All-Stars Slated for Super Pepsi Meet
Oregon hosts the 22nd Pepsi Team Invitational on Saturday at Hayward Field. The first events start at 11:30 a.m., with the featured events getting underway at 12:30 p.m. Three of the men's teams are currently ranked in the top 10 - No. 8 Stanford, No. 9 Nebraska and No. 10 Oregon - along with Washington. On the women's side, two of the very best in the Pac-10 will square off in No. 3 Oregon and No. 16 Stanford, with Nebraska and Washington also bringing strong teams. Nebraska was the 2011 Big XII women's indoor champion.
TELEVISION/WEB CAST
The Oregon Sports Network will televise the meet live from 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m. on Comcast Sports Net (Comcast 37/737HD). The announcers are Rich Cellini, Tom Jordan, Brad Barquist and Jill Savage.
Also, the Pepsi Team Invitational will be available live on goducks.com. A subscription to the O-Zone is required to watch the webcast. The webcast will stream a high definition feed, a first of its kind for goducks.com.
RESULTS
For live results, schedules and accepted entry lists, check www.goducks.com. Final results will also be posted on www.GoDucks.com.
SCORING
The international scoring system will be in place for the Pepsi Team Invitational, which allows schools to score a maximum of two competitors in each event (one team per relay). Individual event scoring is 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Relays will be 9-7-6-5.
TEAMS AT THE PEPSI
Saturday marks the 22nd Pepsi Team Invitational. The Oregon women have won the Pepsi 16 times, while the men have 15 Pepsi titles. Last year, Texas A&M set five meet records, but Oregon swept the competition, outscoring the Aggies 186-151 on the men's side and 212-175.5 on the women's side.
Washington returns to the Pepsi Team Invitational for the 13th time overall. The Huskies have one men's title (2006) and have finished second four times. The UW women have never won the Pepsi, but have four runner-up finishes to their credit. Nebraska is back in the Pepsi for the first time since 1999. In the Cornhuskers' five previous appearances, the men have two titles (1999, 1996), as do the women (1999, 1995). Pac-10 rival Stanford is making its first-ever appearance in the Pepsi Team Invitational.
OREGON ENTRIES
Two-time 2011 NCAA indoor champion Jordan Hasay (mile, 3,000 meters) and Claire Michel, currently ranked No. 1 nationally in the steeplechase (10:11.64), are two of the many highlights among Oregon's entries. The men of Oregon show A.J. Acosta in the 1,500 meters - an event in which he currently ranks fifth nationally (3:45.20) - as well as No. 8 hammer thrower Jordan Stray (214-1/65.26m), No. 21 javelin thrower Alex Wolff (225-0/68.58m) and No. 21 110 meter hurdler David Klech (14.05).
The Ducks also have a number of All-Americans making their outdoor debuts in their featured events. For the women, that list includes All-Americans Mandy White (100/200 meters), Amber Purvis (200/400 meters), Chizoba Okodogbe (200/400 meters), Anne Kesselring (800 meters), Laura Roesler (800 meters), Hasay (1,500 meters), Becca Friday (1,500 meters), Brianne Theisen (100 meter hurdles/high jump/long jump), Melissa Gergel (pole vault) and Jamesha Youngblood (long jump/triple jump).
The case is similar for the men, where All-Americans Mike Berry (200/400 meters), Elijah Greer (800 meters), Matthew Centrowitz (1,500/5,000 meters), Danny Mercado (5,000 meters), Steve Finley (steeplechase) and Justin Frick (high jump) are among the Ducks' entries.
Oregon will also be relying on a large number of newcomers to defend its Pepsi Team Invitational titles. Among those women are freshman English Gardner and junior transfer Lauryn Newson in the 100 meters, Newson and freshman Okodogbe in the 200 meters, Okodogbe and sophomore transfer Devin Gosberry in the 400 meters, freshmen Phillis Francis, Megan Patrignelli and Roesler in the 800 meters, freshmen Sarah Andrews and Lanie Thompson in the 5,000 meters and freshman Olivia Ferrara in both hurdle races.
In the field, the women have freshmen Kortney Ross and Samie Clark in the pole vault, Newson in the long jump, freshmen Laura Bobek and Rachel Perry in the shot put, freshmen Jill Fogelstrom, Hannah Picknell and Bobek in the discus, Bobek in the hammer and sophomore transfer Carolanne Powers and freshmen Felicia Odle and Perry in the javelin.
Newcomers are also prevalent for the men with football freshman Dior Mathis in the 100 meters, Berry in the 200 and 400 meters, junior transfer Bryan Harper in the 400 meters, freshman Boru Guyota in the 800 meters, freshmen Cole Watson, Elliott Jantzer and Daniel Winn in the 1,500 meters, freshmen Parker Stinson and Brian Shrader in the 5,000 meters, junior transfer Kevin Godfrey in the 400 meter hurdles and senior transfer Finley and freshman Tim Costin in the steeplechase.
For the men in the field, it's senior transfer Frick in the high jump, freshman Dakotah Keys and Godfrey in the pole vault, freshman Caleb Kruse and sophomore transfer Josh Smith in the long and triple jumps, Keys in the shot put and discus, sophomore transfer Miles Walk in the hammer and junior transfer Josh Heidegger and freshman Ethan Powell in the javelin.
FEATURED EVENTS
The combined talent on the rosters of the four competing teams has produced a number of intriguing events. In fact, together, 20 of the 38 events will feature at least two All-American competitors. Some of the events to watch:
Women's 1,500 Meters
No less than five All-Americans are entered in this field with 2011 NCAA Indoor mile and 3,000 meter champion Jordan Hasay of Oregon leading the way. She's joined in the field by Washington All-Americans Katie Flood and Megan Goethals, Stanford All-American Stephanie Marcy and Duck All-American Becca Friday.
Men's 1,500 Meters
Six All-Americans from Stanford and Oregon dot the entry list. Oregon has A.J. Acosta and Matthew Centrowitz, while Stanford goes with Chris Derrick, Jake Riley, John Sullivan and Miles Unterreiner.
Men's Pole Vault
The men's pole vault features another 2011 NCAA Indoor champion in Washington's Scott Roth. He'll be joined by fellow All-Americans Nate Polacek and Bjorn Barrefors of Nebraska; Barrefors, a decathlete, is also in the 110 meter hurdles.
Women's Pole Vault
The last two NCAA indoor runners-up are in the field in Stanford's Katerina Stefanidi (2011) and Oregon's Melissa Gergel (2010). They are joined by Nebraska All-American Natalie Willer.
Men's 800 Meters
2011 NCAA Indoor 3,000 meter champion Elliott Heath of Stanford and All-America teammate Andrew Berberick go against Oregon All-American Elijah Greer.
Men's High Jump
One of the more exciting field events has each school represented by an All-American - Jules Sharpe of Stanford, Paul Hamilton of Nebraska, Justin Frick of Oregon and decathlete Jeremy Taiwo of Washington.
Women's Long Jump
All-Americans Jamesha Youngblood of Oregon and Mara Griva of Stanford are joined by NCAA heptathlon champion Brianne Theisen of Oregon and heptathlete Chantae Miller of Nebraska.
Women's Triple Jump
Youngblood and Griva are in the field with Stanford All-American Whitney Liehr.
Men's Javelin
Another excellent men's field event with Husky All-Americans Kyle Nielson and Joe Zimmerman squaring off against Nebraska's Adam Wolkins and Oregon's Alex Wolff.
Men's 5,000 Meters
Oregon All-Americans Danny Mercado and Centrowitz will face off with Nebraska All-American David Adams.
Men's 110 Meter Hurdles
Combined event All-Americans David Klech of Oregon, Taiwo and Barrefors challenge 400 meter hurdle All-American Amaechi Morton of Stanford.
Men's Long Jump
Klech will be joined by Nebraska All-Americans Chris Phipps and Nicholas Gordon.
Men's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
This event has All-Americans Steve Finley and Acosta of Oregon and James Cameron of Washington.
OREGON DECATHLON RECAP
Kevin Godfrey set four personal bests to win the Oregon Decathlon with a career-high 6,808 points April 1-2 at Hayward Field. Godfrey won with a personal-best 6,808 points. Bruce Burbank of Oregon was second with a personal-best 6,656 points.
Godfrey established a decathlon best in winning the pole vault, clearing the bar at 15-3/4.65m. He also had an all-conditions PR in the long jump with a distance of 22-3.5/6.79m and PR'd with a clearance at 6-4/1.93m in the high jump and ran 50.79 in the 400 meters, a personal-best by more than a second. He also won the javelin with a throw of 160-1/48.79m and the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:31.52.
Burbank set seven decathlon bests in establishing a 345-point PR. He opened with a big personal best in the 100 meters, running 11.37 to win the event. He was second in the long jump at 22-6.25/6.86m and also closed with a PR in the 400 meters, running 51.35. Burbank had a nine-foot PR in the discus with a winning throw of 117-0/35.66m. He also won the 110 meter hurdles in 15.64. Burbank set his sixth PR of the competition by clearing 14-11/4.55m in the pole vault. He followed that with yet another best, throwing 109-4/33.32m in the javelin.
Justin Frick, a senior transfer from Princeton competing in his first career decathlon, won the high jump with a clearance at 6-8.75/2.05m. He was also second in the shot put at 37-9.5/11.52m.
STANFORD INVITATIONAL RECAP
Claire Michel broke the school record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Alex Wolff won the javelin and the Ducks captured another pair of relays March 25-26 at the Stanford Invitationl at Cobb Track and Angell Field.
Michel was the top collegian and third overall in the steeplechase, finishing in 10:11.64. That was .06 better than the record the senior from Clackamas, Ore., set in winning the 2010 Pac-10 championship.
The women's 4x100 team of Mandy White, Amber Purvis, Lauryn Newson and English Gardner won in 44.47, which was the fourth-fastest time in school history.
The men's 4x400 relay squad of David Klech, Eric Hersey, Bryan Harper and Mike Berry was also victorious in 3:10.48.
Wolff, a sixth-year senior from Newberg, Ore., won the javelin with a throw of 225-0/68.58m. His best effort came on his third throw of the competition.
Fellow senior A.J. Acosta was impressive in the men's 1,500 meters. The Oceanside, Calif., native was the second collegian and third overall in 3:45.20 in his 2011 debut. David Torrence of Nike won in 3:42.74, with Notre Dame's Jeremy Rae second in 3:44.09.
In the women's 10,000 meters, Bronwyn Crossman and Sarah Andrews ran two of the top nine times in school history. Crossman, a junior from Bellingham, Wash., finished 17th in 33:43.99, which was the No. 8 time at Oregon. Andrews, a freshman from The Woodlands, Texas, was 21st in 33:53.44, which was the ninth-fastest time in school history.
In the women's 100 meters, Alexandria Davidson ran a windy personal-best 11.94 in the preliminaries to advance as the last qualifier for the final. The sophomore from DuPont, Wash., then finished eighth in the final in 12.02.
Senior Amy Skofstad won the collegiate section of the women's long jump with a mark of 18-5.75/5.63m, while sophomore Anne Kesselring was third in the 1,500 meters in 4:18.37.
In the men's 10,000 meters, senior Danny Mercado was 13th in 29:12.00, while freshman Parker Stinson was 15th in a personal-best 29:14.35.
Also for the men, Jordan Stray took second in the men's hammer with a throw of 214-1/65.25m. The senior from Centralia, Wash., was the top collegian in the field and matched his season best mark.
Berry, a freshman from Seattle, Wash., ran a personal-best 21.14 to finish second in his heat of the men's 200 meters.
In the men's 110 meter hurdles final, Klech was second in a personal-best 14.05, while Hersey was third in a wind-legal personal-best 14.20.
Austin Ouderkirk was the runner-up in the men's pole vault. The sophomore from Newport, Ore., cleared an outdoor personal-best 16-6.75/5.05m.
OREGON PREVIEW RECAP
Oregon swept the four relay races and saw individual wins in numerous events, including Eric Hersey in the men's 110 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles, Jordan Stray in the men's hammer and Lauryn Newson in the women's 200 meters March 19 at the Oregon Preview before a Hayward Field crowd of 5,962.
Oregon set a meet record in the women's 4x400 meter relay. The all-newcomer team of Devin Gosberry, Chizoba Okodogbe, Laura Roesler and Phyllis Francis won in 3:44.85. The women's 4x100 relay just missed a meet record but was perhaps more impressive. The team of Alexandria Davidson, Amber Purvis, Newson and English Gardner won in 44.61, which was the fourth-fastest time in school history. Newson came back to win the 200 meters in 24.16, while Gardner captured the 400 meters in 56.20.
The winning relays for the men were Vernell Warren, Mike Berry, Bryan Harper and Matt Butcher in the 4x400 meters, who crossed the tape in 41.04, and Josh Smith, Hersey, Harper and Mike Berry in the 4x400 meter, who won in 3:21.77.
Hersey was actually the three-time champion on Saturday. The junior from Los Altos, Calif., dominated in winning the men's 110 meter hurdles in 14.31 into a strong head wind. He also just missed a personal best in winning the 400 meter hurdles in 53.04.
Stray had his best season opener as a Duck, improving on all four throws in the men's hammer to win at 214-1/65.26m. That was three feet off a personal best for the senior from Centralia, Wash.
Sophomore Becca Friday had a three-second PR in a runner-up finish in section one of the women's 1,500 meters. Geena Gall of Oregon Track Club Elite won in 4:18.12, while Friday was next in 4:21.11.
The Ducks swept the pole vault, with Austin Ouderkirk taking the men's competition (16-0.75/4.90m) and Jordan Roskelley the women's (12-5.5/3.80m).
Rebecca Rhodes won the women's 400 meter hurdles in 1:03.23. The junior from Salem, Ore., also ran a legal-best 14.37 in a runner-up finish in the women's 100 meter hurdles.
Junior Danny Marconi tied for first in the high jump, clearing 6-9.5/2.07m. Freshman Trevor Ferguson, competing unattached, won the men's triple jump in 48-10.25/14.89m.
Senior Amy Skofstad was the winner in the women's long jump, going 17-11/5.46m.
Sophomore Alexandria Davidson set a personal-best in the 100 meters, running 12.09 as the runner-up.
Junior Randall Horn hit a personal best in the men's discus, throwing 156-3/47.76m in a third-place finish.
THEISEN, HASAY, JOHNSON HONORED
Brianne Theisen, Jordan Hasay and Robert Johnson earned some honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as recipients of National Women's Field Athlete, Track Athlete and Coach of the Year, respectively, for the 2011 indoor track & field season in Division I.
A senior from Humboldt, Sask., Theisen twice set the collegiate record in the pentathlon in 2011 and won her second-straight NCAA crown in the event to help Oregon win its second consecutive national title. Her score of 4,540 bettered her previous all-time collegiate best mark of 4,507 set in January at the UW Invitational and ranked among the world's top five in the event for the season. Theisen would earn personal bests of 8.35 in the 60 meter hurdles, 6-0.5 (1.84m) in the high jump and 2:11.82 in the 800 meters en route to this season's national crown. The 60 hurdles and high jump marks are also Oregon indoor school records.
Additionally, Theisen scored at the NCAA meet as a member of Oregon's eighth-place 4x400 relay team. At the MPSF Championships, Theisen was second in the high jump, third in the 60-meter hurdles and led off the winning 4x400 meter relay team as the Ducks won the conference championship for the second straight year.
Hasay, a sophomore from Arroyo Grande, Calif., would lead Oregon to a national team title with a meet-high 22 points, scoring individual national crowns in the mile and 3000 meters and as anchor of the Ducks' runner-up DMR squad. Hasay became the fifth overall and first to win the national mile-3k double since Northern Arizona's Johanna Nilsson in 2006. Hasay won the mile at the NCAA Championships in a personal-best and school record 4:33.01, a mark that is among the all-time top ten of American collegians. In the 3000, Hasay outlasted Villanova's Sheila Reid with a 9:13.71 run to avenge a previous head-to-head loss to Reid in the DMR the night before.
Oregon's women, mentored by Robert Johnson in conjunction with Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna, won back-to-back national titles and did so this year by a wide margin in topping runner-up Texas, 67-38. Twenty-nine points is the largest margin of victory since Texas won the 1998 title by 30 points over nearest challenger LSU.
In his first indoor season as Oregon's associate head coach, Johnson led the Ducks to the 2011 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation team title and a number one national ranking throughout the season. Johnson is in his sixth year overall at Oregon.
OREGON'S NCAA CHAMPIONS
The 2011 Women's Indoor Track & Field title was the 18th national championship in school history. The others are men's outdoor track & field in 1962, 1964, 1965, 1970 and 1984, women's outdoor track & field in 1985, men's indoor track & field in 2009, women's indoor track & field in 2010, men's cross country in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 2007 and 2008, women's cross country in 1983 and 1987, and men's basketball in 1939. The championship is the fifth women's title overall.
A CHAMPIONSHIP TRADITION
Oregon has won six of the last eight Pac-10 titles in men's track and field, including four in a row. The Ducks have conference men's track and field titles in 1923, 1934, 1965, 1967, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1990, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. On the women's side, Oregon's Pac-10 crowns came in 1991, 1992, 2009 and 2010.
OFF-TRACK ACTIVITIES
For the fifth year in a row, the Starting Block will take place prior to every home meet and is geared to get kids moving and staying active. The concept features a high-energy, dynamic space for youth designed for fun and interactive activities that offers youth a chance to practice their athletic skills and learn more about the sport.
