Road to Pac-10 Championships Begins at the Oregon Preview
Fresh off the NCAA Indoor Championships, the road to the 2009 Pac-10 Track and Field Championships begins on Saturday, March 21 at the traditional Oregon Preview. The first events, the men’s javelin and the women’s hammer, go off at 12:30 p.m., while the first running event, the women’s 4x100 meter relay, starts at 1 p.m.
MEET THE DUCKS, MEET THE CHAMPIONS
The theme of the Oregon Preview is "Meet the Ducks," and that will certainly be appropriate with numerous competitors expected to make their UO debuts. The meet will also serve as a home welcoming for the 2009 Men’s NCAA Indoor NCAA Champions and the 2009 women’s indoor All-Americans, who will be recognized with a special victory lap during the Preview Meet. The Ducks will also host a post-meet autograph session and distribute 2009 track posters.
THROWERS CARNIVAL
While their teammates saw action during the indoor season, most of the Oregon throwers have been patiently watching from the sidelines. So the Oregon Preview will mark the 2009 debut for the likes of Olympic Trials competitors Cyrus Hostetler and Ashley McCrea in the javelin and U.S. Junior Championships competitors Jordan Stray (men’s hammer) and Britton Nelson (men’s javelin), though Stray did toss the weight throw indoors. Other throwers in action for the first time in 2009 include Pac-10 Championships scorers Steven Johnson (hammer), Megan Maloney (hammer), and Lucy Cridland (discus) and NCAA Regional qualifier Scott Penny (hammer).
The Preview will also be the first outdoor competition in an Oregon uniform for junior Rita Santibanez (shot put, discus), and sophomore Sara Cole (hammer), who transferred to Oregon from Colgate and Western Oregon, respectively. Redshirt freshmen Randall Horn (shot put, discus) and Cam Norris (discus, hammer) will be making their varsity debuts for the men.
OREGON ENTRIES
There will also be a number of new faces in Oregon uniforms for the first time at Hayward Field competing at the Preview. Also in addition to Oregon, those teams sending competitors to the Preview include Oregon State, Portland, Portland State, Idaho State and Lipscomb from Tennessee.
A complete list of entries can be found at www.goducks.com.
RESULTS
Live results will be available on www.goDucks.com.
PREVIEW SURPRISES
In spite of being the outdoor season opener, the Oregon Preview has offered a fair number of surprising performances. At the 2007 preview, Rachel Yurkovich unleashed what at the time was a Pac-10, school and Hayward Field record javelin throw of 184-6. The year before in 2006, there was Tommy Skipper’s famous one-attempt clearance at 19-0 in the pole vault. In 1991, former Duck Annette (Hand) Peters nearly broke 9:00 in the 3,000 meters when she came in at 9:02.6. Going back to 1980, Alberto Salazar clocked 28:13.33 in the 10,000 meters, which was just :07 off his collegiate best. There was also the 1996 Preview where Lance Deal, now Oregon’s throws coach, popped a 257-9 in the hammer. Even last season produced a pleasant surprise when an Oregon freshman named Jamesha Youngblood leapt 41-11.25 in the triple jump, which was the second-best in school history. Youngblood is entered in the triple jump again this year.
LOCAL DEBUTS
Many in-state athletes will be making their varsity outdoor Oregon debuts at the Preview meet. Included in that list is Cyrus Hostetler in the men’s javelin (Dundee), Rita Santibanez (Salem) and Sara Cole (Independence) in the women’s shot put, Lane Seals (North Bend) in the men’s long jump, Rebecca Rhodes (Salem) in the women’s 100 meter hurdles, Cam Norris (Vancouver, Wash.) in the men’s hammer, Brian Schaudt (Philomath) in the men’s triple jump, Phillip Campbell (Portland), Ingmar Kerem (Portland) and Danny Staats (Klamath Falls) in the high jump and Ashley Potter (Springfield) in the women’s triple jump.
RETURN SHOWING
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Dana Buchanan is entered in the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase. Buchanan was granted a rare sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA due to medical hardship.
RUPP SETS ALL-AMERICA MARK
With 12 career All-America awards (nine track, three cross country), senior Galen Rupp is now the most honored student-athlete in school history. With three NCAA championships at the 2009 indoor nationals, Rupp passed Leann Warren, who earned 10 All-America awards combined between women’s track and cross country. Here’s a look at the top five:
Oregon Career All-America Awards, All Sports
1. 12 Galen Rupp, 2005-09 9 MTK, 3 MXC
2. 10 Leann Warren, 1980-85 8 WTK, 2 WXC
3. 8 Steve Prefontaine, 1970-73 4 MTK, 4 MXC
8 Kathy Hayes, 1981-85 5 WTK, 3 WXC
8 Matt Scherer, 2003-06 8 MTK
On the track-only list, his nine career All-America awards re also now tops in University history.
Oregon Career All-America Awards, Track & Field Only
1. 9 Galen Rupp, 2005-09 MTK
2. 8 Leann Warren, 1980-85 WTK
8 Matt Scherer, 2003-06 MTK
3. 6 Kedar Inico, 2004-05 MTK
6 Tommy Skipper, 2005-07 MTK
IN THE INDOOR RECORD BOOKS
Oregon broke 15 indoor records during the recently completed season. Every men’s indoor record between 800 meters and 5,000 meters fell in 2009. That list included Galen Rupp’s American indoor 5,000 meter record of 13:18.12 that he ran Feb. 13 at Fayetteville. His time also set a collegiate record and broke Alberto Salazar’s 1981 school record (13:22.6). Rupp also set the American collegiate record at 3,000 meters at the Reebok Indoor Championships in Boston, running 7:44.69.
Other records on the men’s side included the 800 meters (Andrew Wheating, 1:47.03), mile (Matthew Centrowitz, 3:57.92), heptathlon (Ashton Eaton, 6,174 points) and distance medley relay (Jordan McNamara, Chad Barlow, Wheating, Rupp/9:29.39).
For the women, records have come in the 60 meters (Amber Purvis, 7.34), 200 meters (Purvis, 24.15), 400 meters (Keshia Baker, 53.27), 5,000 meters (Lindsey Scherf, 15:55.67), 60 meter hurdles (Brianne Theisen, 8.54), 4x400 meter relay (Jamesha Youngblood, Purvis, Leah Worthen, Baker/3:36.52), distance medley relay (Nicole Blood, Purvis, Zoe Buckman, Alexandra Kosinski/11:02.81), long jump (Youngblood, 21-1.25) and heptathlon (Theisen, 4,321).
MEN’S TRACK SIGNS FIVE
Five multi-talented high school student-athletes from across the country have signed national letters of intent to compete for the University of Oregon next season, as announced by Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna. The five are Ben Dejarnette of Mechanicsville, Va., Mac Fleet of San Diego, Calif., Elijah Greer of Lake Oswego, Ore., Mitchell Hunt of Fremont, Neb., and Elliott Jantzer of Medford, Ore. Greer set a personal best of 1:47.68 to win the 800 meters at the 2008 USATF Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Not only did his finish earn him a spot on the U.S. Junior World Team, but his time led the nation’s prep ranks and was the fourth-fastest ever by a high school runner in the United States. Fleet cemented his status as one of the nation’s top prep runners by winning the junior mile at the Feb. 7 Reebok Boston Indoor Games. A Nike Cross Nationals qualifier, Jantzer is a six-time Oregon state champion over an impressive range of distances. Competing for Atlee High School, Dejarnette finished second in both the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters at the 2008 Virginia state meet. He ran 4:14.84 in the 1,600 meter race and 9:25.18 at 3,200 meters. Hunt was the 2008 Nebraska state champion at 3,200 meters where he ran 9:25.32, after finishing sixth in the 3,200 meters as a sophomore (9:53.08).
WOMEN’S TRACK SIGNS EIGHT
The Oregon women’s track and field team signed eight talented high school athletes to national letters of intent during the February signing period.
The eight are led by Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year Jordan Hasay of San Luis Obispo, Calif. She is joined in the Ducks’ 2009 recruiting class by Laura Bobek of Astoria, Ore., Becca Friday of Bellingham, Wash., Alexandra Jones of Lake Oswego, Ore., Sarah Penney of Paradise Valley, Ariz., Chloe Steinbeck of Beaverton, Ore., Melanie Thompson of High Bridge, N.J., and Taylor Wallace of Klamath Falls, Ore.
