No. 1 Ducks to Host No. 16 UCLA in a Classic Dual
No. 1 Oregon hosts No. 16 UCLA in a classic men’s dual meet on Saturday, April 18 at 12:35 p.m. at Historic Hayward Field. Meanwhile, the women’s team will send a number of competitors to the Mt. SAC Relays Friday and Saturday in Walnut, Calif.
RESULTS
Live results for the UCLA dual will be available on www.goducks.com. Live results for the Mt. SAC Relays will be available at www.mtsacrelays.com. Final results will also be posted on www.goducks.com.
LIVE TELEVISION
The Oregon Sports Network will broadcast the Oregon-UCLA dual meet live on Comcast Sports Net Northwest (Channel 37) beginning at 1 p.m. Announcers are Joe Giansante and Prefontaine Classic meet director Tom Jordan. The meet will also be televised live on the O-Zone on www.goducks.com.
Oregon Track with Vin Lananna
The first "Oregon Track with Vin Lananna" coaches show will air Sunday, April 20 on Comcast Sports Net Northwest (Channel 37). Subsequent programs will include May 11 and May 18. Check local listings for air times and rebroadcasts.
82 - THE MAGIC NUMBER
The dual meet will be scored using the traditional 5-3-1 point system (5-0 relays), meaning that a total of 163 points are up for grabs; that in turn means that the team that reaches 82 points wins. Also, each team is limited to only 34 competitors, though there is no limit to the number of events each competitor may participate in.
DUAL INDUCTION
Saturday’s dual meet will mark the first collegiate dual competition for a number of Ducks, including four-time NCAA champion and 12-time All-American Galen Rupp. The senior from Portland, Ore., was redshirting last season to concentrate on the 2008 Olympic Trials when the Ducks and Bruins resumed their rivalry for the first time in 23 years. Others who will get their first taste of a dual meet include world javelin leader Cyrus Hostetler, All-America miler Matthew Centrowitz and fellow All-Americans Shadrack Biwott, Diego Mercado and Luke Puskedra.
OREGON-UCLA DUAL HISTORY
17th meeting
Overall: UCLA leads 11-5
At Eugene: UCLA leads 7-5
At Los Angeles: UCLA leads 4-0
Streak: Oregon won 1
4-13-1966 UCLA 91-54 Eugene
4-22-1967 UCLA 85-59 Los Angeles
4-18-1970 UCLA 81-73 Eugene
4-24-1971 UCLA 86-59 Los Angeles
4-14-1973* UCLA 92-62 Eugene
4-13-1974 UCLA 93-61 Los Angeles
4-12-1975 UCLA 89-65 Eugene
4-10-1976 UCLA 82-72 Los Angeles
4-9-1977 UCLA 82.5-71.5 Eugene
4-8-1978 Oregon 83-71 Eugene
4-14-1979 Oregon 85.5-68.5 Eugene
4-9-1983 Oregon 85-78 Eugene
4-7-1984 Oregon 86-77 Eugene
4-13-1985 UCLA 100-63 Eugene
4-23-1994+ UCLA 85-78 Eugene
4-19-2008 Oregon 94-69 Eugene
* - Four team meet with Oregon, UCLA, Nebraska and Washington State was scored as dual meets
+ - Pepsi Team Invitational (Oregon, UCLA, Washington) was also scored as dual meets
Oregon-UCLA Dual Meet Men’s Records
100 Meters 10.47 Eric Brown, UCLA 1979
200 Meters 20.75 Greg Foster, UCLA 1979
400 Meters 46.7 Dacre Bowen, Oregon 1976
46.74 Ashton Eaton, Oregon 2008
800 Meters 1:47.21 Joaquim Cruz, Oregon 1984
1,500 Meters 3:42.77 Rudy Chapa, Oregon 1978
3,000 Meter Steeplechase 8:30.97 Don Clary, Oregon 1979
5,000 Meters 13:47.80 Alberto Salazar, Oregon 1977
110 Meter Hurdles 13.70 Steve Kerho, UCLA 1985
400 Meter Hurdles 50.56 Don Ward, Oregon 1984
4x100 Meter Relay 39.7 UCLA 1971
(Echols, Roginson, Edmonson, Collett)
4x400 Meter Relay 3:12.25 Oregon 2008
(Dillon, Ancell, Barlow, Eaton)
Mile Relay 3:08.6 UCLA 1973
(Guerrero, Cooper, Gaddis, Brown)
High Jump 7-2.25 Rick Fletcher, UCLA 1973
Pole Vault 18-4.75 Kory Tarpenning, Oregon 1985
Long Jump 25-11.75 Jerry Herndon, UCLA 1974
Triple Jump 53-1.75 Willie Banks, UCLA 1976
Shot Put 67-7 John Brenner, UCLA 1984
Discus 201-8 Dave Voorhees, Oregon 1976
Hammer 243-1 Ken Flax, Oregon 1985
Javelin (new implement) 234-0 Greg Johnson, UCLA 1994
Javelin (old implement) 274-0 Brian Crouser, Oregon 1985
WHAT TO WATCH
Individual NCAA rankings are somewhat skewed at this early juncture in the outdoor season, and the rankings are further obfuscated by the fact that the Pac-10 takes 2009 indoor marks into account, while the NCAA does not. Regardless, here’s a look at some ranked competitors in Saturday’s dual meet:
200 Meters
UCLA freshman Karlton Rolle is 34th nationally and third in the Pac-10 at 200 meters (21.12). He also has the meet’s top mark in the 100 meters (10.65).
400 Meters
Oregon’s Chad Barlow has a season-best of 47.10 (No. 32), which is just ahead of UCLA’s Elijah Wells (47.58) and Oregon’s Ashton Eaton (47.80).
800 Meters
UCLA’s Cory Primm is ranked eighth nationally with his time of 1:49.14, though Oregon’s Andrew Wheating is the top runner in the Pac-10, based on his 1:47.03 from the indoor season.
1,500 Meters
While none of the top runners from either Oregon or UCLA has competed in an outdoor 1,500 this spring, the Ducks have the top three mile-converted times in the Pac-10 from the indoor season in Galen Rupp (3:39.66), Matthew Centrowitz (3:39.72) and Wheating (3:40.91).
5,000 Meters
No. 1 Rupp (13:18.12), No. 6 Luke Puskedra (13:46.52), No. 9 Diego Mercado (13:57.79) and No. 11 Danny Mercado (14:03.27) lead the Ducks in their deep 5K pool.
3,000 Meter Steeplechase
The first running event of the day (1 p.m.) could be one of the most intriguing with the top runner in the Pac-10, Oregon’s Chris Winter (8:52.44) squaring off with No. 3, UCLA’s Dylan Knight (8:56.19). Respectively, the two rank 10th and 15th nationally. UCLA also has the Pac-10’s No. 5 runner in Jake Matthews (9:02.41).
400 Meter Hurdles
Oregon’s David Klech continues to rank among the nation’s best at this distance. He’s second in the Pac-10 and fifth overall with a season best of 50.75.
High Jump
The high jump has the Pac-10’s No. 4 and No. 7 competitors. UCLA’s Tyler Hobson is ranked 34th nationally with a clearance of 7-0.25, but Danny Staats (6-9.75) is not far back.
Pole Vault
The Bruins used a dominating performance in this event to win the 2009 MPSF indoor championships in February, and should be very strong, though the entry limit of 36 athletes per school will play into the strategy here. UCLA has the NCAA’s No. 7 clearance from both Greg Woepse and Dustin DeLeo (17-5), though teammate Johnny Quinn leads the Pac-10 (17-8.5). UCLA’s Casey DiCesare has also cleared 17-0 this spring.
Long Jump
A potentially very competitive field with five of the Pac-10’s top nine competitors as possibilities. Tyler Hobson of UCLA is No. 2 in the conference and No. 12 nationally at 24-11.5. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton is No. 3 in the Pac-10 (24-10.75), while teammate Vernell Warren is No. 5 (24-7.25). Then it’s UCLA’s Nelson Rosario (24-2.5) at No. 7 and Jonathan Clark (23-7.25) at No. 9. Clark is also the best triple jumper in the field and No. 11 in the country at 51-5.5.
Shot Put
UCLA will again be strong in this event with Bo Taylor (61-3.25) and Nick Robinson (60-8.5) ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Pac-10. In the discus, Tom Nagengast (172-7) and Taylor (171-11) lead the competition.
Hammer
The hammer should bear watching with UCLA’s Boldizsar Kocsor challenged by Oregon’s Jordan Stray. Kocsor ranks 12th nationally in the event (212-9), while Stray is at No. 41 (195-8).
Javelin
Oregon features two of the top seven javelin throwers in the nation in No. 1 Cyrus Hostetler (272-10) and No. 7 Alex Wolff (234-4). Those two rank first and fifth in the Pac-10. The Ducks also have the No. 7 thrower in the Pac-10 in Britton Nelson (210-9).
2008 UCLA-OREGON DUAL MEET IN REVIEW
Oregon used wins in 11 events and both relays to score a 94-69 victory over UCLA April 19, 2008, at Historic Hayward Field. It was the most points the Ducks had scored in the history of the series and Oregon’s 25-point win was also its largest. Senior Marcus Dillon won both the 100 and the 200 meters and was on both winning relay teams. Mike Simmons, Alex Wolff and Britton Nelson paced Oregon to a 1-2-3 finish in the javelin, while senior Colin Veldman and Jordan Stray went 1-2 in the hammer. On the oval, Ashton Eaton and Chad Barlow went 1-2 in the 400 meters, while Eaton was also on both relay teams and Barlow ran the 4x400. Andrew Wheating won the 800 meters and A.J. Acosta and Jordan McNamara went 1-2 in the 1,500 meters. Vernell Warren won the high jump and placed second in the long jump, and Kenny Klotz took first in the 5,000 meters. UCLA was strong in the shot put, triple jump pole vault and discus, with Greg Garza leading a Bruin sweep in the discus. UCLA also swept the triple jump as Jonathan Clark won with a mark of 49-0.75. In the shot put, the Bruins’ John Caulfield won and Bo Taylor was second, but Oregon’s Mark Lewis broke up the sweep by taking third. Dustin DeLeo and Johnny Quinn had a 1-2 finish in the pole vault.
DUAL HERITAGE
Saturday’s meet is a harkening back to the dual meet heritage upon which Oregon track & field was built. Track & Field News used to compile dual meet rankings, and 13 times the Ducks finished among the top three nationally between 1970 and 1995. Additionally, Oregon is one of just seven programs to attain T&F News’ No. 1 final dual meet ranking, a feat the University accomplished in 1979, 1989 and 1995.
WOMEN SET FOR MT. SAC RELAYS
A contingent of around 20 women will be heading to Walnut, Calif., and the campus of Mt. San Antonio College for the 51st annual Mt. SAC Relays. At last year’s Mt SAC meet, the Ducks recorded several personal bests, including Nicole Blood in the 5,000 meters (15:43.82), Keshia Baker in the 200 (24.31) and Sarah Pearson (34:29.72) and Zoe Nelson (34:50.59) in the 10,000 meters. Some people to keep an eye on this weekend:
Keshia Baker
The All-American is ranked eighth in the 400 meters (53.27) and set her PR in the 200 meters, 24.31, at the 2008 Mt. SAC meet.
Nicole Blood
The six-time All-American currently leads the nation at 5,000 meters (15:42.13). She ran her best 5K time of the 2008 season, 15:43.82, at this meet last year. Blood is also No. 14 at 1,500 meters (4:20.49).
Mattie Bridgmon
Transfer from Eastern Washington is ranked 17th in the 5,000 meters (16:26.21) and third at 10,000 meters (33:37.73).
Zoe Buckman
Middle-distance specialist is ranked 13th at 800 meters (2:06.62) and 15th at 1,500 meters (4:21.68).
Lucy Cridland
Two-time Pac-10 scorer is 24th nationally in the discus (164-0).
Alex Kosinski
Sophomore is coming off a personal best in the 1,500 meters at the Pepsi Team Invitational two weeks ago. Her time, 4:18.43, has her ranked sixth nationally.
Amber Purvis
The nation’s fastest freshman at 100 and 200 meters, Purvis is No. 4 in the 200 (23.09) and No. 13 in the 100 (11.41). She is also a member of the record-setting 4x100 relay team.
Jamesha Youngblood
All-American is ranked eighth nationally in the long jump (20-8) and No. 41 in the triple jump (40-6.75).
4x100 Meter Relay
The Ducks (Mandy White, Purvis, Baker and Youngblood) set the school record March 28 at Stanford, running 44.64, and rank 14th nationally.
NCAA QUALIFIERS PILE UP
At the one-month mark of the outdoor season, Oregon has already amassed 42 NCAA qualifying marks, 13 for the men and 29 for the women. By comparison, at the same point last season, the Ducks had 39 NCAA marks. See pages 8-9 for a complete list of NCAA marks.
FOUR WOMEN’S MARKS BROKEN THIS SPRING
Four school records have already fallen by the wayside in 2009 and freshman Amber Purvis has had a hand in three of those. At the Pepsi Team Invitational on April 4, Purvis broke 20-year-old records in the 100 meters and 200 meters. She ran 11.41 in the 100 meters and 23.09 at 200 meters. She broke the 100 record of 11.58 by Rosie Williams and LeReina Woods, and broke Williams’ 200 time of 23.39.
The women’s 4x100 meter relay team (Mandy White, Purvis, Keshia Baker, Jamesha Youngblood) ran 44.64 March 28 at Stanford to break a 16-year-old mark that was held by some of the great sprinters in the program’s history -- Woods, Camara Jones, Lisa Bedwell and Jamila Godfrey. Sophomore Claire Michel also broke her own record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, running 10:23.14 March 27 at Stanford.
HOSTETLER KNOCKS DOWN PAC-10 JAVELIN MARK
2008 U.S. Olympic Trials participant Cyrus Hostetler set Pac-10 and Oregon records in the javelin with a throw of 272-10 April 4 at the Pepsi Team Invitational. He broke John Stiegeler’s 2001 mark of 252-10 by 20 feet. That throw leads the world in 2009 and is the fourth-farthest throw in NCAA history.
OTHERS ALSO HIT THE RECORD BOOKS
Other 2009 marks are showing up all over the Ducks’ top 10 lists, including Dana Buchanan (2nd, women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase, 10:28.53), Ashley McCrea (3rd, women’s javelin, 172-1), Nicole Blood (4th, women’s 5,000 meters, 15:42.13), Alex Wolff (4th, men’s javelin, 234-4). Shadrack Biwott (4th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:28.83), Brianne Theisen (5th, women’s high jump, 5-10.5), Mattie Bridgmon (6th, women’s 10,000 meters, 33:37.73), Rita Santibanez (7th, women’s shot put, 48-10.75), Diego Mercado (8th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:48.54), Alexandra Kosinski (8th, women’s 1,500 meters, 4:18.43), Jordan Roskelley (t8th, women’s pole vault, 12-7.5), David Klech (9th, men’s 400 meter hurdles, 50.75), Amber Purvis (10th, women’s 400 meters, 54.27) and Danny Mercado (10th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:53.02). See pages 10-13 for an up-to-date version of the career top 10 lists.
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. He won three NCAA championships at the 2009 indoor nationals to pass 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 are 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 2009 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 came 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 SIX
Six 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., Elliott Jantzer of Medford, Ore., and Jacob Wilson of Vancouver, Wash. 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). Wilson ranked 10th nationally and led the state of Washington in the javelin as a junior in 2008 with a best throw of 207-10. That throw was the winning effort at the Washington 4A state meet.
WOMEN’S TRACK SIGNS EIGHT
The Oregon women’s track and field team signed nine 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., Taylor Wallace of Klamath Falls, Ore., and Anne Kesselring from Germany.
TUESDAYS IN TRACK TOWN
Tuesday, May 5 will mark the next date in the popular series of "Tuesdays in Track Town" town hall meetings. The 60-minute session runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be held at the Bowerman Building. Future dates include June 2.
