Sunday, May 13-14. The Duck men will look to defend their 2005 team title, while the women are set to improve on their 68-point tally in 2005 – their highest since 1998. Hayward Field spectators should look for a host of Duck track and field alumni on hand the Pac-10 weekend as part of a special UO track and field alumni reunion. More meet information for several home meets is already posted or will be added soon to the SCHEDULE link on the www.GoDucks.com website.
2006 INDOOR WOMEN’S RECAP: Noble & DMR Go All-American Indoors.
In the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Arkansas (3/10-11), the Duck women claimed their third-highest ever NCAA indoor team finish (23rd-tie, 10 points), and both the M&W teams placed top-25 in the same season for the first time ever. All five of the women’s qualifiers claimed All-America honors and included freshman Rebekah Noble (800, second), and the distance medley relay (seventh) of graduate student Amber McGown, redshirt senior Sara Schaaf, junior Dana Buchanan and redshirt sophomore Irie Searcy. During the indoor regular season, Duck women scored five school records – senior Lauryn Jordan (60 hurdles, 8.73), the distance medley relay (11:16.05), redshirt senior Britney Hinchcliffe and redshirt junior Britney Henry (weight throw, 61-1 1/4) and redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden (pentathlon, 3,929)
2006 INDOOR MEN’S RECAP: Men Repeat Best-Ever Sixth in NCAA Finale.
The ‘Men of Oregon’ took sixth in March’s NCAA indoor team race with 23 points to match their all-time best finish from ’05, and also notched their third top-10 finish in five years after they also took ninth in 2002. Oregon welcomed All-America efforts from four of their five entries – junior Tommy Skipper (pole vault, first), senior Eric Mitchum (60 hurdles, third) and freshman Galen Rupp (3,000, sixth; 5,000, fifth). During the indoor regular season, four men’s indoor school records were broken or tied by Rupp (5,000, 13:48.51), Mitchum (60 hurdles, 7.67), Skipper (pole vault, 18-8.75-tied) and redshirt junior Colin Veldman (shot put, 58-8 3/4).
COACHING UPDATE: Lananna Quickly Makes Mark as Ducks’ New Mentor.
Associate Athletic Director and Director of Track and Field Vin Lananna is in his first season with the Ducks, and is very familiar with the University of Oregon and Pacific-10 Conference. The former Stanford head coach guided the league rival Cardinal men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs to five NCAA team titles and 35 top-10 NCAA team finishes in his 11-year career from 1992-2003. Less than three months after his arrival, the Eugene community and University of Oregon celebrated a come-from-behind win in the bid for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials – the fourth time since 1972 that the grand meet will travel to Hayward Field. Other members of the 2005-06 track and field staff include assistant athletic director Michael Reilly, assistant coaches Kelly Blair LaBounty (women’s hurdles, heptathlon, first year), Lance Deal (throws, fourth year), Robert Johnson (jumps, women’s sprints, first year), Andy Powell (men’s distances, first year), Dan Steele (men’s sprints, hurdles, pole vault, decathlon, fourth year), and volunteer coaches Piotr Buciarski (pole vault, first year), Kayla Mellott (men’s sprints, first year), Maurica Powell (women’s distances, first year) and Mark Vanderville (pole vault, seventh year) and director of operations Colleen Wren.
HAYWARD FIELD PROFILE: Eugene Welcomed its Ninth NCAA Finale in ‘01.
At the heart of the recent buzz around Track Town, USA is venerable Hayward Field – the centerpiece of the community’s and University’s successful bid for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. One of the most famous track facilities in the world, it is named for Bill Hayward, who coached the Oregon’s men’s team from 1904-1947. The 10,205-seat stadium was originally dedicated in 1919 and 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 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.
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.
NCAA MEN’S OUTDOOR REWIND: Mitchum, Rupp and Skipper Have Placed Top-Two Before.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (6/8-11/05) – Last year, the ‘Men of Oregon’ placed ninth in the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third time in five years, and the squad welcomes back nine NCAA veterans in ‘06, including multiple NCAA champion Tommy Skipper and a pair of former NCAA runners-up – senior Eric Mitchum (110 hurdles, 2004) and sophomore Galen Rupp (10,000, 2005). Other Ducks with NCAA experience include 3/4 of UO’s record-setting 4x400 and 4x100 relays that placed third and sixth in the ’05 outdoor collegiate finale in school records (3:00.81/39.20), and a quartet of seniors – Matt Scherer (400), Akobundu Ikwuakor (110/400 hurdles), Jonathan Derby (pole vault) and Andrew Young (decathlon). Mitchum and Skipper are also former Pac-10 and West Regional champions and are among 13 Duck veterans that have already scored top-10 conference finishes in individual events.
NCAA WOMEN’S OUTDOOR REWIND: Field Events Showcase Several Vets.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (6/8-11/05) – The Duck women tied for 32nd in the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships last June, courtesy of the eight points from NCAA javelin runner-up Sarah Malone. The Duck women return a pair of top-12 throwers from last year’s collegiate outdoor finale – redshirt seniors Roslyn Lundeen (ninth, javelin) and Brittany Hinchcliffe (12th, hammer) – and senior Lauryn Jordan scored a personal best in the heptathlon (14th, 5,367) that moved her to fifth on the UO all-time lists. Lundeen won All-American honors for her top-eight finishes as a freshman and sophomore in 2002 and ’03 (seventh/eighth), and Elisa (Crumley) Reynoso was also an All-American those two seasons (12th/13th). Oregon sports several other NCAA veterans including junior newcomer Britney Henry, an NCAA hammer qualifier in 2004 for LSU, (223-8) – and the pole vault duo of junior Emily Enders and redshirt senior Hannah Moore who were qualifiers outdoors and indoors in 2004 (15th-tie / 13th).
THE ROAD TO SACTO: Explaining the Outdoor Regional System.
Over the course of the 2006 outdoor campaign, Duck individuals will try to meet regional qualifying event standards as they bid for invitations to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Regional event standards are based on the 100th best performance nationally from 2005, while all conference champions are also automatically invited to their respective regional. Qualifiers then compete head-to-head in their respective regional among four national sites that host two-day meets on Fri.-Sat., May 26-27, as the Ducks travel to Provo, Utah for the West Regional.
Except for the 10,000 meters and heptathlon/decathlon (which still operate on an automatic/provisional standard system similar to the indoor season), 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 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif.). Besides the automatic advancers from each regional, an additional 6-8 athletes nationally per individual event are invited by the NCAA Championships selection committee based on a season performance list (in case of injury, illness, etc.) as long as that athlete finished top eight in the regional event.
A list of various regional and national qualifying standards is available in the STATISTICS dropdown link at the top of the www.GoDucks.com track and field page.
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