#NCAATF: What To Watch On Friday
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
What to watch at Friday's session of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Under the meet's new format, this third day of the championship will feature the final session of men's events, with the team title and 14 event finals on the line.
Live stream: ESPN3, 4 p.m. PT
Broadcast windows: ESPN, 4:30-7 p.m. PT
THE SCHEDULE (Oregon entrants)
4 p.m.: High jump
4:05 p.m.: Discus
4:30 p.m.: Triple jump (Nate Moore)
4:35 p.m.: 4x100 relay
4:45 p.m.: 1,500 meters (Daniel Winn, Blake Haney, Johnny Gregorek)
4:57 p.m.: 3,000 steeplechase
5:15 p.m.: 110 hurdles (Johnathan Cabral)
5:25 p.m.: 100 meters
5:35 p.m.: 400 meters (Marcus Chambers)
5:50 p.m.: 800 meters
6 p.m.: 400 hurdles
6:10 p.m.: 200 meters
6:30 p.m.: 5,000 (Edward Cheserek, Eric Jenkins, Will Geoghegan, Jake Leingang)
6:50 p.m.: 4x400 relay
The Big Stories for the Ducks: The chance to repeat as NCAA Outdoor champions is at hand for the Men of Oregon. As was the case at NCAA Indoors, the Ducks' trio of distance stars has the chance to provide a potential knockout punch. Eric Jenkins, Edward Cheserek and Will Geoghegan went 1-2-3 in the 3,000 to clinch the UO indoor national title, and could do so tonight in the 5,000. Adding to the drama will be the final head-to-head matchup as collegiate teammates for Cheserek, a sophomore, and Jenkins, a senior. They've provided so many memorable moments together over the last two years, most recently when Cheserek kicked past Jenkins to win the 10,000 on Wednesday. Jenkins is looking to finish out his UO career on a high note, and bringing home a 5,000-meter individual title to help the Ducks clinch a team title would be about as high as it could get.
Not to be Overlooked: Beyond the trio in the 5,000, the Ducks' top projected scorer in today's session was Marcus Chambers in the 400. Anything in the top three or four places for Chambers would be bonus points. The home team also got a boost to its title chances when Johnathan Cabrel made the 110 hurdles final and thus was assured of scoring; he'll provide at least one valuable team point, if not more. And the Ducks were thrilled to advance all three of their 1,500 entrants to today's final. That trio will look to bust a few form charts and provide yet more fuel for Oregon's title hopes.
What to Watch Elsewhere: The teams to keep an eye on today remain Arkansas, Texas A&M, LSU and, perhaps most importantly, Florida. Pay particular attention to two critical junctures on the meet schedule. The first comes right at the start of events on the track. All four of those teams made the 4x100 relay, so that race will play a role in sorting things out among that quartet; Oregon didn't make the 4x100 final — but the Ducks have three entries in the next event, the 1,500, while none of the four SEC contenders has any. So regardless of which SEC team gains an edge from the relay, Oregon can pad its lead in the very next race. The last half-hour of the meet features a similar scenario. Oregon can put the hammer down in the 5,000, a race that also includes Kemoy Campbell of Arkansas. But the Ducks didn't reach the last event final, the 4x400, while again all four SEC contenders did. On the infield, the triple jump will be wrapping up around then, as well, and that event features Marquis Dendy of Florida, Clive Pullen of Arkansas and Latario Collie of Texas A&M. If Oregon's Nate Moore is still jumping at that point, having made it past the preliminary rounds, that would be a big development for Oregon.
The day's first event, the high jump, features former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham's namesake son, a freshman for USC, and also Ken LeGassey looking to grab a point or two for Arkansas. LSU's Rodney Brown has a chance to get 10 points for the Tigers in the discus, while Arkansas will contend for individual titles from Stanley Kebenei in the steeple and Omar McLeod in the 110 hurdles. The 400 is another "sort 'em out" event for the SEC schools, between Vernon Norwood of LSU, Deon Lendore of A&M and Najee Glass of Florida. The Gators also have a contender in the 200, Dedric Dukes, though he will have to fend off the formidable force that is Baylor's Trayvon Bromell.
Editor, GoDucks.com
What to watch at Friday's session of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Under the meet's new format, this third day of the championship will feature the final session of men's events, with the team title and 14 event finals on the line.
Live stream: ESPN3, 4 p.m. PT
Broadcast windows: ESPN, 4:30-7 p.m. PT
THE SCHEDULE (Oregon entrants)
4 p.m.: High jump
4:05 p.m.: Discus
4:30 p.m.: Triple jump (Nate Moore)
4:35 p.m.: 4x100 relay
4:45 p.m.: 1,500 meters (Daniel Winn, Blake Haney, Johnny Gregorek)
4:57 p.m.: 3,000 steeplechase
5:15 p.m.: 110 hurdles (Johnathan Cabral)
5:25 p.m.: 100 meters
5:35 p.m.: 400 meters (Marcus Chambers)
5:50 p.m.: 800 meters
6 p.m.: 400 hurdles
6:10 p.m.: 200 meters
6:30 p.m.: 5,000 (Edward Cheserek, Eric Jenkins, Will Geoghegan, Jake Leingang)
6:50 p.m.: 4x400 relay
The Big Stories for the Ducks: The chance to repeat as NCAA Outdoor champions is at hand for the Men of Oregon. As was the case at NCAA Indoors, the Ducks' trio of distance stars has the chance to provide a potential knockout punch. Eric Jenkins, Edward Cheserek and Will Geoghegan went 1-2-3 in the 3,000 to clinch the UO indoor national title, and could do so tonight in the 5,000. Adding to the drama will be the final head-to-head matchup as collegiate teammates for Cheserek, a sophomore, and Jenkins, a senior. They've provided so many memorable moments together over the last two years, most recently when Cheserek kicked past Jenkins to win the 10,000 on Wednesday. Jenkins is looking to finish out his UO career on a high note, and bringing home a 5,000-meter individual title to help the Ducks clinch a team title would be about as high as it could get.
Not to be Overlooked: Beyond the trio in the 5,000, the Ducks' top projected scorer in today's session was Marcus Chambers in the 400. Anything in the top three or four places for Chambers would be bonus points. The home team also got a boost to its title chances when Johnathan Cabrel made the 110 hurdles final and thus was assured of scoring; he'll provide at least one valuable team point, if not more. And the Ducks were thrilled to advance all three of their 1,500 entrants to today's final. That trio will look to bust a few form charts and provide yet more fuel for Oregon's title hopes.
What to Watch Elsewhere: The teams to keep an eye on today remain Arkansas, Texas A&M, LSU and, perhaps most importantly, Florida. Pay particular attention to two critical junctures on the meet schedule. The first comes right at the start of events on the track. All four of those teams made the 4x100 relay, so that race will play a role in sorting things out among that quartet; Oregon didn't make the 4x100 final — but the Ducks have three entries in the next event, the 1,500, while none of the four SEC contenders has any. So regardless of which SEC team gains an edge from the relay, Oregon can pad its lead in the very next race. The last half-hour of the meet features a similar scenario. Oregon can put the hammer down in the 5,000, a race that also includes Kemoy Campbell of Arkansas. But the Ducks didn't reach the last event final, the 4x400, while again all four SEC contenders did. On the infield, the triple jump will be wrapping up around then, as well, and that event features Marquis Dendy of Florida, Clive Pullen of Arkansas and Latario Collie of Texas A&M. If Oregon's Nate Moore is still jumping at that point, having made it past the preliminary rounds, that would be a big development for Oregon.
The day's first event, the high jump, features former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham's namesake son, a freshman for USC, and also Ken LeGassey looking to grab a point or two for Arkansas. LSU's Rodney Brown has a chance to get 10 points for the Tigers in the discus, while Arkansas will contend for individual titles from Stanley Kebenei in the steeple and Omar McLeod in the 110 hurdles. The 400 is another "sort 'em out" event for the SEC schools, between Vernon Norwood of LSU, Deon Lendore of A&M and Najee Glass of Florida. The Gators also have a contender in the 200, Dedric Dukes, though he will have to fend off the formidable force that is Baylor's Trayvon Bromell.
