Oregon Invite Again Expected to be Northwest's Top Regular Season Meet
*Note: A final revised link meet schedule (posted Wed. 4/18) is available in the links box to the right.
EUGENE ? The University of Oregon’s track and field teams look forward to their biggest home meet of the regular season this weekend in the Oregon Invitational, Friday-Saturday, April 20-21.
Over 1,000 athletes from 42 collegiate teams from all four time zones will join a myriad of additional track clubs in over 50 events in the two-day meet. Watch for several of the nation’s top post collegians to raise the caliber of competition, including the first full appearance by Eugene's own Oregon Track Club Elite program.
A distance carnival sprinkled with several field events highlights Friday’s opening evening action. Events begin tentatively at 5:20 p.m., and hours later a new permanent lighting system gets its official unveiling. Saturday's elite sections for the remaining events will be held from approximately 2:00 - 5:15 pm in the afternoon.
The UO Marching Band’s drum line will make their Hayward Field debut to inspire the distance runners to fast times Friday night, and will be joined by the Drummers of Dance Africa ? a contingent of UO students, teachers and alumni from the dance and music department ? that will add a special international flavor.
The UO squads come off a light weekend after five throwers competed last Sunday in the Mt. SAC Relays. Senior Ryan Brandel was tabbed Pac-10 Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after his 12-foot, five-inch javelin personal best (238-0) moved him second on the collegiate national qualifying list and third all-time for UO, while graduate student hammer thrower Brian Richotte moved to 12th nationally in ’07 (215-3) and seventh all-time for UO. Redshirt senior Britney Henry also had a near-two-foot hammer season best (218-2), and sophomore Rachel Yurkovich continued her unbeaten streak vs. collegiate javelin throwers in L.A. last week and is still the collegiate leader with her Pac-10 record from late March (189-11).
Also with their eye on May and June’s championship season, three other Ducks besides Yurkovich and Brandel rank top-10 nationally among collegians ? sophomore Rebekah Noble (sixth, 800m; 1,500m, third), junior Galen Rupp (10,000m, seventh) and redshirt senior Britney Henry (hammer, fourth).
On the regional qualifying scene, 24 Ducks have already scored regional qualifying marks (13 men, 11 women), along with both men’s relays (4x100m and 4x400m) and the women’s 4x400m relay.
Looking ahead to next weekend, the Ducks may send distance quartets to the Penn Relays? the world’s most famous relay carnival ? held Thursday-Saturday, April 26-28 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field in Philadelphia. That same weekend, Oregon will send approximately 30 athletes to the California Collegiate Challenge, hosted by the University of California, Friday-Saturday, April 27-28 at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
UO caps the regular season the following weekend at home in the Oregon Twilight, Saturday, May 5 at Hayward Field. Oregon then opens the championship season at Stanford in the Pac-10 Championships, Saturday-Sunday, May 12-13 as the youthful men’s squad battles for a school record sixth straight Pac-10 top-two finish against the most balanced Pac-10 field in recent memory. The UO women will try to break the century mark scoring-wise in the league final for the first time since 1996 (fifth, 68) after they placed fifth with 97 points last May in Eugene also ? their highest placing since ’99.
OREGON INVITATIONAL TENTATIVE MEET INFORMATION
Friday, April 20
First Running Event: 5:20 a.m. ? Women’s 5,000m Section 2
First Field Event: 5:50 p.m. ? Women’s Javelin
Last Event: 9 p.m. ? Women’s 10,000m
Saturday, April 21
First Field Event: 2:05 p.m. ? Men’s Pole Vault
First Running Event: 2:10 p.m. ? Women’s 400m Hurdles
Last Event: 5:12 p.m. ? Men’s 4x40m Relay
Collegiate Teams: Air Force, Albertson, British Columbia (W), Cal St. Fullerton, Central Michigan (M), Central Washington, Charlotte, Chico State, Colorado, Colorado St., Concordia (Ore.), Eastern Michigan (M), Eastern Washington, Gonzaga (M), Humboldt State, Idaho, Illinois (M), Kentucky, Marquette, Minnesota (M), Montana, Montana State, Nevada (F), North Dakota St., Notre Dame, Oregon State (F), Portland, Portland State, Sacramento St., Seattle Pacific, Seattle, Simon Fraser, Southern Oregon (M), UC Santa Barbara, Utah State, Warner Pacific, Washington, Weber State, Western Oregon, Western Washington, Wisconsin (M), Wyoming
Live Results: www.GoDucks.com (via the LIVE dropdown at the top of the front page)
Tickets: Oregon single-day regular season home meet ticket prices for 2007 follow: $9 for reserved seats, $6 for adult general admission (GA), $4 for kids (ages 2-18) and senior citizen GA (ages 62 and older), $4 individually for group rates of 10 or more, $15 for Family Ticket Price deal (2 adults and 3 children). The Bowerman Building ticket windows open on meet day an hour before the first event, and more information on weekdays is available via phone at 1-800-WEB-FOOT (346-4461 locally) and online at the www.GoDucks.com website.
Promotions:
? Free glow sticks for fans Friday night
? Bi-Mart 2-for-1 reserved ticket coupons available at area stores
? KidZone on Saturday sponsored by City of Eugene Recreation, River Road Park and Recreation, and KidSports
TENATATIVE MEET SCHEDULE
* Preliminary Schedule of Events for Friday, April 20, please check GoDucks.com on the evening of Wednesday, April 18 for any final changes.
OREGON REGIONAL QUALIFIERS / NATIONAL RANKINGS
Women’s Event ? Name, Year, National Ranking, Season Best, Date
800m ? Rebekah Noble, So., 6th, 2:04.70, 3/17
800m ? Zoe Buckman, Fr., 30th, 2:08.40, 3/30
1,500m ? Rebekah Noble, So., 3rd, 4:17.43, 3/31
1,500m ? Nicole Blood, Fr., 50th, 4:25.44, 3/31
5,000m ? Nicole Blood, Fr., 35th, 16:39.89, 4/7
5,000m ? Keara Sammons, Fr., 45th,16:42.78, 4/7
10,000m ? Keara Sammons, Fr., 14th, 33:54.55, 3/30
4x400m ? Kavina Hall, Leah Worthen, Rebekah Noble, Keshia Baker, 16th, 3:36.07, 4/7
Pole Vault ? Emily Enders, Sr., 24th-tie, 12-9.5, 4/17
Pole Vault ? Eniko Eros, Fr., 45th-tie, 12-5.5, 3/17
Hammer ? Britney Henry, RSr., 4th, 218-2, 4/15
Hammer ? Megan Maloney, So., 55th, 179-6, 4/7
Javelin ? Rachel Yurkovich, So., 1st, 189-11, 3/24
Javelin ? Ashley McCrea, So., 11th, 166-8, 3/24
Javelin ? Kara Meeuwsen, Fr., 63rd, 144-11, 3/24
* Complete national rankings are available at the www.trackshark.com website at the http://www.trackshark.com/rankings/d1women.php URL address.
Men’s Event ? Name, Year, National Ranking, Season Best, Date
200m ? Phil Alexander, Jr., 32nd, 21.07, 4/7
400m ? Marcus Dillon, Jr., 48th, 47.11, 4/7
1,500m ? Michael McGrath, RJr., 14th, 3:44.25, 3/17
Steeplechase ? Chris Winter, RFr., 35th, 9:03.38, 4/7
5,000m ? Galen Rupp, Jr., 26th, 14:00.27, 4/7
5,000m ? Scott Wall, RSo., 43rd, 14:08.19, 3/31
5,000m ? A.J. Acosta, Fr., 52nd, 14:10.47, 3/31
5,000m ? Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, RSo., 53rd, 14:10.83, 4/7
10,000m ? Galen Rupp, So., 7th, 28:35.04, 3/31
10,000m ? Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, RSo., 19th, 29:00.2, 3/31
4x100m ? Marcus Dillon, Ashton Eaton, Phil Alexander, Jared Huske, 35th, 40.47, 4/7
4x400m ? Marcus Dillon, Phil Alexander, Zach Ancell, Chad Barlow, 35th, 3:09.87, 3/24
Pole Vault ? David Moore, RSr., 30th-tie, 16-6.75, 3/17
Long Jump ? Ashton Eaton, Fr., 23rd, 24-5 1/2w, 4/7
Shot Put ? Mark Lewis, RSo., 71st, 55-2.75, 3/17
Hammer ? Brian Richotte, Gr., 12th, 215-3, 4/15
Javelin ? Ryan Brandel, Sr., 2nd, 238-0, 4/15
Decathlon ? Ashton Eaton, Fr., 22nd, 6,977, 3/23
* Complete national rankings are available at www.trackshark.com at the http://www.trackshark.com/rankings/d1men.php URL address.
TOASTS OF THE PAC-10
In Monday’s second edition of the Pacific-10 Conference Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor, University of Oregon senior Ryan Brandel was honored for the men’s field event category, a week after junior Phil Alexander scored similar honors in the men’s track category. In the Mt. SAC Relays Sunday, the Milwaukie, Ore., native Brandel enjoyed a 12 foot, five inch personal best in the invitational javelin section (238-0, 72.54m), and raised his unbeaten streak vs. collegians to four meets this year after earlier wins in the Oregon Preview (first, 213-2) and Pepsi Team Invitational (first, 218-9) and ASU Invitational (225-7). The week prior, junior Phil Alexander received similar league acclaim after the first-year Duck played a part on two wins (100m; 4x100m) and another runner-up finish (200m) in the Pepsi Team Invitational, Sat., April 7, in Eugene.
Oregon scored three similar honors last year courtesy of current redshirt senior Britney Henry and then-seniors Eric Mitchum and Matt Scherer. Henry was tabbed last April for her 13-foot hammer school record in the Mt. SAC Relays (second, 221-7). Scherer was honored for his wins the following week in the Oregon Invitational 400m (personal best 45.90), 4x100m (41.81) and 4x400m (3:13.23). Mitchum was spotlighted in early April 2006 for three wins (110m hurdles, 13.68W, w:4.1; 400m, 52.09; 4x100m, 40.33) and another runner-up finish (4x400m, 3:11.31) in the Pepsi Team Invitational. Another current Duck - redshirt senior Tommy Skipper ? received similar honors as a freshman in 2003 after he won the Pac-10 Championships decathlon (7,589) with a mark that still ranks him eighth all-time for UO.
HAYWARD FIELD IN A NEW LIGHT
Hayward Field will host its first official meet under its new lighting system in Friday's distance carnival portion. Eight 110-foot light poles have been placed the past several months via cranes, along with an additional lighting system that is fixed to the top of west and east grandstands. Approximately 540 metal halide 1,500-watt lamps are powered by a new transformer, which sits beneath the west grandstand, next to a generator that can provide exit lighting for spectators in case of an emergency. New wiring also is in place for future improvements to the stadium's press box and sound system. The lighting system can be set at tree different settings, and will likely use 60 foot-candles for evening track meets and 30 foot-candles for practice.
LAST WEEKEND’S WOMEN’S RECAP
Redshirt senior Britney Henry led a trio of UO women’s throwers Sunday in final day action in the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. In the invitational section of the women’s hammer, Henry improved her season best by almost two feet and ranked third among collegians and sixth overall (218-2 (66.49m)). The Spokane, Wash., native Henry entered the meet ranked third nationally among collegians with her former season best of 216-6 from the Pepsi Team Invitational. In the invitational javelin section, All-America Duck sophomore and school record holder Rachel Yurkovich led collegians (fourth, 169-11) ? her fourth appearance this season with a mark of 169-11 or better. Sophomore teammate Ashley McCrea followed in eighth overall and third among collegians (151-1) ? one place behind former Duck NCAA runner-up and Team XO’s Sarah Malone (seventh, 163-0). Complete results are available at the www.relays.mtsac.edu website at the http://www.mtsacrelays.com/archives/2007/results URL address.
LAST WEEKEND’S MEN’S RECAP
A pair of UO’s men’s throwers climbed the school all-time lists in Sunday’s final day action in the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. Senior Ryan Brandel jumped to third all-time for UO with his runner-up javelin mark (238-0, 72.54m), and now only trails former Duck NCAA champions John Stiegeler (252-10, 2001) and Art Skipper (251-8, 1992). Brandel moved to second on the collegiate qualifying list after he entered the weekend ranked eighth nationally among collegians with his previous personal best of 225-7 from the ASU Clif Bar Invitational in late March that ranked him sixth all-time for UO. All-American and Duck senior Brian Richotte also upped his hammer season best Sunday to 215-3 (65.61m) and climbed to seventh all-time for UO with his two-foot, five-inch season best. The Berkeley, Mich., native owned a previous season best of 212-10 from the Pepsi Team Invitational that ranked him eighth all-time for UO and 14th nationally last week among collegians. Complete results are available at the www.relays.mtsac.edu website at the http://www.mtsacrelays.com/archives/2007/results URL address.
Earlier in the week, freshman Marshall Ackley finished ninth (6,110 points) in his decathlon debut in the nearby California Invitational at Azusa Pacific University and met the U.S. Junior National Championships qualifying standard (6,050). The Nyssa, Ore., native logged second day marks of 16.00 in the 110m hurdles (w:1.9), 96-9 (29.48m) in the discus, 13-11 (4.24m) in the pole vault, 153-2 (46.69m) in the javelin and 4:45.57 in the 1,500m. Ackley entered the final day in 11th place after he tallied 3,056 points Wednesday in the first half of the event, and his opening day marks follow: 11.72 in the 100m, 19-0 (5.79m) in the long jump, 35-7 3/4 (10.86m) in the shot put, 5-7 (1.70m) in the high jump and 51.80 in the 400m. Complete results and more meet information is available at Azusa Pacific University’s athletic department website at the http://www.apu.edu/athletics/trackandfield/ URL address.
OREGON TRACK CLUB ELITE MAKES DEBUT
Eugene track and field fans can cheer on another ?home’ team on Hayward Field this season with the addition of the Oregon Track Club Elite post-collegiate program under the guidance of Frank Gagliano. The long-time Georgetown mentor most recently headed the Nike Farm Team in Stanford, and in 2004, worked with 32 athletes who competed in the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials - including two Olympians ? Jonathon Riley (5,000m) and Nicole Teter (800m).
2006 OREGON INVITE WOMEN’S REVIEW
In last year’s Saturday section, hammer thrower Britney Henry had her second straight meet with a mark of 221 feet or better (first, 22-15), and was only two inches off her then-Pac-10 record and current UO standard (221-7). Brittany Hinchcliffe added a four-foot, seven-inch hammer best (third, 205-1) and moved to second all-time for UO. Lauryn Jordan jumped a windy triple jump personal best (second, 43-2 1/2w), and other regional qualifiers came from Sara Schaaf (800m, fifth, 2:07.81), Emily Enders (pole vault, fifth, 13-1 1/2). In the first night distance carnival, additional regional qualifying marks came from Amber McGown (1,500m, fifth, 4:21.52), Mandi Fitz-Gustafson (steeplechase, 10th, 10:38.50) and Rachel yurkovich (javelin, first, 164-5).
2006 OREGON INVITE MEN’S REVIEW
Matt Scherer earned Pac-10 Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors for his then-season best (first, 45.90)
Eric Mitchum finished second with a windy season best (second, 13.48w, w:2.8) against a stellar field in the 110m hurdles. Other regional qualifiers included Michael McGrath (800m, 14th, 1:51.79), Akobundu Ikwuakor (110m hurdles, sixth, 14.13w), Jon Derby (pole vault, fifth, 16-6 3/4), Colin Veldman (discus, second, 171-1), while Jordan Kent made his 200m season debut (21.42w) and was only .23 seconds off the regional standard (21.19). The first evening, Colin Veldman enjoyed a 19-foot, nine-inch season best (210-8) that moved him to eighth all-time for UO, while Matthew Maloney scored a 22-foot, 10-inch season best (first, 224-11) to climb to seventh all-time for the Ducks. Other regional qualifiers came courtesy of Michael McGrath (1,500m, seventh, 3:45.45), Chris Winter (steeple, seventh, 9:00.88) and Ryan Brandel (javelin, second, 203-10). Earlier in the afternoon in the decathlon finale, Cody Fleming placed third with a season best (6,901), and Alexey Shkuratov made his Duck decathlon debut (fifth, 6,585).
2007 MEN’S SEASON PREVIEW
Oregon has unquestionably positioned itself among the nation’s top men’s teams with its first string of five consecutive top-two Pac-10 Championships team finishes dating back to 1965. The Men of Oregon’s recent fortunes at the NCAA level have proven equally bright with top-15 NCAA outdoor finishes five of the past six years, and its first three top-10 NCAA indoor team finishes in that same stretch. This year, a new generation of future greats will team with several of Oregon’s greatest athletes to extend the tradition of the nation’s most recognized program.
Senior pole vaulter Tommy Skipper is only the second Duck to ever win four NCAA track titles, and is the Pac-10 and school record holder (19-0), Duck indoor holder (18-8 3/4) and a USA Championships medalist both outdoors and indoors. Junior Galen Rupp was an NCAA 10,000m runner-up as a freshman in 2005, and added a pair of All-America awards indoors in ’06 and ’07 in the 3,000m and 5,000m. Last fall, he became the fifth Duck runner since 1980 to finish top 10 in the NCAA Cross Country Championships with his sixth-place effort. Keeping true to tradition, UO’s championship experience reaches the span of the track and is shared by a pair of All-America sprinters ? redshirt senior Jordan Kent (4x100m, 4x400m) and sophomore Derrick Jones (4x100m) ? redshirt senior Colin Veldman (hammer) and redshirt junior Michael McGrath (mile).
TOP MEN’S NEWCOMERS
UO’s men’s recruiting class ? ranked third nationally by Track and Field News magazine ? is anchored by one of its deepest groups of new distance runners ever. Freshmen A.J. Acosta (1,500m, 2-mile), twins Eric and Matthew Dettman (distance medley relay) and Diego Mecado (10,000m) were national champions in 2006, and the group also includes seven Foot Locker Championships qualifiers. Two other freshmen ? Ryan Waite and Andrew Wheating ? ran 800m legs on NCAA provisional distance medley relay teams indoors in ?07. A pair of sprint transfers from Lane Community College, juniors Phil Alexander and Marcus Dillon, teamed with freshmen Chad Barlow and Ashton Eaton to run three NCAA provisional times indoors in the 4x400m. UO’s field event corps has been equally boosted with five pole vaulters that arrived with personal bests in the 16-foot range, and All-America hammer thrower Brian Richotte who transferred from Radford and ranked 15th in the U.S. in 2006 (223-3).
2007 WOMEN’S SEASON PREVIEW
The UO women also enjoyed a ground-breaking first season under the guidance of director of track and field Vin Lananna in 2006 and look to raise the bar even higher in ’07. The Ducks made a return to the national spotlight with an 11th-place finish and five All-America honors in the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships ? their best tallies in each category since 1993. Earlier in the year, UO’s first-ever All-America indoor recipients in the distance medley relay (seventh) and 800m (Rebekah Noble, second) keyed the Ducks to their third, top-25 NCAA indoor team finish. The Ducks took added pride in their Pac-10 Championships fifth-place team finish and their highest score in a decade (97 points).
In 2006, sophomore Rebekah Noble cruised to Pac-10, Regional and NCAA wins outdoors in the 800m and was a narrow NCAA runner-up indoors. She later added her second straight U.S. junior title and a World Junior Championships 800m bronze medal ? Team USA’s first top-three event finish. Oregon’s national-class field event corps is paced by Britney Henry who ranks fifth all-time on the collegiate hammer throw list. In ’06, she claimed her first All-America honors and is a two-time NCAA qualifier and three-time USA Championships participant. Sophomore javelin thrower Rachel Yurkovich was an All-American as a freshman after she won Pac-10 and West Regional titles in the trademark Duck event. Senior Emily Enders also made an NCAA outdoor trip in ’06 thanks to her second top-five regional finish and will try to become only the second Duck pole vaulter to qualify for three NCAA Outdoor Championships. Two other young Ducks followed their lead and made their NCAA debuts in ’06 ? junior Kasey Harwood (400m hurdles) and redshirt sophomore Kalindra McFadden (heptathlon). Harwood sped to the four fastest times of her career in the Pac-10 and West Regional meets in ’06, and McFadden led freshmen on the national collegiate heptathlon list (5,428) last year.
TOP WOMEN’S NEWCOMERS
Oregon’s women’s newcomer class, ranked eighth nationally by Track and Field News magazine, welcomes several capable of immediate contributions in the Pac-10, Regional and NCAA Championships. The UO sprint corps features junior transfer Kavina Hall and freshman Keshia Baker who should vie for Pac-10 points in various events. The distances welcome a trio of freshmen ? Nicole Blood, Keara Sammons and Bria Wetsch ? that were top-12 Foot Locker Championships finishers and national-class track performers. The jumps unit added several of the Pac-10’s top signees in Hungarian junior national pole vault champion Eniko Eros, Oregon and Washington Pacific Northwest high jump state champions Emily Gillespie and Jasmine Kelly, and horizontal jumper Katie Gallagher ? a Canadian junior national triple jump runner-up in 2006 and a two-time World Youth Championships long jump participant.
2007 MEN’S INDOOR WRAP-UP
In February, junior Galen Rupp continued to rewrite the UO record books with new school records in the 3,000m and 5,000m (7:54.19 / 13:38.62) and placed fourth and third, respectively, in the NCAA Indoor Championships to help the Ducks finish in a tie for 19th place. That team placing also stood as UO’s fifth top-20 NCAA indoor finish ever, and all of which have come the past six years. Graduate student and Radford University transfer Brian Richotte made his second NCAA trip in the weight throw and first for the Ducks (11th, 67-8 3/4). He competed in five indoor meets ? all with marks of 67-4 or better including a school record (68-0 1/4) that won the Mountain Pacific Championships. For comparison’s sake, UO’s previous school record (67-7) was set by former NCAA qualifier Adam Kriz in 2003. All-America freshman A.J. Acosta also represented UO in the NCAA Indoor Championships (13th) after he ran the nation’s top mile time by a freshman (4:00.37) and moved to third overall all-time for Oregon. Indoors in ’07, senior Tommy Skipper ranked third nationally in the pole vault (18-1) but unfortunately missed the NCAA Championships with a calf muscle strain. UO’s distance medley relay ran four NCAA provisional marks that rank top-five in school history, including a school record of 9:37.95 by Acosta, Dillon, and juniors A.J. Casteel and Michael McGrath. Other NCAA provisional marks during the indoor slate came from junior Phil Alexander (400m, 47.18), McGrath (mile, 4:02.58), Acosta (3,000m, 8:02.80), sophomore Scott Wall (3,000m, 8:02.86) and freshman Ashton Eaton (heptathlon, 5,370).
2007 WOMEN’S INDOOR WRAP-UP
The Duck women’s team tied for 21st in the recent NCAA Indoor Championships and featured three All-America performances. Sophomore Rebekah Noble repeated second in the NCAA 800m with a new personal best (2:04.70). The two-time U.S. junior champion became the first Duck female distance runner, and third Duck female overall, to score multiple indoor All-America honors in her career after she also took second as a freshman in ?06. Redshirt senior Lauryn Jordan wrapped up her collegiate eligibility and broke her indoor school record in the long jump in three different meets indoors. She was an NCAA qualifier with her final personal best (20-6 1/2), and earned All-America honors with her ninth-place NCAA finish (20-1 1/2). All-America senior Britney Henry placed eighth in her NCAA Championships weight throw debut (66-7). The Spokane, Wash., native entered the year with a school record of 61-1 1/4, and topped that with +65-foot throws in all four regular season meets, including a best of 68-4 1/2. UO’s other women’s NCAA qualifier, senior pole vaulter Emily Enders, added 6 1/2 inches to her best qualifying mark of the season (13-6 1/4) in the final weekend of the regular season. That mark moved her to third all-time for UO, and scored her first NCAA indoor trip that later led to a tie for 13th place with her second-best career mark (13-1 1/2). Other Ducks with NCAA provisional marks indoors included the 4x400m relay of junior Kavina Hall, Noble, sophomore Leah Worthen and freshman Keshia Baker (3:37.48) that ran school records three times indoors in ’07, the distance medley of senior Dana Buchanan, Baker, Noble and freshman Nicole Blood (11:19.58 ? UO #2 all-time), Blood (mile, 4:46.73; 3,000m, 9:29.87), freshmen Keara Sammons (5,000m, 16:31.71 ? UO #4) and Eniko Eros (pole vault, 12-11 3/4), and Jordan (pentathlon, school record 3,957).
COACHING PROFILES
Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna returns for his second season as director of track and field, and is already very familiar with the confines of Hayward Field. 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.
Other members of the 2006-07 track and field staff include assistant athletic director Michael Reilly, assistant coaches Kelly Blair LaBounty (women’s hurdles, decathlon/heptathlon, second year), Lance Deal (throws, fifth year), Robert Johnson (jumps, women’s sprints, second year), Andy Powell (men’s distances, second year), Dan Steele (men’s sprints, hurdles, pole vault, fifth year), volunteer coaches Jennifer Ashcroft (pole vault, first year), Akobundu Ikwuakor (men’s sprints, first year), Maurica Powell (women’s distances, second year) and Cari Soong (throws, first year) and director of operations Colleen Wrenn.
HAYWARD FIELD ? AMERICA’S FAVORITE HOME FOR TRACK & FIELD
At the heart of the recent buzz in 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. Founded in 1919, the facility has welcomed nine NCAA Championships since 1962 ? the most in modern history ? along with six U.S. championships and three Olympic Trials. On the northeast side of the facility, Powell Plaza was unveiled in 2005 as a grand entranceway for spectators, and its external displays detail Oregon’s rich track and field tradition. A new, four-lane, 400m warm-up track was added on the southwest edge of the track in 2006, and a new walkway for the west grandstands was completed in the winter of 2006. A new lighting system will officially be unveiled for the Oregon Invitational distance carnival, Fri., April 20, and other improvements are planned in the next year in the lead-up to the ’08 Olympic Trials.
QUALIFYING 101
Over the course of the 2007 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 2006, and 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 25-26, with the Ducks hosting the meet for the second time in three years.
Except for the 10K 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 6-9 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.
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.
OTHER UPCOMING MEETS AT HISTORIC HAYWARD FIELD
Two weeks away, the Oregon Twilight (Satruday, May 5) concludes the UO regular season schedule, and the evening meet will be optimal for athletes seeking an opportunity to tune-up for the championship season or achieve NCAA and USA qualifying performances. The final weekend of May, Oregon welcomes back the NCAA West Regional Championships for the second time on Friday-Saturday, May 25-26 as the West Coast's top athletes from Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington will vie for top-five individual finishes and top-three relay placings to earn bids to the NCAA Outdoor Championships two weeks later.
GET YOUR TICKETS
Fans are streaming to Hayward Field in record numbers lately. The Oregon Preview in mid-March featured a meet record 5,699 spectators that easily surpassed the previous record of 4,291 from last year, and three weeks later the Pepsi Team Invitational welcomed it second-largest crowd ever (5,250). The Ducks also set an attendance record ’06 for the Oregon Invitational (Sat. - 6,389, old mark 5,177, 1987), and welcomed the second-largest crowds to the Pepsi Team Invitational (5,004, record 6,149, 1987) and Oregon Twilight (4,776, record 6,392, 1987). Oregon single-day regular season home meet ticket prices for 2007 follow: $9 for reserved seats, $6 for adult general admission (GA), $4 for kids (ages 2-18) and senior citizen GA (ages 62 and older), $4 individually for group rates of 10 or more or $15 for the Family Ticket Price deal (2 adults and 3 children). Tickets are also now available for the NCAA West Regional, Fri.-Sat., May 25-26, and ticket prices follow: All-Session (Fri.-Sat). - Reserved $20, Adult GA $15, Senior Citizen/Child $10, College Student $10; Single-Day: Reserved $12, Adult GA $10, Senior Citizen/Child $7, College Student $7. Ticket are available online at www.GoDucks.com or call the Duck ticket office at 1-800-WEB-FOOT or (541) 346-4461 for more information.
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