Oregon Twilight & Pac-10 Hep/Dec Close Track and Field Home Slate
EUGENE - The University of Oregon track and field teams wrap up their regular season this weekend with three great days of collegiate action at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, kicked off by the Oregon Twilight, Friday May 5.
Oregon’s fourth home meet of the season will serve as final preparation for the upcoming Pacific-10 Conference Championships, presented by 76 ProClean Gasolines, on Sat.-Sun., May 13-14, which will travel to Eugene for the sixth time since 1960, and first time since 2000.
The Pac-10 multi-events competition will also take place this weekend on Sat.-Sun., May 6-7 from approximately noon ? 5:30 p.m., and admission is free to the public.
The Pac-10 boasts many of the nation’s top multi-event athletes, including five heptathletes ranked top 10 among collegians this year, while three league men have already topped the NCAA provisional 7,000-point barrier this season.
Redshirt senior decathlete Andrew Young is the top returning Pac-10 decathlete from last year after he took second place (7,165 points) for his third top-five career finish, and is a two-time NCAA decathlon veteran (11th in ’05, 13th in ?04).
A pair of women’s heptathletes ? redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden and senior Lauryn Jordan - currently rank ninth and 10th nationally with their strong NCAA provisional scores of 5,428 and 5,426 points, respectively. McFadden and Jordan also moved to fifth and sixth all-time for UO with their heptathlon personal bests from the Mt. SAC Relays in mid-April. Last season Jordan was an NCAA qualifier and Pac-10 placer (14th/fourth) in her first season for UO.
Looking ahead to the league finale, the ?Men of Oregon’ will seek their third conference team title in four years after they won in 2003 and ’05, and last year they piled up points in 18 of the 21 events, and 21 of UO’s 24 men’s entries scored top-eight finishes. The UO women tallied 68 points last year for seventh place in the UCLA-hosted finale for their highest team score since 1998.
Duck track and field alumni are strongly encouraged to sign up in advance for the team’s Homecoming Celebration that features a Saturday evening reception at Hayward Field on May 13 at the end of the first day of the Pac-10 Championships. Admission to the event includes a catered dinner at Hayward Field, 'Fire on the Track' DVD, a special commemorative T-shirt, and access to a special seating section at the meet. More information is available at the Homecoming Info link on the left side of the GoDucks.com track and field page.
Last weekend, in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, senior All-America hurdler Eric Mitchum took second in the collegiate 110m hurdles final (13.83) for his sixth sub-14.00 clocking of 2006 in as many races, and the men’s 4x400m relay of seniors Travis Anderson and Matt Scherer, redshirt junior Jordan Kent and senior Akobundu Ikwuakor ran their first regional qualifier of the season (3:08.82). Closer to home last Friday, a group of approximately 30 men and women competed in the Western Oregon Twilight, and regional marks came courtesy of sophomore Kasey Harwood (400m hurdles, first, track record, 60.23), freshman Megan Maloney (hammer, second, personal best 181-2) and Colin Veldman (discus, first, track record 182-0).
THIS WEEKEND'S MEET INFORMATION
Meet: Oregon Twilight
Location: Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
Date: Friday, May 5
First Event: 4:30 p.m. Men's Javelin
Last Event: 8:15 Men's 3,000m Steeplechase
Results Website: www.GoDucks.com
Meet Schedule/Athlete & Coach Information: See links in ARTICLE LINKS box above to the right.
Single Meet Tickets: Reserved $7; General Admission - $5 Adult, $3 Children (ages 2-17) and Senior Citizens (62 or older). $2 per person group rates (10 or more). Call 346-4461 locally or 1-800-WEB-FOOT. The ticket office in the Bowerman Building on the northwest side of the track on 15th Avenue will open 1 1/2 hours before the first event.
Ticket Special: Friday’s meet is a Bi-Mart Family Day ticket general admission ticket special where 2 adults and unlimited kids for $10 when they present a Bi-Mart card at the ticket booth.
Special Collection: The UO Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) has taken hurdler Amanda Santana’s younger sister, Bailey Santana, an 8 year-old girl diagnosed with cancer, under their wing and declared her their UO Duckling. At the remaining home track and field meets in ?06, student-athletes will collect donations to help pay for medical expenses.
Meet: Pacific-10 Conference Championships Heptathlon / Decathlon
Location: Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
Dates: Saturday-Sunday, May 6-7
First Events: Noon (Saturday), 12:15 p.m. (Sunday)
Last Events: 5 pm (Saturday), approx. 5:30 p.m. (Sunday)
Results Website: www.GoDucks.com
Admission: Free for the Pac-10 Hep/Dec
* Tentative Oregon Twilight Men's Entries *
200m ? Travis Anderson
400m ? Jordan Kent
800m ? Jeff Erb, Robert Gillespie, Michael McGrath, Adam Meyer, Andrew Perri, Joel Sauvain
1,500m - Vertin Alvarez, Blake Flanders, Ian Terpin, Carlos Trujillo, Duke Wasteney, Patrick Werhane, Chris Winter
Steeple - Chris Winter
5,000m - Vertin Alvarez, Carlos Trujillo, Esteban Trujillo, Patrick Werhane
110m Hurdles - Jared Huske, Akobundu Ikwuakor
400m Hurdles - Jared Huske, Akobundu Ikwuakor
4x100m Relay
High Jump - Jack Jensen, Jeff Lindsey, A.J. O'Connell
Pole Vault - Keegan Burnett, David Moore
Long Jump - Andrew Greif, Bret Johnson, Matthew Welch
Shot Put - Mark Lewis, Ian Reynoso
Discus - Steven Johnson, Colin Veldman
Hammer - Mike Hill, Steven Johnson, Colin Veldman
Javelin - Ryan Brandel, Matthew Maloney
* Tentative Oregon Twilight Women's Entries *
100m - Amanda Santana
800m - Kasey Harwood, Amber McGown, Rebekah Noble, Sara Schaaf
1,500m - Heather Fitz-Gustafson, Amber McGown, Zoe Nelson, Rebekah Noble, Sarah Pearson, Sara Schaaf
3,000m Steeplechase - Dana Buchanan, Mandi Fitz-Gustafson, Emily Mathis
5,000m - Liisa Heinonen
100m Hurdles - Kasey Harwood
400m Hurdles - Kasey Harwood, Amanda Santana
Pole Vault - Emily Enders, Hannah Moore, Tara Rhein
Shot Put - Jennifer Greenspan
Discus - Lucy Cridland
Hammer - Britney Henry, Brittany Hinchcliffe, Megan Maloney
Javelin - Ashley McCrea, Elisa Reynoso, Rachel Yurkovich
* Note: Entries are listed alphabetically, and several athletes are entered in multiple events and may not compete in every event.
PAC-10 HEPTATHLON PREVIEW: Pac-10 Shines as Nation’s Top Hep League.
The Pac-10 heptathlon field features five of the top-10 women on this year’s NCAA qualifying lists and includes a trio of returning All-Americans and current NCAA automatic qualifiers (national ranking and season best in ()) ? Arizona State sophomore Jacquelyn Johnson (second, 5,797), and Washington State junior twins Julie Pickler (third, 5,734) and Diana Pickler (fifth, 5,579). The Yuma, Ariz., native Johnson redshirted the 2005 spring season to focus on basketball after she won the NCAA heptathlon title as a freshman in 2004 (PR 5,807) and upset the defending heptathlon champ Hyleas Fountain of Georgia. She returned to the multi- scene indoors in ’06 and won the NCAA indoor five-event pentathlon crown (4,287) by 20 points over WSU’s Julie Pickler (second, 4,267). Johnson won the 2004 Pac-10 title as a freshman (5,603) and also won the Pac-10 open high jump title the following week (5-9 3/4) and added eighth in the 100m hurdles. Later that freshman season, she took 12th in the Olympic Trials heptathlon as a 19-year-old. Julie Pickler won the Pac-10 title in Johnson’s absence in 2005 (5,569) and was six points better than her sister (second, 5,563), while as a freshmen in ’04 Diana was fourth (5,254) and Julie was sixth (4,938). At the NCAA level, Diane took sixth outdoors in 2005 (5,595) and 27th in 2003 (4,586, 6 events), while Julie was fifth as a sophomore in ’05 (5,650) and missed an NCAA invitation as a freshman by only one point. Oregon also sports two athletes that are also ranked top-10 nationally in 2006 with strong NCAA provisional scores just under the 5,500-point automatic standard (season best and national rankings in ()) ? the nation’s top freshman in Kalindra McFadden (ninth nationally, 5,428) and senior Lauryn Jordan (10th, 5,426). Jordan was fourth in her Pac-10 debut last year with a then-279-point personal best (5,299), then upped her personal best again in the NCAA Championships (14th, 5,367). Besides, McFadden, several other league freshmen have topped the 5,000-point NCAA provisional standard in ?06, including Arizona freshman Shevell Quinley (5,260) and Stanford freshman Lauren Stewart (5,110). Returnees on this years’ Pac-10 list that scored in the 2005 Pac-10 Heptathlon include Julie and Diana Pickler (first, 5,569; second, 5,563), Jordan (fourth, 5,299) and WSU's Katie Miller (seventh, 5,000) and UO's Roslyn Lundeen (eighth, 4,935). The redshirt senior from Victoria, B.C. Lundeen was only 13 points shy of UO’s then-top heptathlete (Lauri Tennant, 4,948, 1983) in her league debut last year. The Duck trio are guided by first-year assistant coach Kelly Blair LaBounty who was a one-time NCAA heptathlon champion (1993), two-Pac-10 heptathlon champion (1993, ’94), three-time heptathlon All-American (1992, ’93, ’94), and two-time Olympian (1996, ’00). The Prosser, Wash., native still owns the Pac-10 meet record of 5,989 points from 1993, and her Duck best of 6,038 points from ’93 still ranks 11th all-time among collegians.
PAC-10 DECATHLON PREVIEW: Ducks Seek Seventh Straight Top-Two Finish.
Arizona junior Robert Arnold leads the Pac-10 season best list this season by 139 points and ranks seventh nationally with his personal best from the Jim Click Combined Events decathlon in Tucson in late March (7,470) ? only 30 points under the NCAA automatic standard. Two other league decathletes are NCAA provisional qualifiers this season - Arizona State sophomore Joshua Kinnaman (7,331) and Stanford junior Josh Hustedt (7,070). Indoors in 2005, Arnold broke the indoor conference record in the heptathlon (5,518 points), then upped it again in 2006 during the regular season (5,607) and in the NCAA Championships (fifth, 5,640). Kinnaman scored 12th in his NCAA decathlon debut in 2004 (7,402), 100 points ahead of Oregon senior Andrew Young (13th, 7,302). Kinnaman landed his first All-America honor in the indoor heptathlon in 2006 (eighth, 5,476). Hustedt ranks 19th nationally currently with his score of 7,070 points ? 1,343 points better than his preseason best of 5,727 points. The Sandy, Utah native has spent the last two years on a religious mission, and was a Junior Olympic All-American in the pentathlon as a prep. Returnees on the 2006 Pac-10 list that competed in the 2005 Pac-10 decathlon include Young (second, 7,165), Oregon senior Cody Fleming (fourth, 6,980) and Arnold (sixth, 6,617), while Duck junior Tommy Skipper won the Pac-10 decathlon as a freshman in 2004 with a tally of 7,584 points. Skipper’s debut score ranks eighth all-time for UO and was an NCAA automatic qualifier that season. Freshman Alexey Shkuratov (pron. SHKURE-ah-tov) will look to hike his personal best of 6,708 points that came last year in Minsk, Belarus. This season he debuted for Oregon with a score of 6,585 points in the 2006 Oregon Invitational with respectable marks across the board, and has plenty of room of improvement in every event. Oregon redshirt junior Brian Bartow is another potential entrant and the Grants Pass, Ore., native set his personal best in 2004 for nearby Lane CC, then scored 6,671 points unattached at home in the 2005 Oregon Invitational decathlon. Oregon has claimed top-two finishes in the event in each of the past six years, including four straight wins from 2001-04 by Santiago Lorenzo (7,617, 2001; 7,564, 2003), Billy Pappas (7,532, 2002) and Skipper (7,589, 2004), while Lorenzo finished second in 2000 at Hayward Field behind eventual NCAA champion Bevan Hart of California. Among the 21 events contested, Oregon’s 10 decathlon titles in Pac-8 and Pac-10 competition since 1965 ranks third most in school history behind the steeplechase (21) and mile/1,500m (11), and is tied with the shot put (10).
HEPTATHLON/DECATHLON SCORING GUIDE:
The following are approximate guidelines for scoring in each event of the decathlon and heptathlon based on ratios for national class performers, although note that the point table gaps increase as the quality of the marks increases and lessens for less elite performances. Also included are average scores for each event for NCAA qualifying pace for the NCAA automatic and provisional scores in the decathlon (7,500 / 7,000) and heptathlon (5,500 / 5,000).
Decathlon Scoring Guidelines
First Day
100m (750 = 11.51; 700 = 11.76), approx. 23 points for every .10 seconds
Long Jump (750 = 22-1 (6.73m); 21-4 1/4 (6.51m)), approx. 6 points for each inch (12 pts/5cm)
Shot Put (750 = 47-1 (14.35m); 44-4 3/4 (13.53m)), approx. 19 points for each foot (30 cm)
High Jump (750 = 6-4 1/4 (1.94m); 705 = 6-2 1/4 (1.89m)), approx. 18-25 points for each inch (9 pts/1m)
400m (750 = 51.43; 700 = 52.58), approx. 10 points for each .10 seconds
Second Day
110m Hurdles (750 = 15.85; 700 = 16.29), approx. 13 points for each .10 seconds
Discus (750 = 144-10 (44.16m); 700 = 136-10), approx. 6 points for each foot (30 cm)
Pole Vault (750 = 14-8 (4.47m); 699 = 14-0 3/4 (4.29m)), approx. 7 points for every inch (15 pts/5cm)
Javelin (750 = 199-5 (60.78m), 700 = 188-6 (57.45m); approx 5 points for every foot (30 cm)
1,500m (750 = 4:29.25; 700 = 4:36.96m), approx. 7 points for every 1 second
Heptathlon Scoring Guidelines
First Day
100m Hurdles (786 = 15.43; 714 = 16.00), 14 points for every .10 seconds
High Jump (783 = 5-4 1/2 (783); 712 = 5-2 1/4 (1.58m)), 25-37 points for every 1 inch (13 pts/1 cm)
Shot Put (786 = 45-6 1/2 (13.88m); 714 = 42-0 (12.80m)), 20 points for every foot (30 cm)
200m (786 = 26.13; 714= 26.97), 9 points for every .10 seconds
Second Day
Long Jump (786 = 19-0; 715 = 18-2 1/2 (5.55m)), 8 points for every inch (15 points/5 cm)
Javelin (786 = 151-5 (46.15m), 714 = 139-1 (42.41m)), 6 points for every foot (30 cm)
800m (786 = 2:22.82; 714 = 2:28.36), 12-14 points for every 1 second
PAC-10 MEN’S TEAM PREVIEW: Dogfight Likely Between Traditional Powers.
Four different teams have won Pac-10 titles the past six years with Oregon (2003, ’05) and Stanford (2001, ’02) winning twice, and USC (2000) and UCLA (2004) each winning once. Arizona and Arizona State will join the aforementioned mix of teams vying for upper-division finishes, while a resurgent Washington crew looks for its first top-four finish since 2000. Every men’s team champion has scored at least 130 points to win the title since 1993 with Oregon’s 131-point tally in 2003 the lowest winning score since 1993. That noted, a winning sub-130-point score might be possible in ’06 as the rivalry of the Pac-10 showdown has been reinvigorated since eight of the nine Pac-10 head coaches have been tabbed since 1996. Arizona and USC loom as potential men’s team favorites since each squad sports four event leaders. UA boasts event leaders in the shot put, discus, javelin and decathlon, and their X-factor is former NCAA 5,000m/10,000m champion Robert Cheseret who swept the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m titles two years ago at home for Athlete of the Meet honors. USC leads the Pac-10 200m, 800m, high jump and hammer season best lists, and its sprint crew could pile up double-digit points in the 100m, 400m, 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles. Oregon leads three events ? the 800m, 110m hurdles and pole vault ? and will need all 13 of its returning scorers to step up again like last year. UCLA leads the 400m and 3,000m steeplechase rankings, and will contend for points in every event as it tries to top the century mark for the 19th time in 21 years. Arizona State leads three events ? the 5,000m, 4x400m relay and triple jump ? and has placed top three as a team the past two years as has Oregon and UCLA. Washington owns top rankings in the 400m hurdles and long jump, Washington State paces the 100m and 4x100m, and Stanford?s distance corps will likely rack up a majority of its points in the 800m-10,000m and leads the 10,000m ? an event it owns four of the top six marks this year. Interestingly, among last year’s Pac-10 winners, only four athletes (Mitchum, Oregon, 110m hurdles; Jesse Williams, USC, high jump; Sean Shields, Arizona, discus; Adam Midles, USC, hammer) leads this year’s season best list among the 19 individual events. The past two weekends, four of the Pac-10’s classic dual meets were held, and results follow: Arizona 116, Arizona State 86; California 95 2/3, Stanford 67 1/3; UCLA 83, USC 80; and Washington 112, Washington State 91.
WOMEN’S PAC-10 PREVIEW: UCLA Will Try To Wrestle Title Back From Stanford.
The Pac-10 celebrates its 20th annual women’s track and field championships, and UCLA has dominated the event and won 15 of the 19 women’s team crowns since the first edition in 1987. Other teams to win titles include Oregon (1991, ’92), USC (1996) and Stanford (2005). For a stretch from 1997-2002, USC and UCLA split the top two spots five of the six years, but since then UCLA and Stanford have toggled between first and second place. Stanford enters the ’06 classic as the likely favorite and owns the top marks of 2006 in the 200m, 1,500m, 5,000m and 4x400m relay. The Cardinal distance crew will be relied upon for its title hopes after it accounted for 28 of this year’s NCAA indoor runner-up squad’s 36 points from the mile on up. USC features event leaders in five of the 21 events contested - most in the Pac-10 - including the 100m, 400m, 100m hurdles, 4x100m and shot put. UCLA individuals sit atop four event categories ? the 400m hurdles, 3,000m steeplechase, 400m hurdles and pole vault. Arizona State leads only one event ? the heptathlon courtesy of 2004 NCAA champion Jacquelyn Johnson ? but will still be a team to watch after third-place team finishes in ’03 and ’05. The Sun Devils boast second-ranked entries in six events (the 5,000m, 10,000m, 400m hurdles, 4x400m relay, high jump and shot put). Oregon has won only four individual titles the past nine years, but leads Pac-10 lists in four events this year ? the 800m, long jump, hammer and javelin. Other schools that feature event leaders include California (10,000m, high jump) and Arizona (discus). Results from the past two weekend’s Pac-10 dual meets follow: Arizona State 113, Arizona 80; Stanford 89, California 72; UCLA 90, USC 73; and Washington 115 1/2, Washington State 91 1/2.
UO WOMEN'S WEEKEND REVIEW: Harwood Shines at Western Oregon.
MONMOUTH, Ore. (4/28/06) ? Sophomore Kasey Harwood paced the Duck women last Friday in the Western Oregon Twilight with her a 1.61-second season best in the 400m hurdles (60.23) that also broke the former McArthur Field track record (60.94). The Polson, Mont., native easily met the regional qualifying mark (60.82), and her .50-second personal best moved her closer to UO’s sixth-fastest hurdler all-time and former teammate Kayla Mellott (60.13, 2005). In the same event, redshirt sophomore Amanda Santana followed in second place (61.90), and was only .06 seconds off her 2006 best of 61.84 from the Oregon Invitational (4/22). In the throws, freshman Megan Maloney improved her season and personal best nearly seven feet in the hammer (second, 181-2), and redshirt senior Roslyn Lundeen won the javelin with a throw of 148-11 that was just shy of her season best of 149-0. Redshirt senior Hannah Moore matched her season best in the pole vault (second, 11-11 3/4) as did freshman Tara Rhein (third, 10-11 3/4). In the distances, freshman Zoe Nelson was one of six runners in the 1,500m and paced UO with a personal best to win the event (4:28.67). Junior Dana Buchanan followed in second place (4:29.59), while redshirt sophomore Sarah Pearson (third, 4:30.30) and redshirt senior Amanda Fitz-Gustafson (fourth, 4:32.68) scored personal bests.
UO MEN'S WEEKEND REVIEW: Mitchum Streaks to Second in Penn Relays High Hurdles.
PHILADELPHIA (4/28-29/06) ? Senior All-America hurdler Eric Mitchum paced the Oregon men in the Penn Relays last Saturday with a runner-up finish in the collegiate 110m hurdles final (13.83) behind fellow All-American Jason Richardson of South Carolina (13.72 w:). Mitchum earned his position in the final after he led the prelims (13.69), ahead of Richardson (second, 13.70). In relay duty, the 4x400m of senior Travis Anderson led off the unit and was followed by redshirt junior Jordan Kent, senior Akobundu Ikwuakor and senior Matt Scherer took fifth (3:10.90). The All-America UO quartet had qualified for the final after they placed third in their prelim heat the day before with a 2.49-second season best of 3:08.82 ? their first mark of ’06 under the 3:10.00 NCAA regional qualifying standard. In the 4x100m prelims, the unit of senior Richard Del Rincon, Scherer, freshman Jared Huske and Kent placed third in their heat (40.73). UO’s season best heading into the event was their regional-qualifying mark of 40.33 by Del Rincon, Mitchum, Huske and Kent that won the Pepsi Team Invitational at Hayward Field in early April. Closer to Eugene last Friday afternoon and evening, redshirt junior Colin Veldman led the UO men in the Western Oregon Twilight with a McArthur Field stadium record in the discus (182-0). The first-year Duck easily broke the former mark (168-8) and his 1 foot, 4 inch season best was just shy of his personal best from 2005 (184-6) that he threw for Moorpark College. Other top men's throw marks came from freshman Matthew Maloney (hammer, fourth, 167-10) and junior Ryan Brandel (javelin, third, 201-10). On the track, freshman Duke Wasteney led a quartet of Ducks in the 800m and his .65-second season best (third, 1:53.61) pulled him within a second of his prep personal best (1:52.72), and fellow frosh Andrew Perri paced UO in the 1,500m (third, 3:56.50).
2006 DUCK REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
Men ? National Ranking (as of 5/2/06), 2006 Best, Date
400m ? 9th, Matt Scherer, Sr., 45.90, 4-22
800m ? 58th, Matt Scherer, Sr., 1:50.25, 3-25
1,500m ? 27th, Michael McGrath, So., 3:45.45, 4-21
Steeplechase ? 39th, Christopher Winter, Fr., 9:00.88, 4-21
110m Hurdles ? 2nd, Eric Mitchum, Sr., 13.48w, 4-22
110m Hurdles ? 51st, Akobundu Ikwuakor, Sr., 14.13w, 4/22
110m Hurdles ? 76th-t, Walter Thurmond, 14.29, 3-25
400m Hurdles ? 44th, Eric Mitchum, 52.09, 4-8
4x100m Relay ? 42nd, Del Rincon, Mitchum, Huske, Kent, 40.33, 4-8
4x400m Relay ? 40th, Anderson, Scherer, Kent, Ikwuakor, 3:08.82, 4/28
Pole Vault ? 1st, Tommy Skipper, Jr., 5.79m (19-0), 3-18
Pole Vault ? 46th-t, Jon Derby, Sr., 5.10m (16-8 3/4), 3-18
Shot Put ? 68th, Colin Veldman, Jr., 17.00m (55-9 1/4), 3-25
Discus ? 39th, Colin Veldman, Jr., 55.47m (182-0), 4-28
Hammer - 16th, Colin Veldman, Jr., 64.22m (210-8), 4-21
Javelin ? 15th, Matthew Maloney, Fr., 68.56m (224-11), 4-21
Javelin ? 72nd, Ryan Brandel, Jr., 61.75m (202-7), 3-18
* Note - Links to NCAA national and regional rankings are located on the www.GoDucks.com website in the STATISTICS dropdown.
Women?National Rank (as of 5/2/06), 2006 Best, Date
800m ? 1st, Rebekah Noble, Fr., 2:03.11, 4-8
800m ? 29th, Sara Schaaf, 2:07.81, 4-22
1,500m ? 14th, Amber McGown, Sr., 4:21.30, 4-1
1,500m ? 30th, Dana Buchanan, Jr., 4:23.88, 4-1
1,500m ? 43rd, Rebekah Noble, Fr., 4:24.90, 4-1
Steeplechase ? 41st, Dana Buchanan, Jr., 10:33.77, 4-8
Steeplechase ? 56th, A. Fitz-Gustaffson, RSr., 10:38.50, 4-21
5,000m ? 107th, Zoe Nelson, Fr., 16:50.60, 3-31
5,000m ? 108th, Sarah Pearson, So., 16:50.64, 3-31
400m Hurdles ? 43rd-t, Kasey Harwood, 60.23, 4/28
4x400m Relay ? 59th, McFadden, Searcy, Worthen, Noble, 3:40.17, 4-8
Pole Vault ? 11th, Emily Enders, Jr., 4.11m (13-5 3/4), 3-25
Long Jump ? 7th, L. Jordan, Sr., 6.38m (20-11 1/4), 4-8
Triple Jump ? 12th, L. Jordan, Sr., 13.17m (43-2 1/2), 4-22
Hammer ? 2nd, Britney Henry, Jr., 67.54m (221-7), 4-15
Hammer ? 9th, Brittany Hinchcliffe, Sr., 61.51m (205-1), 4-22
Hammer ? 67th, Megan Maloney, Fr., 55.23m (181-2), 4/28
Javelin ? 4th, Rachel Yurkovich, Fr., 54.82m (179-10), 3-18
Javelin ? 52nd, Ashley McCrea, Fr., 46.01m (150-11), 3-25
Javelin ? 62nd, Roslyn Lundeen, Sr., 45.41m (149-0), 4-8
Heptathlon ? 9th, Kalindra McFadden, Fr., 5428, 4-13
Heptathlon ? 10th, Lauryn Jordan, Sr., 5426, 4-13
2005 OREGON TWILIGHT FLASHBACK
EUGENE (5/7/05) ? In the Oregon Twilight last year, post-collegians topped the women’s headlines as Olympian Shayne Culpepper won the 3,000m in a meet record (8:54.84) over former Stanford NCAA champion and Nike entrant Lauren Fleshman (9:00.80). The former meet record of 8:59.76 belonged to Oregon’s Kathy Hayes from 1983. On the pole vault runway, former Duck NCAA champion Becky Holliday tied her meet record from 2004 en route to the win (14-1 1/4). UO redshirt and unattached entrant Britney Henry boomed a six-foot personal best and USA Championships qualifier in the hammer (first, 217-10) ? a mark that only one collegian had topped to that point last season. On the men’s side, then-freshman Galen Rupp won the 10,000m (28:15.52) and broke the former U.S. junior record held by Duck alum Rudy Chapa (28:32.7, 1976). The Portland, Ore., native Rupp also moved to third all-time in school history behind former World Championships qualifiers Bill McChesney Jr. (first, 27:50.82) and his prep coach Alberto Salazar (second, 28:06.12). Kyle Alcorn kicked to the win in the final lap of the Bill McChesney Jr. Memorial Twilight Mile (4:03.98) over Willamette’s three-time NCAA Division III champion Nick Symmonds (second, 4:04.58). All-America junior Eric Mitchum won the 400m hurdles (52.17) over former teammate and Team XO’s Brandon Holliday (second, 52.62). As several other Ducks rested up for the Pac-10 Championships, several post-collegians took their turn winning events, including an all-star 5,000m that matched up a pair of former Colorado NCAA champions. Nike’s Dathan Ritzenhein notched a meet record (first, 13:22.23) and broke away in the last mile from runner-up Jorge Torres (second, 13:30.77). Ritzenhein bettered another Chapa-held meet record of 13:25.6 from his sophomore 1978 season when he won the NCAA 5K several weeks later at Hayward Field to the chants of ?Rudy, Rudy’. In the 800m, Nike Oregon Project’s Richard Smith won by almost three seconds (1:47.91), and a trio of former Duck Pac-10 champions and Team XO members ? Kyley Johnson, Adam Kriz and John Stiegeler ? won the high jump (7-2 1/2), hammer (220-9) and javelin (219-7).
RETURNING DUCK PAC-10 COMPETITORS
Oregon Women's Returnees
400m - Irie Searcy (13th-p, 57.77, 2005)
800m - Sara Schaaf (fifth, 2:06.91, 2005; fifth, 2:09.40, 2004)
3,000m Steeplechase - Amanda Fitz-Gustafson (14th, 11:28.54, 2005; eighth, 10:59.66, 2003; eighth, 11:15.46, 2002)
400m Hurdles - Kasey Harwood (12th-p, 62.69, 2005)
4x100m - DNF
4x400m ((Donovan-graduated), Harwood, Schaaf, (Abildtrup-grad.)), fifth, 3:42.09, 2005
High Jump - Lauryn Jordan (second, 1.78m, 5-10, 2005)
Pole Vault - Emily Enders (seventh, 3.95m, 12-11 1/2, 2005; fifth, 4.01m, 13-1 3/4, 2004)
Pole Vault - Hannah Moore (NH (3.65m, 11-11 3/4), 2005)
Long Jump - Lauryn Jordan (eighth, 6.02m, 19-9 (w:2.0), 2005)
Triple Jump - Lauryn Jordan (fifth, 12.43m, 40-9.5 (w:0.9), 2005)
Hammer - Brittany Hinchcliffe (fifth, 57.73m, 189-5, 2005)
Javelin - Roslyn Lundeen (third, 49.58m, 162-8, 2005; second, 48.66m, 159-8, 2003; fourth, 49.97m, 163-11, 2002)
Javelin - Elisa (Crumley) Reynoso (ninth, 43.97m, 144-3, 2005; sixth, 47.13m, 154-7, 2003; fifth, 48.92m, 160-6, 2002)
Heptathlon - Lauryn Jordan (fourth, 5,299, 2005)
Heptathlon - Roslyn Lundeen (eighth, 4,935, 2005)
Graduated Women’s 2005 Pac-10 Competitors
400m - 5, Sofie Abildtrup, 54.13 (53.48-p)
400m - 10-p, Michelle Donovan, 56.71
400m - 11-p, Julie Schmidt-Scherer, 56.84
5,000m - 6, Magdalena Sandoval, 17:07.66
5,000m - 8, Laura Harmon, 17:12.64
400m Hurdles - 4, Kayla Mellott 60.13 (60.24-p)
4x100m - DNF
4x400m - 5, Donovan, Abildtrup, 3:42.09
High Jump - 9, Rachael (Kriz) Wallace, 1.78m, 5-5
Triple Jump - 9, Clarice Hayward-Lee, 12.00m, 39-4.5 (0.0)
Triple Jump - F, Maegan Traver
Shot Put - 6, Bree Fuqua, 15.47m, 50-9.25
Discus - 9, Bree Fuqua, 49.54m, 162-6
Hammer - 9, Katie Kersh, 52.43m, 172-0
Javelin - 1, Sarah Malone, 52.04m, 170-9
Javelin - 7, Rachael (Kriz) Wallace, 45.68m, 149-10
Oregon Men's Pac-10 Returnees
100m - Richard Del Rincon (fourth, 10.54, w:-0.1, 2005)
100m - Jordan Kent (fifth, 10.55, w:-0.1, 2005; sixth, 10.57w, 2003)
200m - Richard Del Rincon (fifth, 21.27 w:1.4, 2005)
200m - Jordan Kent (fourth-p, 20.82 w:-0.5, 2005; fifth, 21.55, 2003)
400m - Matt Scherer (fourth, 46.11, 2005; fifth, 45.95, 2004; sixth, 46.87, 2003)
5,000m - Galen Rupp (fourth, 13:57.43, 2005)
10,000m - Galen Rupp (second, 29:28.09, 2005)
110m Hurdles - Eric Mitchum (first, 13.59 w:0.5, 2005; first, 13.62, w:0.4, 2004; 2nd, 13.73w, w:3.8, 2003)
110m Hurdles - Akobundu Ikwuakor (third, 13.96 w:0.5, 2005; third, 14.26, 2004)
400m Hurdles - Akobundu Ikwuakor (fifth, 50.61, 2005; eighth, 54.46, 2004)
400m Hurdles - Eric Mitchum (sixth, 51.47, 2005; fifth, 51.27, 2004; ninth-p, 52.60, 2003)
4x100m (Del Rincon, Scherer, (Inico-graduated), Kent), second, 39.29, 2005
4x400m (Anderson, (Inico-graduated), Ikwuakor, Scherer), second, 3:03.27, 2005
High Jump - Jeff Lindsey (sixth, 2.10m, 6-10 3/4, 2005; fourth, 2.13m, 6-11 3/4, 2004)
High Jump - Cody Fleming (no-height (1.95m, 6-4 3/4), 2005)
Pole Vault - Jon Derby (sixth-tie, 5.05m, 16-6.75, 2005)
Pole Vault - Andy Young (eighth-tie, 4.90m, 16-0 3/4, 2005; 12th, 502m 16-5 1/2, 2004)
Pole Vault - David Moore (eighth-tie, 4.90m, 16-0 3/4, 2005)
Pole Vault - Tommy Skipper (first, 5.57m, 18-3 1/4, 2004)
Long Jump - Jordan Kent (fifth, 7.41m, 24-3 3/4, w:0.0, 2005)
Discus - Cody Fleming (18th, 42.24m, 138-7, 2005)
Javelin - Matt Adams (15th, 56.34m, 184-10, 2005)
Javelin - Cody Fleming (16th, 56.25m, 184-6, 2005)
Decathlon - Andy Young (second, 7,165, 2005; third, 7,372, 2004; fifth, 7,017, 2003)
Decathlon - Cody Fleming (fourth, 6,980, 2005)
Graduated Men’s 2005 Pac-10 Competitors
400m - 1, Kedar Inico, 45.61 (45.89-p)
800m - 6, Roderick Dotts, 1:49.05 (1:50.78-p)
Steeple - 5, Brett Holts, 8:48.84
Steeple - 7, Kyle Alcorn, 8:56.11
5,000m - 6, Eric Logsdon, 14:04.14
5,000m - 15, Kyle Alcorn, 14:33.69
5,000m - 16, Brett Holts, 14:42.46
10,000m - 4, Eric Logsdon, 29:34.16
4x100m - 2, Inico, 39.29
4x400m - 2, Inico, 3:03.27
Long Jump - 3, Leonidas Watson, 7.63m, 25-0.5, nwi
Triple Jump - 2, Leonidas Watson, 16.37m, 53-8.5, w:1.0
Discus - 9, Brandon Tower, 52.30m, 171-7
Javelin - 2, Lars Mueller Laursen, 67.71m, 222-2
Hammer - 2, Paul Etter, 61.54m, 201-11
Javelin - 7, Tommy Skipper, 63.18m, 207-3
Javelin - 13, Brian Wuethrich, 57.60m, 189-0
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 popularized 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 3,000m 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 Roslyn Lundeen (seventh in ?02, eighth in ?03) and Elisa (Crumley) Reynoso (12th in ?02, 13th in ?03). The hammer throw sports a pair of NCAA veterans ? redshirt senior Brittany Hinchcliffe (12th in ?05) and redshirt junior Britney Henry (2004). 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, Jordan and Lundeen are former Pac-10 runners-up in the high jump and javelin, 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 javelin record in 2005 (176-5), before she won USA Junior and Pan-Am 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 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 also as a senior in the 800m (2:03.73/2:04.07). Her senior prep season best (2:03.73) led the prep ranks in ?05, ranked eighth on the all-time U.S. high school list with the fastest time by a prep since 1982. Indoors in ?06, Noble claimed NCAA runner-up honors in the 800m, and additional indoor All-America honors went to 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 (60m hurdles, third, 7.68), junior Tommy Skipper (pole vault, first, 18-6 1/2) and sophomore Galen Rupp (3,000m, sixth, 8:07.85; 5,000m, 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 thanks to his other NCAA finishes outdoors in the 110m hurdles (second, 13.38, 2004; fourth, 13.53, 2005) and indoors in the 60m 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 110m hurdles (2004, ?05), respectively. Rupp also sped to an NCAA runner-up finish in 2005 in the 10,000m (28:23.75) and was a top-four placer in the Pac-10 5,000m and 10,000m (fourth/second) in 2005. The Duck sprint crew came off a record-setting postseason in 2005 that included school records in the NCAA outdoor finale in the 4x100m relay (sixth, 39.20) and 4x400m relay (third, 3:00.81), and the latter time would have won the NCAA finale every prior year since 1964 except four seasons. Other Ducks that have received past NCAA invitations include redshirt sophomore Patrick Werhane (cross country, 2005), redshirt junior Jordan Kent (200m, 2003), and seniors Matt Scherer (400m, 2003, ?04, ?05), Akobundu Ikwuakor (110m hurdles, 2004, ?05; 400m hurdles, 2005), redshirt senior pole vaulter Jonathan Derby (pole vault outdoors and indoors in 2005) 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 (800m/1,500m) and redshirt freshman Chris Winter (3,000m steeplechase), and a host of freshman newcomers, including prep All-Americans Jared Huske (110m hurdles/400m hurdles) and Matthew Maloney (javelin), and Walter Thurmond III (110m hurdles), Mark Lewis (shot put), Alex Wolff (javelin) and Alexey Shkuratov (decathlon).
MEN’S NEWCOMERS: UO Sports Key Hurdles, Distances, Throws and Dec. 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 Chris Winter is a two-time World Junior Championships qualifier in both the 3,000m steeplechase and in cross country. Freshmen Matthew Maloney and Alex Wolff ranked first and fourth nationally in the prep javelin in ’05 (231-5 / 213-5) and placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 2005 USA Junior Championships. Freshman Jared Huske ranked second among preps in the 110m hurdles in ’05 (13.71), and freshman cornerback Walter Thurmond III stood third on the squad indoors in the 60m hurdles (8.15) in ’06 behind a pair of NCAA outdoor high hurdles veterans. Redshirt junior Colin Veldman was an NCAA provisional qualifier indoors 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, 110m 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. ? 800m 1:47.62-?04, 1,500m 3:42.44-?05
Jeff Erb, RFr., Eugene, Ore. ? 800m 1:51.63-’04 (HS)
Andrew Perri, Fr., Oakridge, Ore. ? 800m 1:52.72-’05 (HS), 1,500m 3:56.40-?06
Chris Winter, RFr., N. Vancouver, B.C. - Steeplechase 9:00.88-’06 (8:54.94-’04)
Keegan Burnett, Jr.-TR, Sweet Home, Ore. - PV 16-5 1/4-?05
Jared Huske, Fr., Topeka, Kan. ? HS marks > 110m Hurdles 13.33w / 13.71 (#2 US ?05), 300m Hurdles 36.93 (#10 US ?05), 400m Hurdles 52.49 (#10 US ?05)
Walter Thurmond III, Fr., West Covina, Calif. ? 110m Hurdles 14.29-?06 (14.16-’05 (HS))
Colin Veldman, RJr.-TR, Fort Collins, Colo. - SP 58-8 3/4-?06 (indoors) (58-10-’05), DT 182-0-?06 (184-6-’05), HT 210-8-’06 (211-0-’05)
Mark Lewis, RFr., Arroyo Grande, Calif. - SP 54-2-?06 (indoors) (63-5 1/2-’04 (HS #10)
Matthew Maloney, Fr., Barrington, R.I. - JT 224-11-’06 (231-5-’05 (#1 HS), HT 167-10-’06 (HS-12 lb.) - 213-6-’05)
Alex Wolff, Fr., Newberg, Ore. - JT 193-3-’06 (213-5-’05 (HS #4))
Ryan Brandel, Jr.-TR, Milwaukie, Ore. - JT 203-10-?06 (212-0-’05)
Michael Hill, RJr., Bend, Ore. - HT 169-9-?06
Brian Bartow, RJr., Grants Pass, Ore. - Dec. 6,772-?04, JT 209-0-?04
Alexey Shkuratov, RFr., Minsk, Belarus - Dec. 6,585-?06 (6,708-’05), 110H 15.02w-’06, 14.53-?05
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 tabbed best in the nation by Track and Field News and featured a pair of 2005 national prep leaders and U.S. and Pan-Am junior champions ? freshmen Rachel Yurkovich (javelin) and Rebekah Noble (800m). 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, and 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. ? 100m 12.2, 200m 24.8, 400m 55.9 (all HS-’05)
Rebekah Noble, Fr., Spokane, Wash. ? 400m 55.74-’06 (53.3-’05), 800m 2:03.11-?06 (HS-2:03.71-#1)
Dana Buchanan, Jr.-TR, Beachburg, Ont. ? 800m 2:09.85-?05, 1,500m 4:23.88-?06, Mile 4:44.58-?06 (indoors), Steeplechase 10:33.77-?06
Amber McGown, RSr.-TR, Melfort, Sask. ? 800m 2:13.00-?06, 1,500m 4:21.30-?06, Mile 4:41.48-?06 (indoors)
Katie Leary, RFr., Klamath Falls, Ore. - 1,500m 4:36.76, 3,000m 10:00.38 (both HS-’03)
Zoe Nelson, Fr., Kalispell, Mont. - 1,50m0 4:28.67-?06, 1,600m 4:54.8-’04 (HS), 3,000m 9:43.4-’04 (HS), 2-Mile 10:23.7-’04 (#3 HS), 5,000m 16:50.60-?06
Tara Rhein, Fr., Roseville, Calif. - PV 10-11 3/4-’06 (11-2-’05 (HS))
Britney Henry, RJr.-TR, Spokane, Wash. - HT 221-7-?06 (223-8-?05, #5 US ’05, #41 US ’05)
Megan Maloney, Fr., Barrington, R.I. - HT 181-2-?06 (HS-169-10, #3 HS ’05)
Ashley McCrea, Fr., North Bend, Ore. - JT 150-11-’06; 158-6-’05 (#2 HS-?05)
Rachel Yurkovich, Fr., Newberg, Ore. - JT 179-10-?06 (HS-176-5, #1 HS ?05)
Kalindra McFadden, RFr., Bozeman, Mont. ? 100m Hurdles 14.64/14.29W-?06, 200m 25.00 (HS), Hep 5,428-?06
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 (800m, 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 placing 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 (3,000m, sixth; 5,000m, fifth). During the indoor regular season, four men’s indoor school records were broken or tied by Rupp (5,000m, 13:48.51), Mitchum (60m hurdles, 7.67), Skipper (pole vault, 18-8.75-tied) and redshirt junior Colin Veldman (shot put, 58-8 3/4).
2005 PAC-10 MEN’S RECAP: UO Cashes in Victory Thanks to Points from 21 Ducks.
LOS ANGELES (5/14-15/05) ? The Men of Oregon won their fifth Pacific-10 Conference team title last year by a convincing 17 1/2-point margin over the host UCLA (152-134 1/2), Arizona State (third, 122) and USC (fourth, 106). UO claimed both of its titles on the final day courtesy of Kedar Inico (400m, 45.61 - #3 UO all-time) and Eric Mitchum (110m hurdles, 13.59, w:0.5). Inico added key legs on school records in the 4x100m (second, 39.29, .61-second school record) and 4x400m relays (second, 3:03.27, .22 seconds faster than their school record from the 2004 Pac-10 Champs (3:03.49)). Mitchum also scored in the 400m hurdles (sixth, 51.47) with a .68-second season best. The men’s sprint crew also accounted for points from Richard Del Rincon (100m, fourth, 10.54, w:-0.1; 200m, fifth, 21.27, w:1.4), Jordan Kent (100m, fifth, 10.55, w:-0.1), Matt Scherer (400m, fourth, 46.11 season best), Roderick Dotts (800m, sixth, 1:49.05 - 1.41-second Duck best), and Akobundu Ikwuakor (110m hurdles, third, 13.96, w:0.5 ? second-fastest time of his career; 400m hurdles, fifth, 50.61 ?.28-second PR). The UO men’s distance troops sealed the win in the penultimate event, the 5,000m, courtesy of Galen Rupp (fourth, 13:57.43) who ran most of the race’s second half solo in his final position, and Eric Logdson (sixth, 14:04.14). The evening before in the 10,000m, Rupp led most of the way en route to second (29:28.09) and Logsdon began his first conference double (fourth, 29:34.16). In the last hour of the meet, Leonidas Watson took the lead in the triple jump with his daily best and 11-inch outdoor PR of 53-8 1/2 on his final jump then dropped to second on the last jump of the competition. The first day he was less than a foot off his then-season best (third, 25-0 1/2) and Kent was only six inches off his season best his Pac-10 long jump debut (fifth, 24-3 3/4). Other second-day field event points for the Ducks came from Jeff Lindsey (high jump, sixth-tie, 6-10 3/4 ? two-inch outdoor season best). The Ducks capped the first day in first place with 63 1/2 points after eight events, and were followed by Arizona State (second, 49), UCLA (third, 45), California (fourth, 38), and Arizona (fifth, 34). Key first-day scoring efforts included Paul Etter (hammer, second, 201-11), Lars Mueller Laursen (javelin, season debut, 222-2), Brett Holts (steeplechase, fifth, 8:48.84 ? 1 1/2 seconds off his season best) and Kyle Alcorn (steeplechase, seventh, 8:56.11 ? 2.33 seconds off personal best). Tommy Skipper scored for the second straight year in the javelin (seventh, 207-3) in his season event debut while he competed simultaneously in the pole vault, while his same event trio of Jon Derby (sixth-tie, season best-tie 16-6 3/4), David Moore (eighth-tie, 16-0 3/4) and Andrew Young (eighth-tie, 16-0 3/4) all scored their first Pac-10 points in the pole vault.
2005 PAC-10 WOMEN’S RECAP: Malone Strikes Gold in Javelin.
LOS ANGELES (5/14-15/05) ? Last year, Stanford won its first Pac-10 track and field team title and became only the fourth league school to turn the trick. The Cardinal tallied 173 points to edge returning champion UCLA (second, 125) and Arizona State (third, 118) and USC (fourth, 99), while Oregon (seventh, 68) claimed its largest point tally sine 1998’s total (84). The javelin accounted for almost 1/3 of the Ducks’ points, and was paced by Sarah Malone who won her first Pac-10 javelin women’s title (170-9) after she finished second her three previous appearances. The Ducks featured three other top-nine finishers ? redshirt juniors and All-Americans Roslyn Lundeen (third, 4 foot 8-inch season best 162-8) and Elisa (Crumley) Reynoso (ninth, 144-3), and Rachael (Kriz) Wallace (seventh, 4 foot 1 inch personal best 149-10). Lauryn Jordan added another 18 points to the Duck cause, with top-eight efforts in the high jump (second, two-inch PR 5-10), triple jump (fifth, 40-9 1/2, w:0.9) and long jump (eighth, 5 1/2-inch PR 19-9, w:2.0) and the heptathlon (fourth, 279-point PR 5,299) the week before. The first-year Duck moved into UO’s all-time top-10 in high jump (fifth, 5-10), long jump (10th, 19-9), triple jump (fourth, 40-11 1/2) and heptathlon (sixth, 5,299). On the oval, Sofie Abildtrup finished top five in the Pac-10 400m for the second straight year (fourth, 54.13) after she ran a 1.11-second season best in the prelims (fourth, 53.48). The second-year Duck closed the meet as the anchor on the 4x400m relay which ran a 1.01-second season best (fifth, 3:42.09) and matched its pre-meet seeding. Three other Ducks lined up in the 400m prelims including current redshirt sophomore Irie Searcy (400m, 13th, season debut 57.77). In the 400m hurdles, Kayla Mellott lowered her personal best by .02 seconds (fourth, 60.13, 60.24-p), and Kasey Harwood came back from an April ankle injury to take 12th in the prelims (62.69). Sara Schaaf paced the distances in the 800m (fifth, 2:06.91, 2:08.81-prelims) with a .98-second personal best in the final that put her 10th for UO all-time. In the 5,000m, Magdalena Sandoval led more than five laps in the first 2/3 of the race as she chased a regional qualifier in the +75-degree conditions, and held on for sixth against the nation’s deepest conference (17:07.66) in her outdoor 5K debut. Also in the 5,000m, Laura Harmon moved up during the race to repeat eighth (17:12.64) ? the same place she took in 2004 in Tucson. In the steeple the first day, Amanda Fitz-Gustafson took 14th in her third Pac-10 race and first for the Ducks (11:28.54). In the field events, Emily Enders leaped a six-inch outdoor season best in the pole vault (seventh, 12-11 1/2) and was only 2 3/4 inches off her then-PR (13-2 1/4) from the 2004 Pac-10 Championships. Brittany Hinchcliffe took fifth in the hammer (189-5) ? one place below her pre-meet ranking based on her school record of 199-2 from the 2005 Pepsi Team Invite. Bree Fuqua notched her second straight top-six finish in the shot put (sixth, 50-9 1/4). The next day in the discus (ninth, 162-6), she was only 2 feet, 10 inches from her season best (165-4).
HAYWARD IS HAPPENING: More High-Caliber Meets On Tap in ?06
Looking ahead to other home meets in ’06, the Pac-10 Championships return to Eugene for the sixth time in school history, Saturday-Sunday, May 13-14, and previous editions traveled to Hayward Field in 1967, ’73, ’82, ’92 and ?00. 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.
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 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 have not hosted one since 1968), and no other school has hosted more than five. Looking ahead, the fabled facility will host the 2006 Pacific-10 Conference Championships (Sat.-Sun., May 13-14), Oregon State High School Track and Field Championships (Fri.-Sat., May 26-27, www.osaa.org ) and Prefontaine Classic (Sun., May 28, www.preclassic.com ).
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 (USTCA). 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. To clarify the equation, here is an example: If there were five foreigners in the 12-person javelin final, an American that placed 11th would receive All-America honors since he/she would be a guaranteed a top-eight finisher among U.S. participants. In this same instance, the aforementioned foreigners that finished top eight in the final would also be All-Americans, but not those that finished ninth or lower. Since there were only seven Americans in the 12-person final in this instance, the top remaining American from the preliminary round would also receive an award as the eighth American finisher.
2005 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 (110m hurdles, 2004) and sophomore Galen Rupp (10,000m, 2005). Other Ducks with NCAA experience include 3/4 of UO’s record-setting 4x400m and 4x100m 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 (400m), Akobundu Ikwuakor (110m/400m 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.
2005 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 then-personal best in the heptathlon (14th, 5,367) that moved her to fifth on the UO all-time lists. Lundeen won All-America 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 10,000m and heptathlon/decathlon (that still operate on an automatic/provisional standard system based on season bests, 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.
ONLINE TRACK RESOURCES
For more Oregon track and field coverage, four area newspapers provide in-depth track and field coverage and include the local Eugene Register Guard ( www.registerguard.com ) and Oregon Daily Emerald Student Newspaper ( www.dailyemerald.com ) , along with The (Portland) Oregonian ( www.oregonlive.com ) and the Salem Statesman-Journal ( www.statesmanjournal.com ).
Links to other collegiate, national and international track and field-related websites follow:
Pacific-10 Conference: www.pac-10.org
NCAA Championships: www.ncaasports.com
NCAA Outdoor Host: www.HornetSports.com
NCAA: www.ncaa.org
Collegiate Track Results: www.TrackShark.com
USA Track and Field (USATF): www.usatf.org
USATF Oregon: www.usatf-oregon.org
United State Olympic Committee (USOC): www.olympic-usa.org
IAAF (International Track & Field): www.iaaf.org
High School T&F Info: www.dyestat.com
Oregon Track Club: www.oregontrackclub.org
Prefontaine Classic: www.preclassic.com
World Rankings: www.tilastopaja.net
Runner’s World Magazine: www.runnersworld.com
Trackwire NCAA Team/Individual Predictions: www.trackwire.com
Track and News Magazine: www.trackandfieldnews.com
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