Ducks' Sprinters, Jumpers, and Throwers Migrate to Sacramento Track Meet
Sophomore All-American Ashton Eaton heads a field of about 50 University of Oregon track & field athletes who will compete in the Sacramento State Nike Elite meet Thursday through Saturday in Hornet Stadium.
Eaton, who finished sixth in the heptathlon in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships earlier this month, will attempt to gain a qualifying mark for the NCAA outdoor collegiate championships in the decathlon in the Sacramento, Calif., meet Thursday and Friday, while the majority of the Ducks’ contingent will compete Saturday.
Joining the Bend standout in the decathlon will be Nyssa, Ore., sophomore Marshall Ackley, while Bozeman, Mont., junior Kalindra McFadden and Grass Valley, Ore., sophomore Erin Funkhouser will take part in the heptathlon.
The automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA outdoor decathlon championships is 7,500 points and 5,500 points in the heptathlon. Eaton recorded a personal-best 7,123 points a year ago in finishing second in the event Pacific-10 Conference Championships.
McFadden, who qualified for the NCAA championships in 2006 and placed sixth in last season’s conference meet, accumulated her personal-best 5,428 points two years ago.
Oregon’s entries for Saturday will consist of sprinters, jumpers and throwers, with the men’s 800 meters being the longest distance the Ducks will run.
Senior Phil Alexander, who posted a NCAA regional qualifying mark in last week’s 200 meters (21.04), will compete in his first 100 of the season. Senior Colin Veldman looks to add two feet to his performance from a week ago in the men’s discus (167-11) in order to add the event to his agenda in the regional meet after surpassing the regional standard in last week’s hammer throw. Veldman will join teammates Jordan Stray and Steven Johnson in the hammer as the trio of regional qualifiers look to improve their seasonal bests of 198-5, 205-11 and 198-10, respectively.
On the women’s side, 2007 NCAA outdoor All-American Rachel Yurkovich will make her first appearance of the season in the javelin after finishing fifth in the country last season. She will join junior Ashley McCrea and sophomore Kara Meeuwsen in the event, with the pair posting regional qualifying marks last week after scoring third and fifth, respectively in last year’s Pac-10 championships.
Oregon’s Tentative Entries
m100 - Phil Alexander
m200 - Alexey Shkuratov
m400 - Alexey Shkuratov
m800 - Chad Barlow, Marcus Dillon
m400H - Zach Ancell, Justin Cross, Eric Hersey, Jared Huske
mHJ - A.J. O’Connor, Vernell Warren
mPV - Brian McGinty, Colin Witter-Tilton
mLJ - Bret Johnson, Vernell Warren
mDT - Colin Veldman
mHT - Steven Johnson, Jordan Stray, Colin Veldman
Dec. - Marshall Ackley, Aston Eaton, Aaron McVein
4x100 Relay
4x400 Relay
w100 - Ashley Bridenbeck, Kavina Hall, Amy Skofstad
w200 - Ashley Bridenbeck, Kavina Hall, Kourtney Parks, Irie Search, Mandy White, Leah Worthen
w400 - Kourtney Parks, Irie Search, Mandy White, Leah Worthen
w400H - Kasey Harwood
wHJ - Jasmine Kelly
wPV - Jordan Roskelley, Liddell Steele
wLJ - Amy Skofstad
wDT - Lucy Cridland
wHT - Megan Maloney
wJT - Ashley McCrea, Kara Meeuwsen, Liddell Steele, Rachel Yurkovich
Hep. - Erin Funkhouser, Kalindra McFadden, Brianne Theisen
4x100 Relay
4x400 Relay
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