Ducks to Run DMR, Salute Seniors in the Twilight
Oregon concludes the regular season by hosting the Oregon Twilight meet on Friday at 4:15 p.m. at Historic Hayward Field. The Ducks will pay tribute to a remarkable group of 20 seniors who have brought Oregon's programs back to national prominence by winning Pac-10 and NCAA championships and earning dozens of All-America awards. In addition to the traditional senior ceremony, this year's Twilight meet will also feature an extraordinary number of additional attractions. Among them:
* Track and field alumni reunion; more than 100 alums are expected to attend.
* Actor Sam Elliott will be on hand in person to introduce a new documentary about Bill Bowerman, titled "Builderman" that will be shown publicly for the first time Friday night. Elliott, a Brownsville, Ore., resident famous for his big screen roles in Tombstome and The Big Lebowski, brings his distinctive voice as the narrator for the new film.
* The Twilight meet's tradition of reaching out to the younger generation of fans continues with the kids' half-lapper and middle school miles.
* Greek Relays. Eight fraternities and five sororities will vie for the title of fastest house on campus in 4x100 meter relays.
This weekend also marks the opening of the championship season with the Pac-10 heptathlon and decathlon taking place in Tucson, Ariz. Competition starts at 4 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at Drachman Stadium.
WEB CAST
The Oregon Sports Network will offer a free webcast of the Oregon Twilight on www.GoDucks.com beginning at 5:30 p.m. Former Duck track coach Tom Heinonen will handle the announcing duties.
RESULTS
For live results, schedules and accepted entry lists, check www.goducks.com. Final results will also be posted on www.GoDucks.com.
FEATURED SECTIONS
While the Twilight meet begins at 4:15, the featured sections coincide with the beginning of the free webcast at 5:30. That's when the men's 100 meters goes off in a football heavy race of LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and Dior Mathis of Oregon, Markus Wheaton and Keynan Parker of Oregon State and former Duck Jordan Kent. Also look for exciting fields in the men's 3,000 meters, 110 meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, hammer and javelin, and the women's 800 and 1,500 meters, hammer and javelin. And of course the distance medley relay.
ON THE TRACK
With all the extracurricular activities going on at the Twilight meet, it would be almost easy to forget the action going on inside the oval. That would be a mistake. To wit: the final event of the night is a rare distance medley relay between Oregon and the Oregon Track Club Elite. There are also a number of elite athletes entered in the meet as many have their eyes on the USA Track & Field Championships at the end of June. Among the more notable men's names are the OTC Elite's Ashton Eaton, Stephen Pifer, Ben Bruce and Cyrus Hostetler, as well as Jordan Kent. For the women, it's Maggie Vessey (New Balance), Kim Kreiner, Latavia Thomas and Erin Donohue (Nike), Britney Henry and Brie Felnagle (adidas), Loree Smith (New York Athletic Club) and OTC Elite's Bridget Franek. That's not to mention all the Oregon entries, like Jamesha Youngblood, Anne Kesselring, Becca Friday, Laura Roesler, Claire Michel, Melissa Gergel, Mandy White, Amber Purvis, English Gardner, LaMichael James, Dior Mathis, Kenjon Barner, Elijah Greer, Boru Guyota, Eric Hersey, Brian Schaudt, Jordan Stray and Alex Wolff.
KIDS' HALF-LAPPER
All kids aged 5-12 are welcome to participate in the Half-Lapper, and need only to sign up at Hayward Field the night of the meet.
TWILIGHT MAGIC
The last three Twilight meets have produced some pretty memorable moments. Last year, Matthew Centrowitz and Mac Fleet became the 29th and 30 Ducks to run under four minutes in the mile. The football team also staged an exhibition 60 meters, which was won in impressive fashion by freshman cornerback Dior Mathis in 6.87. In 2009, the Ducks set the collegiate record in the 4xMile relay (16:03.24) as fans lined the track to spur on the Men of Oregon, while Jesse Williams cleared 7-8 in the high jump. At the 2008 Twilight, then-presidential hopeful Barack Obama worked his way around the East and West Grandstands before Andrew Wheating ripped off a meet-record 3:38.60 to win the 1,500 meters.
THE SENIORS
The University of Oregon will recognize an exceptional group of 20 senior track and field student-athletes with an on-field ceremony during the Twilight Meet. Combined, they have 11 NCAA event titles, nine individual Pac-10 crowns and a whopping 44 All-America certificates. They have also won 15 Pac-10 all-academic honors over the past three years.
The nine senior women are all Pac-10 qualifiers and eight of the nine are Pac-10 scorers. They have been part of Oregon teams that have won back-to-back NCAA Indoor Track & Field championships in 2010 and 2011, as well as back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 2009 and 2010. This group also contributed to Oregon's runner-up finishes at the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Outdoor meets.
The nine women include Sara Cole (2010 Pac-10 scorer, hammer), Melissa Gergel (2009 Pac-10 champion, pole vault; 2010 NCAA indoor runner-up, pole vault; 5-time All-American; school record: indoor pole vault), Claire Michel (2010 Pac-10 champion, steeplechase; school record: steeplechase), Jordan Roskelley (2-time Pac-10 scorer, pole vault; sixth in school history in the pole vault), Amy Skofstad (2008 Pac-10 qualifier, long jump), Brianne Theisen (5-time NCAA champion, heptathlon (twice), pentathlon (twice) 4x400 meter relay; 2-time Pac-10 champion, heptathlon (twice), NCAA record-holder: pentathlon; 6 school records, heptathlon, 100 meters, 4x400 meter relay, pentathlon-i, 60 meter hurdles-i, high jump-i; 8-time All-American), Mandy White (2010 Pac-10 champion, 4x100 meter relay; school record, 4x100 meter relay; 2-time All-American & Oregon's first All-American at 100 meters; third in school history in the 100 meters and fifth in the 200 meters), Michele Williams (2-time NCAA champion, 4x400 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay-i; 2010 Pac-10 scorer, 400 meters; 2 school records, 4x400 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay-i; 3-time All-American; seventh in school history in the 400 meters) and Jamesha Youngblood (2010 NCAA champion, 4x400 meter relay-i; 5-time Pac-10 champion, long jump (twice), triple jump (twice), 4x100 meter relay; 5 school records, long jump, triple jump, 4x100 meter relay; long jump-i, 4x400 meter relay-i; 6-time All-American).
The 11 seniors on the men's side have led Oregon to four consecutive Pac-10 titles (2007, '08, '09, '10), the 2009 NCAA Indoor national championship, runner-up showings at the 2009 outdoor and 2010 indoor NCAA meets, and a third-place finish at the 2010 NCAA outdoor championships.
The list includes A.J Acosta (2-time NCAA champion, distance medley relay; 2010 NCAA runner-up, 1,500 meters; 6-time Pac-10 scorer; school record: 1,500 meters; 7-time All-American), Steve Finley (currently No. 1 in the steeplechase; All-America transfer from Virginia), Justin Frick (All-America high jump transfer from Princeton), David Klech (2011 All-American, heptathlon; two-time Pac-10 scorer; sixth in school history in the 110 meter hurdles, eighth in school history in the high jump), Kenny Klotz (2-time All-American, cross country; member of Oregon's 2007-08 NCAA cross country champions); Danny Mercado (2-time All-American, cross country; ran on Oregon's 2007 NCAA cross country champions), Ken Scoggin (Pac-10 all-academic second team selection), Jordan Stray (2010 All-American, hammer; 3-time Pac-10 scorer, hammer; eighth in school history in the hammer), Travis Thompson (2010 NCAA champion, distance medley relay; 3-time Pac-10 scorer; 2-time All-American; eighth in school history in the 800 meters), Vernell Warren (5-time Pac-10 scorer, long jump (three times), high jump, 4x100 meter relay) and Alex Wolff (2-time All-American, javelin; 3-time Pac-10 scorer, javelin; fourth in school history in the javelin).
The senior ceremony is scheduled for approximately 8 p.m.
DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY MARKS
One of Friday's featured events is the distance medley relay. Oregon's outdoor best, 9:30.69, came at last year's Penn Relays (Centrowitz, Barlow, Fleet, Wheating). The Ducks' all-conditions DMR mark is 9:29.39 indoors (McNamara, Barlow, Wheating, Rupp). The collegiate record is 9:20.10 by Arkansas (04/28/89), while the American record is 9:15.63 by USA Blue (04/29/06). Both marks came at the Penn Relays.
PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS KICK OFF WITH COMBINED EVENTS
Decathletes David Klech and Kevin Godfrey will open the Pacific-10 Track & Field Championships in the decathlon this Friday and Saturday in Tucson, Ariz. This will be just the second career decathlon for Klech, who scored 7,533 points in his first career decathlon last month at the Mt. SAC Relays. Godfrey tallied 6,808 points at the Oregon Decathlon at the beginning of April.
SORE BACK SIDELINES THEISEN
A sore back that has hampered Brianne Theisen since the NCAA Indoor Championships in March has caused the senior from Humboldt, Sask., to withdraw from this weekend's Pac-10 Track & Field Championships heptathlon. Theisen is the two-time Pac-10 and NCAA defending champion of the event. The 2011 Pac-10 heptathlon begins Friday in Tucson, Ariz. "Brianne's back troubles have been an on-going issue and she is such a high-caliber athlete that we did not want to jeopardize her long term future," said Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna. "This difficult decision was a collaboration between Brianne, our coaches and our medical staff, and one that had to be made in Brianne's best interest." Theisen, who graduates this spring, does have the option of taking a redshirt season outdoors and returning in 2012, and also has one season of eligibility remaining indoors.
OREGON ENTRIES
For the men, the aforementioned 100 meters will be a fun race, as will be the 400 meters with Bryan Harper and ex-Duck Jordan Kent. In the 800, the Ducks have Elijah Greer, Boru Guyota, Travis Stanford and Cole Watson. Guyota, Stanford and Watson are also in the 1,500. Eric Hersey tunes up for the Pac-10 meet in the 110 hurdles with former teammate Ashton Eaton also in the mix. The field events heavily feature Oregon's seniors with Justin Frick in the high jump, Jordan Stray in the hammer and Alex Wolff in the javelin. Underclassmen in the field events to watch for are Danny Marconi in the high jump, Brian Schaudt in the long jump, Randall Horn in the discus and Michael Thompson and Ethan Powell in the javelin. Other seniors making their final regular season appearance at Hayward Field include Kenny Klotz, Danny Mercado and Ken Scoggin in the 1,500 meters and A.J. Acosta in the distance medley relay.
For the women, the 800 looks to be the marquis race of the day with Ducks Anne Kesselring, Laura Roesler, Becca Friday and Phyllis Francis going against Maggie Vessey of New Balance and Latavia Thomas and Lauren Johnson of Nike, Recent Duck grad Zoe Buckman is also in the field.
Among senior women, Jamesha Youngblood makes a rare appearance in the 100 meters, while Michele Williams is in the 200. Both could join fellow senior Mandy White for relay duty. Claire Michel is in the 1,500 meters, while Melissa Gergel and Jordan Roskelley are in the pole vault. Sara Cole is in the hammer and Amy Skofstad makes her final Hayward appearance in the long jump.
PAC-10 ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Three UO women have been named Pac-10 track athlete of the week so far in 2011.
Sophomore Jordan Hasay was named Pac-10 track athlete of the week for April 25-May 1 after staking her claim to the collegiate lead in the women's 1,500 meters by running 4:10.28, finishing fifth overall behind four professionals May 1 at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. That time was more than a second faster than the 4:11.85 run by Villanova's Sheila Reed at the Mt. SAC Relays last month. Former Washington Husky Katie Follett, who now runs for Brooks, won in 4:08.95, a time that was tops among Americans outdoors in 2011.
In running a :03 personal best, Hasay, from Arroyo Grande, Calif., ran the second-fastest time in Pac-10 history and the fourth-fastest 1,500 meters in school history. Hasay's time was the best by a Duck in 27 years, trailing only Leann Warren's 1982 time of 4:05.88, Ranza Clark's 1984 time of 4:07.50 and Claudette Groenendaal's 1984 time of 4:08.13.
All three of those marks came prior to when the Pac-10 started conducting championships and keeping women's records in 1987. On the league's lists, Hasay's time trails only Lena Nilsson, who set the Pac-10 standard for UCLA in 2003 at 4:07.69.
Sophomore Anne Kesselring was named Pac-10 track athlete of the week for April 18-24. The Nurnberg, Germany, native ran a nation-leading 2:02.44 800 meters at the Oregon Relays. That was the fifth-fastest time in school history.
Freshman English Gardner, who was a three-time winner at the Pepsi Team Invitational, was named the Pac-10 track athlete of the week for April 4-10.
Gardner's three-victory performance helped No. 3 Oregon capture the Pepsi Team Invitational. She won the 100 (11.62) and 200 meter (24.06) events and joined her teammates to win the 4x100 meter relay (44.59). The 100 meter time ranks fifth in school history, while the 200 meter time was a personal best for the Voorhees, N.J. native.
IN THE RANKINGS
Oregon has a number of competitors who are ranked among the nation's top 30. For the men, Steve Finley is No. 1 in the steeplechase (8:36.98), Boru Guyota is No. 6 in the 800 meters (1:47.75), Mike Berry is No. 13 in the 400 meters (45.79), Brian Schaudt is No. 14 in the triple jump (51-9/15.77m), Jordan Stray is No. 14 in the hammer (214-2/65.28m), David Klech is No. 15 in the decathlon (7,533) and No. 21 in the 110 meter hurdles (13.82), Matthew Centrowitz is No. 18 in the 1,500 meters (3:42.49), Elijah Greer is No. 22 in the 800 meters (1:48.87), Alex Wolff is No. 24 in the javelin (231-3/70.50m), Danny Mercado is No. 26 in the 10,000 meters (29:12.00), Parker Stinson is No. 28 in the 10,000 meters (29:14.35) and Justin Frick is No. 31 in the high jump (7-0.25/2.14m).
For the women, Anne Kesselring leads the nation in the 800 meters (2:02.44) and is No. 12 in the 1,500 meters (4:16.55), Jordan Hasay is No. 1 in the 1,500 meters (4:10.28) and No. 2 in the 5,000 meters (15:37.29), Jamesha Youngblood is No. 3 in the long jump (21-2/6.45m), Claire Michel is No. 5 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (10:06.45), Amber Purvis is No. 10 in the 400 meters (52.80), No. 15 in the 200 meters (23.13) and No. 30 in the 100 meters (11.42), Laura Roesler is No. 11 in the 800 meters (2:05.05), Lanie Thompson is No. 11 in the 3,000 meter steeplchase (10:12.09), English Gardner is No. 19 in the 100 meters (11.30) and No. 19 in the 200 meters (23.22), Bronwyn Crossman is No. 20 in the 10,000 meters (33:43.99), Sarah Andrews is No. 24 in the 10,000 meters (33:53.44), Becca Friday is No. 35 in the 1,500 meters (4:20.58) and Laura Bobek is No. 37 in the discus (167-7/51.07m).
The women also rank eighth in the 4x400 meter relay (3:32.63) and 11th in the 4x100 meter relay (43.82).
PAYTON JORDAN CARDINAL INVITATIONAL RECAP
Jordan Hasay and Steve Finley ran NCAA-leading times in the 1,500 meters and steeplechase, respectively, May 1 at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. Hasay staked her claim to the collegiate lead in the women's 1,500 meters by running 4:10.28, finishing fifth overall behind four professionals. In running a :03 personal best, Hasay ran the second-fastest time in Pac-10 history and the fourth-fastest 1,500 meters in school history. Hasay's time was the best by a Duck in 27 years, trailing only Leann Warren's 1982 time of 4:05.88, Ranza Clark's 1984 time of 4:07.50 and Claudette Groenendaal's 1984 time of 4:08.13. All three of those marks came prior to when the Pac-10 started conducting championships and keeping women's records in 1987. On the league's lists, Hasay's time trails only UCLA's Lena Nilsson (4:07.69). Finley, a fifth-year senior who transferred from Virginia, ran a 2011 collegiate-best 8:36.98 and finished 10th overall in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase behind nine professionals. Finley's time was less than :02 out of Oregon's all-time top 10, and was the fastest steeplechase by a Duck in 21 years. It was also a personal best by more than :03. Claire Michel fourth collegian and 10th overall in 10:04.65, breaking her own school record by nearly :07. Junior Emma Coburn of Colorado, a future Pac-12 rival, won in 9:40.51, a time that leads all U.S. women and collegians in 2011. Michel ran the sixth-fastest collegiate time in the U.S. this season, as well as the sixth-best time in Pac-10 history.
OREGON RELAYS, PRESENTED BY OCCU, RECAP
Seven meet records fell at the April 22-23 Oregon Relays, presented by Oregon Community Credit Union, including three claimed by the Duck women. Mandy White broke the meet record in the 100 (11.60), Amber Purvis shattered the old mark in the 200 (23.13) and those two plus English Gardner and Lauryn Newson set the standard in the 4x100 meter relay (43.82). Anne Kesselring ran a nation-leading 2:02.44 in the 800 meters, Gardner ran the second-fastest 200 in school history (23.22), Rebecca Rhodes ran the No. 8 100 hurdles (13.96) at Oregon, Chizoba Okodogbe had the 10th-best women's 400 meters in school history (54.04) and Laura Bobek won the women's discus with a PR of 167-7/51.07m. For the men, freshman Boru Guyota had the sixth-fastest men's 800 in the nation this season (1:47.75), Matthew Centrowitz won the men's 1,500 in a season-best 3:42.49, Brian Schaudt moved into the triple jump top 10 at No. 9 (15.56m/51-0.25) and had a wind-aided leap even better than that (15.77m/51-9). Football's Dior Mathis captured the 100 meters (10.80), Mike Berry just missed a PR in winning the 200 (21.10) and Eric Hersey ran a seasonal best in the 110 meter hurdles (14.04w). The other records set were Geena Gall's world-leading 2:02.04 in the women's 800 meters, Sally Kipyego's world-leading 4:06.23 in the women's 1,500 meters, Falesha Ankton's 13.51 in the women's 100 meter hurdles and Tyler Mulder's 1:46.79 in the men's 800. Ashton Eaton nearly made it eight meet records by winning the men's 110 hurdles in 13.57, but the time came with an over-the-limit 2.5 wind.
White, a senior from Lake Oswego, Ore., led off Oregon's 4x100 meter relay team that won in 43.82. White was joined by Purvis, Newson and Gardner on the second-fastest relay team in school history. The Ducks broke Florida State's 27-year-old meet record of 44.73. Oregon's time was the eighth-fastest in the nation this season. White then came back in the 100 meters to win in a meet-record 11.60. That was a seasonal best and broke the 1994 time of 11.62 by Joyce Rainwater of Eastern Washington.
Another meet record fell in the 800 meters where Geena Gall ran a world-leading time of 2:02.04. That broke Rebekah Noble's 2007 meet record of 2:03.22. Kesselring was right behind her in 2:02.44, which was the top time by a collegian this season. Andrea Ferris of Panama was third in 2:02.79 in a very quick 800 meters. Kesselring, a sophomore from Nurnberg, Germany, ran a :02 personal best and moved to No. 5 on the UO career list.
In the men's 800 meters, Mulder broke a 25-year-old meet record by winning in 1:46.79. He beat the old mark of 1:46.84 by Jose Barbosa of Lane Community College in 1986. Guyota was second in a personal-best 1:47.75. That was tied for the 10th-fastest time in school history.
The fifth meet record to fall came in the women's 100 meter hurdles, where Ankton won in 13.51 to best the 1992 mark of 13.56 by Claudine Robinson of Washington. Oregon junior Rebecca Rhodes was second in that race in a legal-best of 13.96. That was the eighth-fastest time in school history.
Junior Camilla Dencer won the women's 400 meter hurdles in 1:02.43. Okodegbe and Dencer then teamed with Devin Gosberry and Alexandria Davidson to win the 4x400 meters in 3:43.93. Senior Jamesha Youngblood was second in the triple jump in a seasonal-best 40-10.25/12.45.
Senior Sara Cole hit a nine-foot PR in the women's hammer, throwing 170-0/51.83m. She was seventh overall, but second among collegians.
In the women's 200, Purvis shattered a 12-year-old meet record by running a season-best 23.13 with a legal 2.0 meters per second tailwind. The junior from Hercules, Calif., broke the 1999 meet record of 23.65 set by Juan Ball of Cheetahs, and led an impressive performance by the Ducks in the sprints.
Gardner won section two of the 200 in a personal-best 23.22. That was the second-fastest time in school history, trailing only Purvis' 22.74 from last season. The 200 also produced the eighth-fastest time in school history as Newson was third in the first section in 23.88.
Berry and former Duck Jordan Kent waged an entertaining battle in the men's 200 meters. Kent, a rare three-sport letterman at Oregon, got a terrific jump out of the blocks in his first race of 2011 and held the lead through 175 meters. Then Berry ran him down and passed him with 15 meters remaining.
Berry, a freshman from Seattle, Wash., won in 21.10, with Kent right behind in 21.26. Jack Galpin was third in 21.74 with junior Bryan Harper fourth in a seasonal-best 22.06.
Kipyego, running for Oregon Track Club Elite, impressed by winning the 1,500 in a personal-best 4:06.23. The former Texas Tech star ran the final two laps solo in clocking the fastest time in the world this season, and breaking Jenny Barringer's year-old meet record of 4:08.38.
In the men's 1,500, Centrowitz won in a season-best 3:42.49. Jordan McNamara of OTC Elite was second in 3:45.77, Patrick Casey of Montana State was third in 3:46.43 and sophomore Elijah Greer was fourth in a personal-best 3:48.98.
UCLA DUAL MEET RECAP
The Men of Oregon battled UCLA to a tie in an exciting dual meet April 17 in Los Angeles. Mike Berry's scintillating 45.5 anchor leg on the 4x400 meter relay capped Oregon's rally to tie UCLA 81.5-81.5 in the Ducks' first dual in Westwood since 1976. Oregon collected wins in the 400 (Bryan Harper in an Oregon best 47.99), 800 (Elijah Greer, 1:50.46), 1,500 (Matthew Centrowitz, 3:45.86), 5,000 (Parker Stinson in a personal-best 14:08.22), 110 hurdles (David Klech, 14.16), steeplechase (Steve Finley, 8:57.59), high jump (Danny Marconi, 6-11.50) and javelin (Alex Wolff, 221-8). Oregon also received important contributions from the likes of A.J. Acosta (second in the steeple in 9:08.54, despite a fall on the water jump), Randall Horn (third in the discus with a 12-foot PR, 168-4), Berry (second in the 200 in a PR of 21.08), Brian Schaudt (second in the triple jump in an outdoor best, 50-3.25w), Tyler Pinkney (third in the triple jump, 48-8.75), Justin Frick (second in the high jump, 6-9.5) and Austin Ouderkirk (tied for third in the pole vault, 16-1.25).
MT. SAC RELAYS RECAP
English Gardner led Oregon's rewrite of the record books April 15-16 at the Mt. SAC Relays. Gardner broke the school record in the 100 meters by running 11.30 at Mt. SAC and also ran on the second-fastest 4x100 meter relay in school history (44.09), along with Mandy White, Amber Purvis and Jamesha Youngblood. Other highlights included Jordan Hasay running the fastest 5,000 by a Duck in 23 years (15:10.63), White winning the 200 in a personal-best 23.59 (No. 4 all-time), freshman Laura Roesler running the ninth-fastest 800 at Oregon (2:05.05), Anne Kesselring winning the 1,500 in 4:16.55, Youngblood jumping a nation-leading 21-2 in the long jump and the 4x400 meter relay team of Roesler, Purvis, Chizoba Okodogbe and Phyllis Francis winning in 3:32.63, which was the third fastest time in school history. Purvis also ran 11.42 in the top section of the 100.
Freshman Chizoba Okodogbe was third in her 200 meter heat and fifth overall in a season-best 24.05. In the 400 meters, Okodogbe was third in her heat in a season-best 54.15. That time was the fifth-fastest time overall at Mt. SAC. Junior Camilla Dencer won her 400 heat in 54.56, her best quarter mile time in more than two years. Sophomore Devin Gosberry took third in her heat in 54.74 in her first 400 meters as a Duck. Rebecca Rhodes was fourth in her heat of the 100 meter hurdles. The junior from Salem, Ore., ran a legal personal best 14.04. In the long jump, junior Lauryn Newson leapt a seasonal-best 19-9/6.02m to finish fifth overall. Freshman Phyllis Francis was sixth in her heat of the 800 meters in a season-best 2:08.82. Laura Bobek had a 10-foot personal best in the discus. The freshman from Astoria, Ore., went 164-0/49.98m on her fourth attempt.
MT. SAC RELAYS DECATHLON RECAP
David Klech set personal bests in five events to finish fourth at the Mt. SAC Relays Decathlon April 13-14 at Azusa Pacific's Cougar Athletic Stadium. Competing in his first collegiate decathlon, Klech scored 7,533 points and trailed only Florida's Gray Horn who scored 7,791, Missouri's Lars Risa (7,770) and Chris Randolph of Slo Chiropractic (7,664). Klech's total was the 10th best by a collegian in the nation this season and was just six points shy of the Oregon career top 10.
Klech opened the competition by running 10.93 seconds in the 100 meters, a personal record. He next added a mark of 24-5.75/7.46m in the long jump, which was just two inches off his all-time best. The senior from San Ramon, Calif., hit another PR in the shot put, throwing 35-4.5/10.78m. Klech then cleared 6-10.25/2.09m in the high jump before finishing day one by running 48.08 in the 400 meters.
Klech began day two by winning the 110 hurdles in 13.82 seconds. The time was a personal best and ranked No. 6 overall at Oregon. He also had PRs in the discus (96-3/29.35m) and pole vault (14-5.25/4.40m). Klech then threw 113-0/34.45m in the javelin and finished the day by winning the 1,500 meters in 4:12.50.
PEPSI TEAM INVITATIONAL RECAP
Duck rookies won eight events to lead an Oregon sweep of the April 9 Pepsi Team Invitational before 5,501 energized fans at Hayward Field. The third-ranked women won with 205 points, followed by Nebraska with 195.5, No. 16 Stanford with 143.5 and Washington with 112. The No. 10 men claimed the title with 195 points, with No. 8 Nebraska next with 181 points, Washington with 159 and No. 9 Stanford with 121.
Freshman English Gardner's breakout performance included wins in the 100 and 200 meters in addition to her anchor leg on the winning 4x100 meter relay team. She won the 100 in 11.62, which was the fifth-fastest time in school history. She set a personal-best in winning the 200 in 24.06. She then joined with Mandy White, Amber Purvis and Lauryn Newson to win the 4x100 relay in 44.59, a time that ranks No. 5 in school history.
Freshman Mike Berry was just as impressive for the men, dusting the field by nearly two seconds in winning the 400 meters in 45.79. That was fifth-fastest time in school history. He also anchored the 4x400 meter relay team which locked up the team title for the Duck men by winning in 3:10.93.
Other rookie winners included freshmen Boru Guyota in the men's 800 meters, Laura Roesler in the women's 800 meters and Lanie Thompson in the women's 3,000 meters steeplechase, and transfer Steve Finley in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase and Justin Frick in the high jump.
Guyota, a native of Ethiopia, led for most of the 800 meters and held off Russell Brown of OTC Elite and Duck teammate Elijah Greer in a thrilling three-wide finish at the tape. Guyota timed a personal-best 1:48.65, followed by Brown in 1:48.82 and Greer in 1:48.87.
Roesler was also involved in an 800 race that came down wire. She and teammate Anne Kesselring leaned at the tape simultaneously, and Roesler got the win by .01. She timed 2:06.66, with Kesselring next in 2:06.67. The Fargo, N.D., native also anchored Oregon's winning 4x400 meter relay team, joining Devin Gosberry, Purvis and Phyllis Francis to run the 10th-best time in school history, 3:36.87.
Thompson was a surprise winner in her first career steeplechase, pulling away after the final barrier to clip Nebraska's Martina Barinova by half a second. Thompson finished in 10:12.09, which was the second-fastest time in school history, with Barinova next in 10:12.45.
Finley, a transfer from Virginia running his first steeplechase as a Duck, took the lead early and cruised to a win in 8:52.04. Frick, a transfer from Princeton, was clean through his first five attempts in the high jump and won by going over 7-0.25/2.14m on his first attempt.
For the men, Matthew Centrowitz and A.J. Acosta set the tone early by winning the 5,000 and 1,500 meters, respectively. Centrowitz and teammate Danny Mercado pulled away from Nebraska's Brendan Gregg on the last lap for a 1-2 finish. Centrowitz won in 13:56.65, with Mercado next in an outdoor personal-best 14:03.48.
In the 1,500, Acosta was impressive in pulling away for a win in 3:46.99. Freshman Cole Watson was second in 3:48.25, as the Oregon men collected 32 points between the 5,000 and 1,500.
David Klech ran the ninth-best time in school history to win the 110 hurdles. He crossed in a personal-best 13.97. Klech also joined Berry, Bryan Harper and Greer on that winning 4x400 relay.
Sophomore Tyler Pinkney jumped a personal-best 50-2.5 for a runner-up finish in the triple jump.
For the women, Jordan Hasay, suddenly a team veteran as a sophomore, won a thrilling women's 1,500 meters, clipping a hard-charging Katie Flood of Washington by a quarter of a second. The Arroyo Grande, Calif., native crossed the line in 4:18.61, with Flood at 4:18.80.
Purvis ran the fourth-fastest time in school history in winning the 400 meters in 52.80. Junior Bronwyn Crossman set an :18 personal best in winning the 5,000 meters in 16:31.42.
Senior Jamesha Youngblood captured the long jump at 20-2.5.
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.
