Pac-10 Champs Day 1 Athlete Quotes
EUGENE - Included are athlete quotes from Saturday's Pac-10 TF Championships opening day events, compiled by the UO Athletics Media Services staff.
Vin Lananna
Oregon Director of Track and Field, Associate AD
"We are a little behind where I thought we would be in points, but ahead of where I thought we would be in athletes advanced. I like our position."
"The Oregon women put on a great show, they did better than I thought they would. I think we sent out a calling card that we will collect on in a year or two."
"Taking four of the eight places in the javelin was impressive and Rachel looked fantastic."
"On the men's side the sprinters and hurdlers both looked really solid."
"Michael McGrath did a great job to advance in both of his events (800 and 1500)."
"Galen (Rupp) came out and ran a great race he really took one for the team, but wasn't able to score a qualifying mark."
Victoria Jackson, Arizona State
10,000 meters, 2nd place
"That was nice and easy. It was good to have a teammate out there to help push me and we had a really good race. Hopefully I can come out tomorrow in the 5,000 and have the same kind of result."
"We're feeling pretty good about our team score, it was nice to have our distance runners and throwers do so well today to give us this lead. Now we just have to keep going strong until tomorrow."
Amy Hastings
10,000 meters, 1st place
"We went back and forth, a while until the middle of the race, then we separated and took it home. We were hoping for 22 points and we got it with first, second and fourth place."
Noah Bryant, USC
Shot put, 1st place, 64 feet, 6.5 inches
(Bryant won the competition on his final throw, upsetting pre-meet favorite Sean Shields of Arizona)
"Shields is a very good thrower. I've been throwing against him since I was a freshman in high school, and this might be the first time I've ever beaten him. I couldn't watch his final throw (a foul)."
Erica McLain, Stanford
Long Jump--1st, 21-5.25
"I started out a little shaky today but I didn't let that get my down. I've had great practices with my coach early in the mornings before class and it's really been helping."
"I just knew if I wanted to hit the double again I knew I'd have to hit the long jump."
Galen Rupp, Oregon
Men's 10,000M, 2nd,
"For still being on the recovery, I felt good in this race."
"I'm just trying to use this to score as many points for the team as I can and also as a springboard for the next three weeks."
Robert Cheseret, Arizona
Men's 10,000M, 1st place, 30:32.92
"The runner from Stanford was pushing the pace a little. I fell in the 1,500, but didn't let that affect my race in the 10,000. When I fell, I had to sprint to catch up, I was just lucky to get into the finals."
Norris Frederick, Washington
Long jump, 1st place, 25-10
"A win is a win, and I did it for my team. (On pulling out the win on his final jump:) I was aware of the situation, but at the same time I knew what I could do. I passed my third jump because my shins were hurting and I knew I'd have to save my energy for later."
Rachel Yurkovich, Oregon
Javelin, 1st Place
"It was great that (University of Washington's Tiffany) Zahn had such a strong throw first, because it pushed me more than I have been this year."
"I would have loved to get a personal best, but I got the win and that's what matters for the team."
"Our team going first, fourth, fifth, six is a tremendous accomplishment for the javelin and for the team as a whole."
Carol Rodriguez, USC
200M Dash--Heat 2, 1st
"I didn't feel that my race was all that good. I know I could have ran a 23.00 but it just wasn't my best race."
"Going into tomorrow's race I feel very confident. In the 100M dash I tripped a little bit at the beginning but I know tomorrow I'll be ready and it will be a better race."
Domenik Peterson, ASU
200M Dash--Heat 2, 1st
20.78
"I just tried to make it though to the second round. I have a lot of respect for the guys from SC and Oregon. It could be anyone's race tomorrow."
"I'm focused on both of the relays, and getting Arizona State a team championship."
"Track and Field is just that kind of sport. Anything can happen."
Philip Francis, USC
200M Dash--Heat 1, 1st
20.74
"I'm happy I made it past the first round. We just wanted to make sure we were all healthy and that made it to the second round."
"If we win, this will be my first team title. We've all united, and were focused on a common goal--the title."
Matt Scherer, Oregon
200M Dash, Heat 1- 2nd
On a personal best:
"I never ever thought I'd have a time as good as I just had. It felt great."
"Coach Steele asked what I wanted to run and without hesitation I said the 200M. I have the most confidence in that race and I knew I'd do well, I knew I was ready."
Tommy Skipper, Oregon
Pole Vault--Final, 1st
18-0.5
"I felt like my jumps were technically better. I took off the ground better, like a long jumper."
"This was huge. I've been sitting out for so long, I've been anxious to get back out there in front of the home crowd. The crowd here is truly amazing. It's a great part of the Oregon tradition."
"I look forward to seeing everyone else. There will be some huge performances this weekend."
On the Senior Class: "There is a sense of urgency. We have some key guys graduating and we need to pull together and make a run for it. We are losing some good athletes that bring a lot to this team."
Brooke Bennet, ASU
3,000M Steeplechase--Final, 1st
10:28.08-personal best
"We have three girls that are really close. We just should have gone out a little faster."
"We do a lot of hurdle work. We work more on the little stuff than on the water jump."
"Corey [Randall] volunteered to run to try to get us more points. We knew we are strong."
Kaie Kelly, USC
400M Hurdles, Heat-1, 1st
"The race felt good, it felt really fluid, Im just looking forward to having a good race tomorrow as well."
Rhonda Watkins, UCLA
High jump, first place, 5-11 1/4
"I felt comfortable coming into the meet, but the jump-off was intense. (She defeated Arizona State's Jacquelyn Johnson in a jump-off.) There were some anxious moments out there."
Sarah Stevens, Arizona State
Shot put, first place, 57-2
"Winning the (conference) team title has been our goal since August, so I'm very happy with the way Jessica (Pressley, the third-place finisher from ASU) threw today. There are a lot of good teams shooting for it, so it helps to get off to a strong start."
Aaron Aguayo, Arizona State
Steeplechase-- 1st place (First-ever 3-time consecutive Pac-10 Champion)
8:35.04
"Over the last couple of years, we've gained some domincance in the steeplechase at Arizona State."
"This was the first steeplechase I had run since nationals last year, when I went down with injury. I felt good the entire race."
"Ryan (Warrenburg) has been a great key to my success this year, we feed off of each other. It was our plan all along to come in first and second."
Ryan Brown, Washington
800M?Heat 3, 1st
1:50.85
“I’m not happy, because I want to get my regional qualifying mark. I’ve been just missing it for the last three weeks.”
“I don’t have a plan for tomorrow. I’ll just run.”
Duane Solomon, USC
800M?Heat 2, 1st
1:49.74
“That was an easy race. I need to run a consistent first lap, and try to use a minimal amount of energy on my second lap”
“Tomorrow, I’ll go out hard in the first lap and gradually build. Then I’ll blow up in the last 100.”
Raphael Asafo-Agyei, USC
800M?Heat 1, 1st
1:51.06
“I’m just happy to run, and get my spot for tomorrow.”
“I wanted to come and have fun. I’ve had a lot of injuries in the pas, so it’s good to just be here. I just have to take it one race at a time.”
Juan Romero, Washington
Men's javelin, first place, 233-11
(Romero's throw is a personal best by 14 feet)
"I've waited my whole life to win this thing. It feels like a dream right now. No one would have picked me to win this, so it was up to me to do it."
"I've only thrown in about five meets this year. I wanted to peak when it counted, and I did today."
Boldiszar Kocsar, UCLA
Men's hammer throw, first place, 219-0
"Adam (Midles, the defending Pac-10 champion from USC) had a 216-foot opener, so I had to bring a high level right away. (Kocsar threw his winning toss in the second round. His previous personal best was 212-10.)
"I had heard about competing in Eugene and looked forward to it. I tried to relax and enjoy the environment."
On UCLA's strong tradition in the throwing events:
"To come to Eugene wearing a UCLA uniform, it's a special feeling."
Virginia Powell, USC
100M Dash- Heat 1, 1st
“Today I just wanted to keep it light because I still need to come out tomorrow with a stronger race.”
“My first race with the hurdles was a struggle because I was last off the blocks so it was hard to get back into it.”
Garry Jones, USC
100 M Dash?Heat 2, 1st
“I’m pretty happy. I knew that if I didn’t get the win, I’d at least get 2nd.”
On Running Tomorrow: “I’m focused on running the whole thing. I felt weak at the end, and I need to make sure I put more drive in at the beginning.”
Richard
100M Dash?Heat 1, 1st
“I’m very happy with my time. I was just worried about running good and solid. I wanted to make sure I made the final, and make sure I score points for my team.”
“I feel 100%. I’ve felt good for a few weeks now, but my coach told me to wait. I think that was a very smart move, because who knows what might have happened.
“I couldn’t sleep last night, I was so nervous. But it feels good on the track, I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”
Nichole Leah, UCLA
200M Dash ?Heat 2, 1st
“I’ve been running really consistently in the 52 second range recently, it felt good to do that in that race. It was relatively easy.”
“It is important for me to break out in the first fifty meters and I was able to finish the race out strong.”
Candice Davis, USC
100m Hurdles?Heat 1, 1st
“We just had to prepare ourselves and focus on ourselves.”
“When we got here, it was chilly. We were expecting it to be 70ish, so we took a longer warm-up.”
Amber McGown, Oregon
1,500m--Heat 2, 1st
4:27.9
On her first race: “I felt good from the beginning. Every race is hard it’s definitely not a walk in the park. The point of today’s race is to not kill your legs and get ready for tomorrow.”
“Anything can happen during a race but you just have to go out there give your very best and fight for every step of the way. Nothing guarantees you a spot and that’s why it’s important to listen to coach and do your best to execute.”
