Hayward Field Set to Host Pac-10 Championships
Oregon hosts the 2009 Pacific-10 Conference Track and Field Championships this Saturday and Sunday at Historic Hayward Field. Competition begins at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and at noon on Sunday. The Ducks are the two-time defending men’s champions and have won four of the last six titles. The UO women scored 100 points to finish third in the 2008 championships, held at Arizona State, for their best showing since 1996.
RESULTS
Live results from the Pac-10 Championships will be available on www.goducks.com. and www.pac-10.org. Final results will also be posted on both sites.
SCORING & ENTRY LIMITS
The championship scoring system will be in place for the league meet: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, which is the same in the individual events as the relays. For the Pac-10 championships, each team is allowed to enter a maximum of 28 competitors for men and 28 for the women. There is no limit to the number of events an individual may compete in, but each school is limited to a maximum of eight entrants in any one event.
PAC-10 CHAMPIONS
Oregon has eight Pac-10 champions on its 2009 roster. Here’s the list:
Name Event Year(s)
Keshia Baker W-400 Meters 2008
Shadrack Biwott M-Cross Country 2007
Nicole Blood W-5,000 Meters 2008
Ashton Eaton Decathlon 2008, 2009
Galen Rupp M-5,000 Meters 2007
M-10,000 Meters 2007
M-Cross Country 2006, 2008
Brianne Theisen Heptathlon 2009
Andrew Wheating M-800 Meters 2008
Rachel Yurkovich W-Javelin 2006, 2007, 2008
PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HAYWARD FIELD
This will be the seventh time that Hayward Field has hosted the Pacific-10 Championships (or its predecessors). Previous league meets hosted in Eugene were in 1967, 1973, 1982, 1992, 2000 and 2006. Oregon has won the men’s championship only once as the host school, in 1967, and the situation is the same for the women with a lone home win coming in 1992.
DUCKS BANK 19 POINTS FROM PAC-10 COMBINED COMPETITIONS
Oregon enters this weekend’s Pac-10 championships with 19 points in the bank on each side thanks to identical 1-2-8 finishes in the decathlon and heptathlon. Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen led the 1-2 Oregon, as last week marked the first time in history that one school had claimed the top two spots in both the league’s men’s and women’s combined competitions. Eaton easily defended his Pac-10 decathlon title by scoring 8,091 points -- the fourth straight decathlon that the junior from Bend, Ore., has gone over 8,000 points. He won all five first day events, including a PR of 10.49 in the 100 meters. His day two highlight was a win in the 110 hurdles, where he set a personal best in 14.01 seconds. That was the eighth-fastest 110 hurdle time in school history. Theisen set personal bests in all three running events in scoring a personal-best 5,986 points to become just the second Pac-10 heptathlon champion from Oregon, joining Kelly Blair who won in 1993 and 1994. Her score leads the NCAA in 2009 and was the sixth-best in Pac-10 history. Her running event PR’s included 13.86 in the 100 meter hurdles, 24.02 in the 200 meters and 2:14.57 in the 800 meters, as well as her shot put of 39-0.25. Theisen also won the high jump (5-10). While Eaton was becoming the first Duck to win back-to-back Pac-10 titles since Pedro daSilva in 1990-91, Oregon’s Marshall Ackley fought to the finish to hold off Washington’s Jeremy Taiwo for second place. The junior from Nyssa, Ore., tallied 7,337 points, a 404-point PR. Oregon’s Aaron McVein was eighth with a personal-best 6,664 points. In the heptathlon, Kalindra McFadden followed Theisen with a personal-best 5,780 points -- third on the UO career list and third in the nation this season. Erin Funkhouser was eighth with a personal-best 4,881 points. Theisen’s score was the sixth-best in Pac-10 history, while McFadden had the 10th-best score in league annals.
OREGON’S ENTRIES
The Ducks have 40 competitors who are ranked among the top 10 in their respective events for the 2009 Pac-10 Championships. Among those are Pac-10 leaders Galen Rupp (5,000, 10,000) Ashton Eaton (decathlon, long jump), Andrew Wheating (800), Matthew Centrowitz (1,500), Cyrus Hostetler (javelin), Chris Winter (3,000 steeplechase), Rachel Yurkovich (javelin), Nicole Blood (5,000), Brianne Theisen (heptathlon), Zoe Buckman (800) and Mattie Bridgmon (10,000).
A CHAMPIONSHIP TRADITION
Oregon has won four of the last six Pac-10 titles in men’s track and field. The Ducks have conference men’s track and field titles in 1965, 1967, 1979, 1986, 1990, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. On the women’s side, Oregon’s Pac-10 crowns came in 1991 and 1992.
DIFFICULT DOUBLE
Only one school has won both the Pac-10 men’s and women’s championship in the same season, UCLA. The Bruins have actually accomplished that feat eight times: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 and 2004.
DUCKS REACH 75 NCAA QUALIFIERS
Oregon has accumulated an astonishing 75 NCAA qualifying marks, 36 for the men and 39 for the women. By comparison, at the same point last season, the Ducks had 59 NCAA marks. The women have at least one NCAA mark in every event, save the 400 meter hurdles. The 2009 list includes NCAA Championships automatic marks by Galen Rupp, Shadrack Biwott and Luke Puskedra in the men’s 10,000 meters, Ashton Eaton in the decathlon and Brianne Theisen and Kalindra McFadden in the heptathlon, as well as NCAA provisional marks by Mattie Bridgmon in the women’s 10,000 meters, Diego and Danny Mercado in the men’s 10,000 meters and Marshall Ackley in the decathlon.
DUCKS BREAK COLLEGIATE, HAYWARD FIELD RECORDS IN THE FOUR-MILE RELAY
Oregon broke the collegiate and Hayward Field records in the four-mile relay, running 16:03.24 May 9 before a cheering crowd of 5,726. With fans lining the historic oval at the corner of 15th and Agate, the Ducks broke Michigan’s 2005 collegiate record of 16:04.54 and the 1968 Hayward Field record of 16:05.0, set by Oregon Track Club, one of whom’s runners, Wade Bell, was in attendance Saturday night. Oregon opened the record attempt with redshirt freshman Matthew Centrowitz, who ran 3:59.53. Then 2008 Olympian Andrew Wheating took the baton for a 3:59.60 second leg. Senior Shadrack Biwott clocked a 4:05.21 third leg before handing off to four-time NCAA champion Galen Rupp, who brought the record home with a 3:58.93 final leg.
Oregon Track with Vin Lananna
The final “Oregon Track with Vin Lananna” coaches show will air Monday, May 18 on Comcast Sports Net Northwest (Channel 37). Check local listings for air times and rebroadcasts.
ALUMNI INVITED TO SPECIAL RECEPTION AT THE PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Oregon track and field programs are inviting all track and field alumni to a reception that will be held Saturday, May 16 in conjunction with the upcoming Pacific-10 championships. The reception will be held at Historic Hayward Field following the completion of the first day of the Pac-10 meet, which runs May 16-17. Oregon staff will join alumni for the reception, which will include food and beverages, bringing together generations of Duck track and field athletes. Alumni are encouraged to take advantage of this special opportunity to reconnect with teammates, coaches, and friends. To order both homecoming reception and meet tickets, download the reservation request form available on www.goducks.com. (Contact Info: Patrick Werhane, 541-346-2260, email: pwerhane@uoregon.edu).
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.
CENTROWITZ JOINS RECORD PARTY
Last week at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, Matthew Centrowitz ran the fastest 1,500 meter time in the nation this season, 3:36.92. His time was less than half a second off Olympic gold medalist Joaquim Cruz’s 1984 school record of 3:36.48. The redshirt freshman’s time ranks third all-time at Oregon, behind only Cruz and Centrowitz’s father, Matt Centrowitz, who clocked 3:36.70 in 1976. It was also the seventh-fastest time in NCAA history. Centrowitz was named Pac-10 athlete of the week for his performance.
OTHERS ALSO HIT THE RECORD BOOKS
Other 2009 marks are showing up all over the Ducks’ top 10 lists, including Brianne Theisen (2nd, heptathlon, 5,986 points), Dana Buchanan (2nd, women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase, 10:28.53), Ashley McCrea (3rd, women’s javelin, 172-1), Kalindra McFadden (3rd, heptathlon, 5,780 points), Shadrack Biwott (4th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:28.83; 8th men’s 5,000 meters, 13:36.25), Nicole Blood (4th, women’s 5,000 meters, 15:42.13), Melissa Gergel (4th, women’s pole vault, 13-7.25), Alex Wolff (5th, men’s javelin, 234-4), Theisen (5th, women’s high jump, 5-10.5), Theisen (5th women’s 100 hurdles, 13.86). Keshia Baker (5th, 200 meters, 23.84), Mattie Bridgmon (6th, women’s 10,000 meters, 33:37.73), Luke Puskedra (6th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:34.17), Jordan Roskelley (7th, women’s pole vault, 12-11.5), Rita Santibanez (7th, women’s shot put, 48-10.75), Zoe Buckman (7th, women’s 1,500 meters, 4:16.66), Shadrack Biwott (8th, men’s 5,000 meters, 13:36.25), Ashton Eaton (8th, men’s 110 hurdles, 14.01), David Klech (9th, men’s 400 meter hurdles, 50.75), Jasmime Kelly (9th, women’s high jump, 5-8.75), Alexandra Kosinski (9th, women’s 1,500 meters, 4:18.43), Diego Mercado (9th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:48.54) and Amber Purvis (10th, women’s 400 meters, 54.27). 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
TUESDAYS IN TRACK TOWN
Tuesday, June 2 will mark the final 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.
THE SENIORS
The University of Oregon recently honored 22 senior track and field student athletes at their final regular season home appearance during the Twilight Meet. The 11 seniors on the men’s side have led Oregon to two Pac-10 titles (2007, ’08) and the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championship.
The list includes three-time All-American and 2007 Pac-10 cross country champion Shadrack Biwott (Eldoret, Kenya), Vincent D’Onofrio (Castro Valley, Calif.), Brett Johnson (Kentfield, Calif.), Steven Johnson (Medford, Ore.), A.J. O’Connell (Creswell, Ore.), four-time NCAA champion, 12-time All-American and four-time Pac-10 champion Galen Rupp (Portland, Ore.), Curtis Suver (Lake Tapps, Wash.), Tanner Targett (Bellevue, Wash.), All-American Scott Wall (Portland, Ore.), Chris Winter (North Vancouver, B.C.) and James Withers (Santa Rosa, Calif.).
The story is much the same on the women’s side where last season, the 11 seniors led Oregon to its best finish in the Pac-10 in 12 years (third), and its best showing at the NCAA Championships in 15 years (eighth).
The 11 seniors are All-American Dana Buchanan (Beachburg, Ontario), Lucy Cridland (Portland, Ore.), three-time All-American Melissa Grelli (Cupertino, Calif.), Megan Maloney (Barrington, R.I.), Ashley McCrea (North Bend, Ore.), All-American Kalindra McFadden (Bozeman, Mont.), Zoe Nelson (Kalispell, Mont.), four-time All-American Lindsey Scherf (Scarsdale, N.Y.), Tara Starodubtseva (Eugene, Ore.), Leah Worthen (Coos Bay, Ore.) and NCAA champion, three-time All-American and three-time Pac-10 champion Rachel Yurkovich (Newberg, Ore.).
INDOOR PR’S
Not only did the indoor season produce an NCAA Championship for the men’s team and an all-time best showing for the women, it also yielded an unusually high number of personal bests in events that Oregon student-athletes will compete in during the spring. At the top of that list is Galen Rupp’s American indoor record of 13:18.12 in the 5,000 meters.
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.
