EUGENE - The University of Oregon men's track and field team will chase its 11th Pepsi Team Invitational team title Saturday against Boise State, Minnesota and Washington at Hayward Field.
The 'Men of Oregon' have won three straight team titles in the meet that dates back to 1987, and other wins have come in 1987, '90, '92, '93, '95, '97 and '98.
Minnesota will make its third appearance in the meet in four years and finished second in 2003 and '04, while Boise State will make their first appearance in the 17th edition of the meet.
Oregon will renew a rivalry vs. Washington that dates back to 1900, and UO holds a 64-33 mark all-time advantage in regular-season scored competitions (ie duals, triangulars or quadrangulars).
Oregon Men’s Preview
UO’s All-America sprint crew will continue to pick up speed against several talented opponents. The 4x100-meter relay took sixth in last year’s NCAA finale in a school record 39.20, and returns 3/4 of last year’s quartet ? seniors Richard Del Rincon and Matt Scherer, and junior Jordan Kent. UO’s All-America 4x400-meter relay could also showcase 3/4 of last year’s third-place NCAA unit ? Kent, Scherer and senior Akobundu Ikwuakor - that sped to an almost- two-second school record of 3:00.81. Senior Travis Anderson also led off an All-America relay for UO that took fifth indoors in ’05 and outdoors in ’04. Kent is coming off a minor ankle injury from late in the basketball season so his schedule will be lightened, while Ikwuakor and Scherer saw limited racing duty late in the indoor season but are quickly rounding into shape. Redshirt sophomore Michael McGrath is entered in the 800 and the 1,500 meters. Indoors in March, he became UO’s second-ever sub-4:00 indoor miler (3:59.25) and first since legendary great Steve Prefontaine clocked 3:59.2 in 1973. Three weeks ago, the Portland native McGrath opened his outdoor campaign with a regional qualifier in the Oregon Preview 1,500 meters (3:46.82), and his personal best of 3:42.44 dates back to the 2005 Payton Jordan U.S. Open at Stanford last May. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, redshirt freshman Christopher Winter is a two-time Junior World Championships qualifier in the event and took third in the 2,000-meter steeple in 2004. The North Vancouver, B.C., native also competed in the world junior finale in cross country in 2004 and ’05 and ranked top-five for the Canadian squad both seasons. He owns a steeplechase best of 8:54.94 from a meet in Burnaby, B.C. in the summer of 2004 ? a time slightly faster than his 2005 season best of 8:54.99 from the Canadian Junior Championships last July in Montreal. Senior Eric Mitchum is the three-time defending Pepsi Invite 110-meter hurdles champion (2005-13.72, w:0.0; 2004-13.70 meet record, w:1.6; 2003-14.02, w:-0.9). 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). Ikwuakor is also a defending meet champion in the 400-meter hurdles from '05 (51.47), and ranks eighth all-time for UO in the event with his fifth-place mark from the 2005 Pac-10 Championships (50.61). He declined an NCAA invitation in the event outdoors in ’05 to focus on the 110-meter hurdles and 4x400-meter relay, and was also an All-American indoors in ’05 in the 4x400-meter relay that took fifth in the NCAA Championships (3:05.26) and ranked second nationally during the season (3:04.17). Junior Tommy Skipper maximized his outing at the Oregon Preview three weeks ago and cleared his only attempt of the day (19-0) - his first 19-foot clearance and a new Oregon and Pac-10 school record. The Sandy, Ore., native won his third NCAA title indoors in March (18-6 1/2) after he won indoor and outdoor crowns in 2005 and ’04, respectively (18-4 1/2 / 18-8 1/4) and was an NCAA indoor runner-up as a freshman in ’04 (18-4 1/2). He won a Pepsi Invitational title as a freshman in ’04 (17-5) and missed last year’s meet because of a knee injury. Redshirt senior Jonathan Derby is one of only six collegians back in ’06 ? and the only one from the Pac-10 - that made NCAA trips both indoors and outdoors in the pole vault in ’05. The North Bend, Ore., native owns an indoor and outdoor bests of 17-6 1/2 and 16-9 1/4, respectively. Redshirt junior Colin Veldman is making 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. A complete list of UO's current regional qualifiers is available in the STATISTICS dropdown above, or by clicking here.
Boise State Men’s Preview
Bronco head coach Mike Maynard is known as a throws specialist, and his international-flavored crew is led by a pair of Swedish seniors: Mattias Jons, the 2005 NCAA hammer runner-up and Stefan Jonsson, a 2003 NCAA discus qualifier (23rd). Indoors in 2006, Jons finished sixth in the NCAA weight throw (70-6 1/2) after he ranked seventh nationally during the regular season (72-4 1/2). Junior distance runner Forest Braden was an All-American in cross country in 2004 (24th) and indoors on the track in ’04 (3,000, ninth, 8:06.83). The Bonners Ferry, Idaho native is the school record holder in the indoor 3,000 meters (7:58.08) and indoor/outdoor 5,000 meters (13:47.73/13:45.44). Senior and Grenada native Keron Francis was an All-American in the javelin in 2004 (fourth, 243-2). The talented athlete also made an NCAA appearance indoors in ’06 in the long jump (14th, 23-2 1/2) after he jumped an indoor regular season best of 25-2 3/4, and also won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) long jump title indoors and outdoors in ?04. Sophomore javelin throwers Nathan Putnam and Scott Viafore were NCAA qualifiers as a freshmen in 2005 (13th, 207-5 / 16th, 196-11), and the pair also placed second and fifth in the West Regional in Eugene last year (222-6 / 211-4). Senior Andrew Summer was the conference champion in the 100 meters in 2004 (10.55), just off his personal best earlier in the year (10.48) that ranks him third in school history. Boise State's outdoor regional qualifiers (and national rankings and season bests) in 2006 include junior Erik Whitsitt (shot put, 49th, 55-5 3/4), Jonsson (discus, fifth, 195-1), Jons (hammer, second, 223-4), freshman Simon Wardhaugh (19th, hammer, 202-6), Viafore (javelin, 29th, 208-5) and Putnam (javelin, 30th, 208-3).
Minnesota Men’s Preview
Minnesota finished top-15 in the NCAA Championships as a team in 2003 and ’04 both outdoors (ninth/15th) and indoors (seventh/15th). They also won the Big Ten team crown outdoors in ’03 and were top-three finishers in ’04 (second) and ’05 (third). The Gophers sport a balanced squad with NCAA caliber talent in the sprints, distances, jumps, throws and decathlon. Senior Karl Erickson took sixth indoors in ’06 in the NCAA shot put (61-11 3/4) after he ranked sixth during the season with a best of 63-7 3/4. He was also an All-American in both the discus and shot put outdoors in ’04 (fifth, 192-3 / ninth, 61-5), and also in the shot put indoors and outdoors in ’03 with fifth-place finishes in both (63-7 3/4 / 62-10 3/4). Junior Adam Schnaible was an NCAA qualifier indoors this March in the weight throw (13th, 64-7 3/4), and owned an indoor season best of 69-8 1/4. Redshirt senior John Albert was an All-American in the high jump in ’04 both indoors (seventh, 7-1 1/2) and outdoors (ninth, 7-1 1/2). Also in the high jump, fellow senior Kevin Netzer just missed an NCAA return indoors with a NCAA provisional mark in '06 (7-1 1/2), and was an All-American outdoors in 2004 (eighth, 7-2 1/2) and NCAA qualifier outdoors in ’03 (16th, 7-0 1/4). Two members of the Gophers’ NCAA outdoor runner-up 4x400-meter relay form 2004 are back ? junior Aaron Buzard and senior Robb Merrit. In 2006, Buzard took fourth indoors in the NCAA 400 meters (46.01) after he ranked fourth nationally during the season (46.20). The school’s fifth-place All-American distance medley from 2004 returns senior middle distance runners Ben Hanson and Trent Riter. Riter was an NCAA provisional qualifier indoors in the 800 meters in '06 (1:49.07). Hanson owns an outdoor 800-meter best of 1:50.45 from 2004, while Riter clocked 1:47.48 the same season - slightly better than his clocking in the '04 NCAA outdoor finale (1:48.20). So far on the early outdoor season regional lists, current Gopher qualifiers (and their national rankings and season bests) include Erickson (shot put, eighth, 60-9 1/4; discus, eighth, 188-11) and Adam Schnaible (shot put, 38th, 56-5 1/4; hammer, 31st, 194-1).
Washington Men’s Preview
The Husky men are climbing the Pac-10 ranks and took fifth in the 2005 Pac-10 Championship for their first top-five team finish since 2000. Like the Ducks, they are balanced across the track with All-Americans back in the sprints, middle distances and jumps. The UW 4x400-meter relay took third indoors in the 2006 NCAA Championships (3:07.03) after they ranked 10th during the season with a previous best of 3:07.62. The quartet also qualified for the NCAA outdoor finale in ’05 (10th, 3:04.78). Sophomore Norris Frederick was sixth in the NCAA indoor long jump finale as a freshman (25-5 1/4), and also qualified indoors in ’06 (12th, 24-3 3/4) and outdoors in the high jump in ’05 (17th-tie, 6-10 3/4). The Seattle native Frederick is one of three seven-foot jumpers for the Huskies (7-1) that also includes senior Warren Eickhoff (7-0 1/4 indoors) and junior Teddy Davis (7-1). Senior long jumper J.R. Wolfork was an NCAA qualifier outdoors in ’05 (21st, 23-7 1/4). The distances featured a distance medley relay that has finished fifth in the NCAA Indoor Championships the past two seasons. Sophomore Austin Abbott broke the 4:00 barrier indoors for UW in February (3:59.47), while junior Ryan Brown kicked to Pac-10 and regional titles in the 800 meters last year (1:47.31/1:48.20). Junior Shane Charles ranked top-10 during the 2005 regular season in the 400-meter hurdles in ’05 with his personal best of 50.46.Washington's regional qualifiers (and national ranking and season best) in 2006 include senior Bruce Jackson (400 meters, 41st, 47.25), Abbott (800 meters, sixth, 1:49.47), sophomore Brad Liber (steeplechase, 23rd, 9:05.25), freshman Jeremy Mineau (10,000 meters, ninth, 28:49.69), junior Kevin Peters (10,000 meters, 22nd, 29:22.47), Frederick (high jump, 10th-tie, 6-10 3/4; long jump, 26th, 24-2 1/2), senior Sam Roberts (pole vault, ninth-tie, 17-0 3/4), senior Will Conwell (discus, 12th, 185-8) and junior Martin Bingisser (hammer, ninth, 212-3).
- www.GoDucks.com -
