Ducks Tune-up For Postseason in Oregon Twilight
* A link to tentative meet entries and a meet schedule is available in the LINKS box to the right
EUGENE ? The University of Oregon’s track and field teams continue their march to the postseason this weekend in their final regular season home meet, the Oregon Twilight, Saturday, May 5 at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.
Tentatively slated for a 3:00 p.m., start, the late afternoon / early evening affair will feature a mix of post-collegians rounding into form for June’s USA Championships, while the Duck squads and fellow Pacific Northwest collegians will make a final foray after season bests before various collegiate championships in May and early June.x
Particularly strong in this week's schedule are three throwing events - the men's and women's javelin and women's hammer - which feature several of the nation's best post-collegians ever. Several top U.S. and international men's and women's distance runners - including several Olympians and World Championships veterans - will also be on hand.
Also this weekend, UO will send several multi-event athletes to the Pac-10 Championships heptathlon and decathlon, Saturday-Sunday, May 5-6. The Ducks’ top returnees in the event are sophomores Alexey Shkuratov and Kalindra McFadden who each took sixth last year, while McFadden was also an NCAA placer last year (25th). Duck freshman Ashton Eaton logged an NCAA provisional score in his decathlon debut in March (6,977), and fellow frosh Erin Funkhouser ranks ninth on the Pac-10 season best list and second among freshmen with her collegiate debut in March (4,441).
Oregon’s postseason kicks into full speed the following week with the remaining 20 events in the Pacific-10 Conference Championships, Saturday-Sunday, May 12-13 at Stanford University. More meet information is available at the www.GoStanford.com and www.Pac-10.org websites.
The youthful Duck men’s squad will battle for a school record sixth straight top-two Pac-10 finish against what may be 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 after they placed fifth with 97 points last May in Eugene - also their highest placing since they took fifth in ’99.
Two weeks later, the Ducks host the NCAA West Regional Championships at Hayward Field for the second time in three years on Friday-Saturday, May 25-26. The top collegians from the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington will vie for top-five individual event and top-three relay event finishes in return for invitations to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Wednesday-Saturday, June 6-9 in Sacramento, Calif.
Last weekend, Galen Rupp earned his second straight Pac-10 Track Athlete of the Week award after his win in the Cardinal Invitational 10,000m (27:33.48) that was an American collegiate record, Duck school record and the fastest time by a collegian and American so far in ’07.
Earlier last weekend, the Ducks celebrated a win and 11-second personal best by junior Scott Wall who won the Penn Relays 5,000m (13:57.64.). Closer to home at the California Collegiate Challenge, UO racked up 10 regional qualifying marks (4 women, 6 men) in the Berkeley-hosted event with top marks from graduate student Brian Richotte (hammer, second, 216-9), juniors Kavina Hall (400m, ninth, 55.31), Marcus Dillon (400m, second, 47.02), sophomores Jared Huske (110m hurdles, seventh, 14.19; 400m hurdles, fourth, 52.75)) and Lucy Cridland (discus, fifth, 158-7), freshmen Ashton Eaton (long jump, first, 24-2 1/ww) and Kara Meeuwsen (javelin, fifth, 144-9) and the men’s 4x100m relay (first, 40.60).
In this season’s current collegiate rankings, joining Rupp atop the U.S. and collegiate lists is sophomore javelin thrower Rachel Yurkovich, thanks to her Pac-10 record (189-11) from late March.
Other Ducks ranked top-10 nationally among collegians include Ryan Brandel (javelin, second, 238-0), Noble (800m, third, 2:03.22; 1,500m, sixth, 4:17.43), Henry (hammer, fourth, 218-2), Rupp (5,000m, fourth, 31:30.49). Links to collegiate and USA season best lists are available at the STATISTICS dropdown at the top of the page.
On the regional qualifying scene, 31 Ducks have scored regional qualifying marks (18 men, 13 women), along with both men’s relays (4x100m and 4x400m) and the women’s 4x400m relay.
THIS WEEK’S TENTATIVE MEET INFORMATION
Oregon Twilight
Location: Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.
Date: Saturday, May 5
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:
? Take a Kid to the Meet - Print the special promotions voucher linked to the ATHLETICS AT A GLANCE page on the bottom of the main www.GoDucks.com page and receive $2 admission for every kid 12 and under. (or click here http://www.goducks.com/fls/500/promotions/TAKM.html )
? KidZone on Saturday sponsored by City of Eugene Recreation, River Road Park and Recreation, and KidSports
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.
OREGON REGIONAL QUALIFIERS / NATIONAL RANKINGS
Women’s Event ? Name, Year, National Ranking, Season Best, Date
400m ? Keshia Baker, Fr., 77th-tie, 54.43, 4/21
800m ? Rebekah Noble, So., 3rd, 2:03.22, 4/21
800m ? Zoe Buckman, Fr., 43rd, 2:07.85, 4/7
1,500m ? Rebekah Noble, So., 6th, 4:17.43, 3/31
1,500m ? Zoe Buckman, Fr., 53rd, 4:24.68, 4/29
1,500m ? Nicole Blood, Fr., 73rd, 4:25.44, 3/31
5,000m ? Nicole Blood, Fr., 40th, 16:27.41, 4/29
5,000m ? Keara Sammons, Fr., 77th, 16:42.78, 4/7
10,000m ? Keara Sammons, Fr., 20th, 33:54.55, 3/30
4x400m ? Kavina Hall, Leah Worthen, Rebekah Noble, Keshia Baker, 26th, 3:36.07, 4/7
Pole Vault ? Emily Enders, Sr., 40th-tie, 12-9.5, 4/17
Pole Vault ? Eniko Eros, Fr., 57th-tie, 12-5.5, 3/17
Discus ? Lucy Cridland, So., 62nd, 158-7, 4/27
Hammer ? Britney Henry, RSr., 4th, 218-2, 4/15
Hammer ? Megan Maloney, So., 68th, 179-6, 4/7
Javelin ? Rachel Yurkovich, So., 1st, 189-11, 3/24
Javelin ? Ashley McCrea, So., 14th, 166-8, 3/24
Javelin ? Kara Meeuwsen, Fr., 68th, 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., 52nd-tie, 21.07, 4/7
400m ? Marcus Dillon, Jr., 47th-tie, 47.02, 4/28
1,500m ? A.J. Acosta, Fr., 14th, 3:42.40, 4/20
1,500m ? Michael McGrath, RJr., 33rd, 3:44.25, 3/17
1,500m ? Andrew Wheating, Fr., 48th, 3:45.17, 4/20
Steeplechase ? Chris Winter, RSo., 54th, 9:03.38, 4/7
5,000m ? Galen Rupp, Jr., 4th, 13:30.49, 4/20
5,000m ? Scott, Wall, So., 35th, 13:57.64, 4/26
5,0000m ? Carlos Trujillo, Jr., 68th, 14:06.71, 4/20
5,000m ? Jon Thomas, So., 79th, 14:07.84, 4/20
5,000m ? A.J. Acosta, Fr., 98th, 14:10.47, 3/31
5,000m ? Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, RSo., 100th, 14:10.83, 4/7
10,000m ? Galen Rupp, So., 1st, 27:33.48, 4/29
10,000m ? Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, RSo., 25th, 29:00.52, 3/31
110m Hurdles ? Jared Huske, So., 52nd-tie, 14.18, 4/28
4x100m ? Marcus Dillon, Ashton Eaton, Phil Alexander, Jared Huske, 48th, 40.47, 4/7
4x400m ? Marcus Dillon, Phil Alexander, Zach Ancell, Chad Barlow, 60th, 3:09.87, 3/24
Pole Vault ? David Moore, RSr., 35th-tie, 16-6.75, 3/17
Long Jump ? Ashton Eaton, Fr., 41st, 24-5 1/2w, 4/7
Shot Put ? Mark Lewis, RSo., 86th, 55-4.25, 4/21
Hammer ? Brian Richotte, Gr., 11th, 218-8, 4/20
Hammer ? Steven Johnson, So., 100th-tie, 185-10, 4/20
Javelin ? Ryan Brandel, Sr., 2nd, 238-0, 4/15
Decathlon ? Ashton Eaton, Fr., 30th, 6,977, 3/23
* Complete national rankings are available at www.trackshark.com at the http://www.trackshark.com/rankings/d1men.php URL address.
A host of other Ducks are on the verge of regional qualifying marks, and a list follows:
Men’s Event - Name, Yr., Season Best / Regional Mark (Difference)
200m ? Marcus Dillon, Jr., 21.30 w:-0.8 / 21.19 (-.11)
400m ? Chad Barlow, Fr., 47.25 / 47.20 (-.05)
400m ? Phil Alexander, Jr., 47.30 / 47.20 (-.10)
800m ? Ryan Waite, Fr., 1:52.05 / 1:50.40 (-1.65)
1,500m ? James Withers, RSo., 3:48.08 / 3:47.80 (-.28)
400m Hurdles ? Jared Huske, So., 52.85 / 52.51 (-.34)
High Jump ? Jack Jensen, So., 6-8.75 / 6-10.75 (-2”)
Pole Vault ? Colin Witter-Tilton, Fr., 16-0.75 / 16-6.75 (-6”)
Javelin ? Jamie Slade, Fr., 197-2 / 202-1 (-4’ 11”)
Women’s Event - Name, Yr., Season Best / Regional Mark (Difference)
200m ? Kavina Hall, Jr., 24.82w w:2.6 / 23.96 (-.86)
200m ? Keshia Baker, Fr., 24.92 w:0.0 / 23.96 (-.96)
400m ? Kavina Hall, Jr., 54.81 / 54.61 (-.20)
Steeplechase ? Emily Mathis, RJr., 11:04.75 / 10:52.25 (-12.50)
4x100m Relay ? 46.53 / 45.70 (-.83)
High Jump ? Jasmine Kelly, Fr., 5-5.75 / 5-8.75 (-3”)
TOASTS OF THE PAC-10
In Tuesday’s fourth edition of the Pacific-10 Conference Track and Field Athlete of the Week, junior Galen Rupp was honored for the second straight week in the men’s track category. His winning time in the Cardinal Invitational 10,000m (27:33.48) Sunday night rewrote the American collegiate and UO school records (27:38.50 / 27:50.82). The Portland, Ore., native’s time also moved him to seventh all-time in U.S history and improved on his former best of 28:15.52 from the 2005 Oregon Twilight that broke the U.S. junior record.
The previous week, Rupp and sophomore Rebekah Noble were honored for the men’s and women’s track event categories for their performances in the Oregon Invitational. Noble logged a 1.52-second 800m season best (first, 2:03.22) that moved her to second on the collegiate list. Rupp ignited the home crowd with his final lap charge to win the 5,000m by .05 seconds (13:30.49) over Wisconsin senior and four-time NCAA champion Chris Solinsky (second, 13:30.54). Rupp’s 7.42-second personal best moved him to sixth all-time for UO, and was the fastest by a Duck since 1982 when Bill McChesney Jr. (13:14.80) and Jim Hill (13:30.52) ran times that still rank them first and seventh in school history.
The Ducks scored similar honors the first two weeks of the honor in ’07 courtesy of senior javelin thrower Ryan Brandel and junior sprinter Phil Alexander. Brandel was honored Monday, April 16 for his 12-foot, five-inch personal best in the Mt. SAC Relays invitational javelin section (238-0, 72.54m) that moved him to third all-time for Oregon behind former Duck NCAA champions John Stiegeler (252-10, 2001) and Art Skipper (251-8, 1992). Alexander was honored the week before on Monday, April 9 after the first-year Duck played a part on two wins (100m, 4x100m) and another runner-up finish (200m) in the Pepsi Team Invitational 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 2004 after he won the Pac-10 Championships decathlon (7,589) with a mark that still ranks him eighth all-time for UO.
LAST WEEKEND’S DUCK TRACK & FIELD RECAP
Cardinal Invitational
STANFORD, Calif. (Sun., 4/29/07) ? In last Sunday’s Cardinal Invitational 10,000m, junior Galen Rupp smashed the American collegiate record and UO’s school record. The six-time All-American Rupp won the race (27:33.48) over Mexican Olympian David Galvan (second, 27:33.96), while the next American was World Championships veteran Jorge Torres of Reebok (fifth, 27:42.91). According to a race report, Rupp took the lead with 1,200m en route to 2:05 last 800m and 60-second final 400m splits to break the former Duck and record owned by Bill McChesney, Jr. (27:50.82, 1982) and the former American collegiate record owned by Dathan Ritzenhein (27:38.50, 2004). Rupp’s time moved him to seventh all-time in U.S history and is now one of five Ducks now ranked top-30 all-time among Americans with Alberto Salazar (fourth, 27:25.61), Steve Prefontaine (16th, 27:43.6), McChesney (25th, 27:47.25) and Nick Rogers (29th, 27:55.17). Going into this weekend, only four distance runners in the world had run faster in the 25-lap race ? a quartet of Kenyans led by Martin Irungu Mathathi (27:09.90) ? while the former American season best was run by Ryan Hall of Asics (28:07.93) at the Stanford Invitational in late March. The Portland, Ore., native Rupp improved on his former best of 28:15.52 from the 2005 Oregon Twilight that broke the U.S. junior record and moved him to third all-time for UO. Last weekend in the Oregon Invitational in Eugene, he punctuated a dramatic come-from-behind win in the 5,000m with a personal best (13:30.49) to move to sixth all-time for UO ? an event McChesney still owns the all-time Duck best of 13:14.80 from 1982.
In other action at Stanford Sunday night, three Duck women also raced to regional qualifiers ? sophomore Rebekah Noble (1,500m top section, 12th, 4:21.52) and freshmen Zoe Buckman (1,500m section 2, fourth, season best 4:24.68) and Nicole Blood (5,000m section 2, eighth, personal best 16:27.41).
California Collegiate Challenge
BERKELEY, Calif. (4/27-28/07) ? The Oregon women combined for four regional marks last weekend in the California Collegiate Challenge at the University of California’s Edwards Stadium. Sophomore Lucy Cridland turned in UO’s biggest personal best of the weekend with her five-foot, two-inch discus improvement (fourth, 158-7) and also met the regional standard (155-2) for the first time in her career. Other women’s regional qualifiers included senior pole vaulter Emily Enders (fifth-tie, 12-5 1/2) and a pair of javelin throwers - sophomore Ashley McCrea (second, 151-8) and freshman Kara Meeuwsen (fifth, 144-9) ? and the latter mark was only two inches off her season best (144-11). Two Duck sprinters added season bests - juniors Irie Searcy (400m, 13th, 56.76) and Kasey Harwood (400m hurdles, 12th, 63.25), and other top women’s marks were posted by juniors Kavina Hall (400m, ninth, 55.31) and Amanda Santana (400m hurdles, 13th, 63.35) and the 4x100m relay (seventh, 46.62).
The Men of Oregon scored six regional marks last weekend in the California Collegiate Challenge at the University of California’s Edwards Stadium. Sophomore Jared Huske enjoyed a .14-second personal best in the 110m hurdles prelims (14.18) Saturday for the first regional qualifying mark of his career, then nearly duplicated the same time in the final (seventh, 14.19). Later in the afternoon, the Topeka, Kan., native added another .10-second best in the 400m hurdles (fourth, 52.75). Also in the sprints, junior Marcus Dillon scored his first regional mark of the season in the 400m (second, 47.02) with his .09-second season best. The New Orleans native came back in the 200m (eighth, 21.32) to miss his season best by only .02 seconds. The pair also ran UO’s 4x100m quartet that won (40.60) and met the regional standard of 40.66. UO claimed two more regional marks in the field events from freshman Ashton Eaton (long jump, first, 24-2 1/2w, w:2.1) and graduate student Brian Richotte (hammer, second, 216-9) were just shy of their season bests of 24-5 1/2 and 218-8, respectively. Freshmen Zach Ancell (400m, 12th, 49.49) and Ryan Waite (800m, third, 1:52.32) claimed .12 and .27-second season bests, respectively, and other top UO men’s marks came from junior Phil Alexander (100m, sixth, 10.60; 200m, seventh, 21.29) and Eaton (200m, ninth, 21.62).
Penn Relays
PHILADELPHIA (Thu.-Sat., 4/26-28/07) ? The University of Oregon men’s distance squad enjoyed its busiest trip to the Penn Relays in several decades this past weekend. On the first day, junior Scott Wall won the 5,000m by two seconds (13:57.64). The Portland, Ore., native took the lead with approximately 600m to go, and held off Mark Steeds of Georgia State (second, 13:59.64) and Jordan McDougal of Liberty (third, 14:00.14). Wall’s mark Friday easily met the regional mark of 14:12.00 for the second time this year, and improved on his former personal best (14:08.19) that came in the Stanford Invitational at the end of March. The second day, the distance medley placed seventh (9:40.39) and consisted of redshirt junior Michael McGrath (1,200m 2:58.2), freshmen Chad Barlow (400m 48.5), Andrew Wheating (800m, 1:51.1) and A.J. Acosta (1,600m, 4:02.6). On the third and final day, a UO 4xmile again finished seventh overall (16:28.52) and featured sophomore J.K. Withers (4:08.3), Acosta (4:01.5), McGrath (4:10.3) and Wheating (4:08.4).
PAC-10 EXPERIENCE: Duck M&W Each Sport 18 Pac-10 Championships Vets
The Duck men’s roster includes nine Pac-10 scoring veterans ? including senior Tommy Skipper, a former pole vault and decathlon champion, and junior Galen Rupp, a four-time top-four finisher, among its 18 league veterans. The UO women sport 10 return league scorers, including returning champions Rebekah Noble (800m) and Rachel Yurkovich, among their 18 individuals with championship experience.
Women’s Pac-10 Championships Returnees
100m - Ashley Bridenbeck, Jr. - 16th-p, 12.51, 2006
400m - Leah Worthen, So. - 11th-p, 55.81, 2006
400m - Irie Seacy, RJr. - 12th-p, 56.14, 2006; 13th-p, 57.77, 2005
800m - Rebekah Noble, So. - 1st, 2:05.81, 2006
1,500m - Rebekah Noble, So. - 9th, 4:30.19, 2006
Steeplechase - Dana Buchanan, Sr. - 4th, 10:35.59, 2006
Steeplechase - Emily Mathis, RSr. - 10th, 10:53.95, 2006
5,000m - Zoe Nelson, So. - 9th, 17:08.60, 2006
5,000m - Emily Mathis, RSr. - 18th, 18:00.27, 2006
10,000m - Sarah Pearson, Jr. - 7th, 36:01.14, 2006
10,000m - Zoe Nelson, So. - 8th, 36:14.11, 2006
100m Hurdles - Kalindra McFadden, RSo. - 14th, 14.49, 2006
400m Hurdles - Kasey Harwood, Jr. - 4th, 59.84, 2006; 12th-p, 62.69, 2005
400m Hurdles - Amanda Santana, RJr. - 10th-p, 62.20, 2006; 12th-p, 62.46, 2004
4x100m - Jordan, Bridenbeck, Searcy, Worthen, 7th, 47.23, 2006
4x400m - Bridenbeck, Searcy, Harwood, Worthen, 5th, 3:42.21, 2006
High Jump - Kalindra McFadden, So. ? No Height, 2006
Pole Vault - Emily Enders, Sr. - 8th, 12-11.5, 2006; 7th, 12-11.5, 2005; 5th, 13-2.25, 2004
Pole Vault - Tara Rhein, So. - 19th, 11-5.75, 2006
Discus - Lucy Cridland, So. - 10th, 135-2, 2006
Javelin - Rachel Yurkovich, So. - 1st, 166-3, 2006
Javelin - Ashley McCrea, So. - 5th, 150-0, 2006
Hammer - Britney Henry, RSr. - 4th, 210-3, 2006
Hammer - Megan Maloney, So. - 14th, 165-11, 2006
Heptathlon - Kalindra McFadden, RSo. - 6th, 5,036, 2006
Oregon Men’s Pac-10 Championships Returnees
100m - Jordan Kent, RSr. - 5th, 10.55, 2005; 6th, 10.57, 2003
200m - Jordan Kent, RSr. - 7th, 21.15, 2006; 5th-p, 20.82, 2005; 4th, 21.47, 2003
800m - Mike McGrath, RJr. - 5th, 1:51.28, 2006; 10th-p, 1:50.69, 2004
1,500m - Mike McGrath, RJr. - 5th, 3:44.70, 2006
800m - Duke Wasteney, So. - 17th, 3:52.71, 2006
Steeple Chris Winter, RSo. - 4th, 8:52.09, 2006
5,000m - Galen Rupp, Jr. - 3rd, 14:00.94, 2006; 4th, 13:57.43, 2005
5,000m - Carlos Trujillo, RJr. - 18th, 14:47.82, 2006
5,000m - Chris Winter, RSo. - 22nd, 14:55.41, 2006
5,000m - Duke Wasteney, So. - 25th, 15:02.80, 2006
10,000m - Galen Rupp, Jr. - 3rd, 30:42.10, 2006; 2nd, 29:28.09, 2005
10,000m - Pat Werhane, RJr. - 9th, 31:27.19, 2006
110m Hurdles - Jared Huske, So. - 10th, 14.43w , 2006
110m Hurdles - Walter Thurmond III, So. - 15th, 14.97w, 2006
400m Hurdles - Jared Huske, So. - 11th, 53.97, 2006
4x100m - Jones, Kent - 1st, 39.74, 2006
4x400m ? Kent - 2nd, 3:06.75, 2006
High Jump - Alexey Shkuratov, So. - 11th, 6-4.75, 2006
Pole Vault - Tommy Skipper, Sr. - 1st, 18-0.5, 2006; 1st, 18-3.25, 2004
Pole Vault - David Moore, RSr. - 8th-t, 16-0.75, 2005
Long Jump - Alexey Shkuratov, So. - 13th, 22-9.75, 2006
Long Jump - Jordan Kent, RSr. - 17th, 22-1.75, 2006; 5th, 24-3.75, 2005
Shot Put - Colin Veldman, RSr. - 9th, 56-4.5, 2006
Shot Put - Mark Lewis, RSo. - 13th, 52-10.75, 2006
Discus - Colin Veldman, RSr. - 20th, 149-11, 2006
Hammer - Colin Veldman, RSr. - 6th, 192-1, 2006
Javelin - Ryan Brandel, Sr. - 6th, 214-3, 2006
Javelin - Tommy Skipper, Sr. - 11th, 197-3, 2006; 7th, 207-3, 2005; 5th, 215-2, 2004
Javelin - Matt Adams, RSr. - 15th, 184-10, 2005
Decathlon - Tommy Skipper, Sr. - 1st, 7,589, 2004
Decathlon - Alexey Shkuratov, So. - 6th, 6,720, 2006
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).
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).
HAYWARD FIELD IN A NEW LIGHT
Hayward Field hosted its first official meet under its new lighting system in the Oregon Invitational distance carnival portion. Eight 110-foot light poles were placed during the winter 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.
2006 PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS REVIEW
Last year in the Pac-10 Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, the ?Men of Oregon’ finished second with 133 1/2 points behind USC, which totaled 140 points in one of the most exciting league meets in recent history. Arizona followed in third place with 122 points, ahead of Washington (fourth, 99), UCLA (fifth, 97 1/2) and Arizona State (sixth, 76). The UO men have finished top-two in the team race a league-leading five straight seasons for the first time since 1998-92. Individually, the UO men collected 24 top-eight efforts (including both relays) from 16 individuals, and won four events (Matt Scherer, 400m, 45.19; Eric Mitchum, 110m hurdles, 13.56; Tommy Skipper, pole vault, 18-0 1/2; 4x100m relay, 39.74). The UO women were led by a pair of winners - freshmen Rebekah Noble (800m, 2:05.81) and Rachel Yurkovich (javelin, 166-3) - among their five top-three finishes and 22 top-eight efforts (including both relays) from 17 different women. The DuckS placed fifth - their highest finish since 1999 - and their 97 points was their most since they scored 144 to finish second in 1996. Overall on the women’s side, Arizona State won its first team crown with 154 points to narrowly edge returning champion Stanford (second, 151 1/2 points), USC (third, third, 112), UCLA (fourth, 103) and Oregon (fifth, 97). The Oregon women equaled their previous number of individual titles in the six Pac-10 meets since 2000 (2) thanks to Noble and Yurkovich, and had won only two other titles in the span from 1997-99.
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.
OTHER UPCOMING MEETS AT HISTORIC HAYWARD FIELD
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. The next day, Sunday, May 26, America’s top sprinters, jumpers, throwers and runners will get another chance to compete at Hayward Field in the second annual Road to Eugene ?08 meet. Scheduled from 2:00-4:00 p.m., the meet will feature 15 events and over $150,000 in prize money. Get more meet information online at the www.GoDucks.com website.
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.
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
2007 Osaka World Championships: http://www.osaka2007.jp/index_e.html
2008 Beijing Olympics: http://en.beijing2008.cn/
PAC-10 MEN’S HISTORY: Duck Men Leading the Pack.
The Pac-10 men’s championships were created in 1979 when the addition of Arizona and Arizona State enlarged the former Pac-8 format (1965-78). Overall, the Duck men have won five Pac-10 team titles (1979, 1986, 1990, 1991, 2003), and three Pac-8 titles (1965, 1967, 1978). Last year, UO notched its league-leading fifth straight top-two finish when it took second with 133 1/2 points behind USC (first, 140). Oregon has won two crowns in that span ? in 2003 (131 points) over Stanford by one point and in 2005 (school record 152oints ) over UCLA (134 1/2). Overall, UCLA leads the Pac-10 men’s charts with 12 team crowns (1980, 82, 87, 88, 89, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, ?04). Other programs with titles to their credit include Washington State (3 - 1983, 84, 85), USC (4 - 1997, 99, 00, ?06), Stanford (2 - 2001, 02) and Arizona (1 - 1981).
PAC-10 WOMEN’S HISTORY: Duck M&W Have Cemented Their Place in History.
With the official formation of the Pac-10 women’s conference in 1986-87, UCLA has dominated the league finale with 15 wins total (1987, 88, 89, 90, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, ?04) until the past two years when Stanford won in 2005 (173 points) and Arizona State triumphed in 2006 (154 points). Oregon interrupted UCLA’s run in the early 90s with back-to-back crowns in 1991 over the Bruins (130 1/2-112 1/2) and in 1992 over Arizona (123-90). USC owns the other crown from 1996 over the Ducks (151-144).
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