EUGENE - The University of Oregon track and field teams will unveil a new and improved Oregon Invitational this weekend that will run from Thursday-Saturday, April 20-22.

 

* NOTE: Links to a revised meet schedule and start list are in the LINKS BOX to the right. *

 

A decathlon will kick off action on Thursday and Friday and runs from approximately noon until 5:00 pm both days. Admission is free for the decathlon session both days and will feature Duck senior and 2005 Pac-10 scorer Cody Fleming (fourth, 6,980), Wisconsin NCAA veteran Ben Roland (15th in 2005) and former Duck NCAA champion and Olympian Santiago Lorenzo.

 

On Friday evening, many top collegians and post-collegians will renew Oregon’s rich home meet tradition with a distance carnival that welcomes a host of top U.S. and international talent, including Olympians Dathan Ritzenhein, Jonathan Riley and Marla Runyan.

 

Tickets will be necessary for Friday's all-star evening session, and the ticket office opens at 4:30 p.m., and the first event of the evening is at 6:00 p.m. Action will conclude shortly after 11:00 p.m., and an approximate 2 1/2-hour window in the heart of the meet will feature the top distance races.

 

Saturday morning will offer several of the ‘B’ running and field event sections from 10:00 am – 12:00 p.m. followed by an intermission. Single-day tickets will then be required for the afternoon ‘High Performance” session that will feature the remaining running and field events in a 2:00-5:30 p.m. window.

 

After Saturday’s meet a free Oregon Track Club (OTC) kid’s all-comers meet will be staged from approximately 5:45-6:30 p.m. Events include the 60, 100 and 400 meters, long jump and softball throw.  More information may be made available at the Oregon Track Club website (www.oregontrackclub.org).

 

The following week, the Ducks return to the Penn Relays, Thu.-Sat., April 20-22 for the first time since the early ‘90s. UO’s featured entries are its men’s 4x100-, 4x200- and 4x400-meter relays, a shuttle hurdle relay and potential individual 110/400-meter hurdles appearances by All-America seniors Eric Mitchum and Akobundu Ikwuakor. Oregon’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays took sixth and third in the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships and ran school records in the collegiate final in both event finals (39.20/3:00.81).

 

The following week, Oregon wraps up its regular season at Hayward Field with the Oregon Twilight, Fri., May 5. Events will start at approximately at 4:30 pm and will give UO athletes one last chance to tune-up for the Pacific-10 Conference Championships in Eugene the following weekend (Sat.-Sun., May 13-14).

 

Redshirt senior decathlete Andrew Young is a two-time NCAA decathlon veteran (11th in ’05,13th in ‘04), three-time Pac-10 top-five scorer and the top Pac-10 Championships returnee from last season after he took second (7,165).  Senior heptathlete Lauryn Jordan was also an NCAA qualifier and Pac-10 placer (14th/fourth) in her first season for UO in ’05. Last weekend, redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden and Jordan moved to fifth and sixth all-time for UO with hep personal bests in the Mt. SAC Relays (5,428 / 5,426).

 

Also last weekend in Los Angeles , redshirt junior Britney Henry was rewarded with Pac-10 Women’s Field Event Athlete of the Week honors for her school and Pac-10 record in the hammer (221-7), while All-America seniors Eric Mitchum and Matt Scherer scored solid marks in the 110-meter hurdles (13.71, w:1.8) and 200 meters (21.35, w:1.7), respectively.

 

 

Tentative Oregon Women's Entries

 

* Athletes listed alphabetically in each event, and subject to change

 

Note: several athletes are entered in multiple events and may not compete in every event).

 

100m - Ashley Bridenbeck
200m - Irie Searcy, Leah Worthen
400m - Irie Searcy, Leah Worthen
800m - Sara Schaaf, Kasey Harwood
1,500m - Amber McGown, Dana Buchanan
5,000m - Zoe Nelson
3000m Steeplechase - Mandi Fitz-Gustafson
10,000m - Sarah Pearson
100m Hurdles - Kalindra McFadden, Kasey Harwood
400m Hurdles - Kasey Harwood, Kalindra McFadden, Amanda Santana
4 x 100m 
4 x 400m 
High Jump - Roslyn Lundeen, Kalindra McFadden
Pole Vault - Emily Enders, Hannah Moore, Tara Rhein
Long Jump - Kalindra McFadden
Triple Jump - Lauryn Jordan
Shot Put - Jennnfier Greenspan, Roslyn Lundeen    
Discus - Lucy Cridland, Brittany Hinchcliffe
Hammer - Britney Henry, Brittany Hinchcliffe, Megan Maloney
Javelin - Roslyn Lundeen, Ashley McCrea, Elisa Reynoso, Yurkovich,Rachel


 

Tentative Oregon Men's Entries

 

* Athletes listed alphabetically in each event, and subject to change

 

Note: several athletes are entered in multiple events and may not compete in every event).

  
200m - Jordan Kent
400m - Travis Anderson, Matt Scherer
800m - Michael McGrath    
1500m - Blake Flanders, Michael McGrath, Andrew Perri, Duke Wasteney
5000m - Vertin Alvarez, Esteban Trujillo, Patrick Werhane, Chris Winter
10,000m - Carlos Trujillo
110m Hurdles - Jared Huske, Akobundu Ikwuakor, Eric Mitchum, Walter Thurmond III
400m Hurdles - Jared Huske, Akobundu Ikwuakor
4 x 100m 
4 x 400m 
High Jump - Jeff Lindsey, A.J. O'Connell
Pole Vault - Keegan Burnett, Jonathan Derby, David Moore, Tommy Skipper
Long Jump - Andrew Greif, Bret Johnson, Jacob Tolbert, Matthew Welch 
Triple Jump - Andrew Greif, Jacob Tolbert, Matthew Welch
Shot Put - Mark Lewis, Ian Reynoso, Colin Veldman 
Discus - Steven Johnson, Colin Veldman  
Hammer - Steven Johnson, Michael Hill, Matthew Maloney, Colin Veldman

Decathlon - Cody Fleming, Alexey Shkuratov

 

 

UO WOMEN'S WEEKEND PREVIEW: Ducks Look To Take Flight Around The Track.
Senior Lauryn Jordan will pare back on her competition schedule and will focus solely on the triple jump in Saturday’s ‘High Performance’ section. She ranks second in school history in the event with her season best and regional qualifier of 41-4 1/2 from the Pepsi Team Invitational two weekends ago, and is barely a foot behind school record holder Sara Jessie (42-6, 1995). Last weekend, Jordan scored a 59-point heptathlon personal best in the Mt. SAC Relays (5,426) and her NCAA provisional mark was just shy of the NCAA automatic standard of 5,500 points. She was a four-event scorer last season in the Pac-10 Championships in the high jump (5-10), long jump (eighth, 19-9), triple jump (fifth, 40-9 1/2) and heptathlon (fourth 5,299). Freshman Rebekah Noble returns to Hayward Field after a smashing collegiate outdoor debut in the 800 meters in the Pepsi Team Invite (first, 2:03.11) earlier in April – a time that moved her to fourth all-time for UO behind a trio of former NCAA runners-up. The women’s 4x400-meter relay of redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden, redshirt sophomore Irie Searcy, freshman Leah Worthen and Noble sped to a regional qualifier in the Pepsi Team Invitational (3:40.17) after they opened the season with a 3:43.57 season debut. Their current season best is only .62 seconds off UO’s 10th-best mark all-time (3:39.55), and the last quartet to join the Duck all-time list was in 1996 (Morris, Henes, Godfrey, Commissiong, 3:36.79). At the end of March, junior pole vaulter Emily Enders upped her personal best to 13-5 3/4 in the Trojan Invitational at USC, and she ranks sixth in the early season outdoor national rankings. The Snohomish, Wash., native was an NCAA qualifier outdoors as a freshman in 2004 (15th, 12-9 1/2) after she jumped then-personal bests earlier in the postseason run in the Pac-10 Championships (fifth, 13-1 3/4) and NCAA West Regional (fifth-tie, 13-2 1/4).  The Oregon throws unit is one of the nation's best and features a pair of NCAA veterans in both the javelin and hammer. Roslyn Lundeen and Elisa Reynoso are both double All-Americans in the javelin, and freshman Rachel Yurkovich is on the fast track to an NCAA invite of her own. The returning U.S. junior and Pan-Am junior champion upped her best in her collegiate debut in the Oregon Preview (179-10) to move to second all-time for UO, and rewrote her former best of 176-5 from '05 - a national high school record that came at Hayward Field last April. Redshirt junior Britney Henry has upped the school hammer mark in the Oregon Preview (208-7) and Mt. SAC Relays (221-7) this year, and will take aim at her personal best from ’05 (223-8) - a mark that ranked her ninth all-time in U.S. history and fifth in the U.S. and 51st in the world last season. Redshirt senior Brittany Hinchcliffe, UO's former hammer school record holder, also improved her personal best in the Oregon Preview to 199-3, and stands 13th nationally in the event in '06.


UO MEN'S WEEKEND PREVIEW: UO’s All-America Sprint Corps Ready to Rattle the Rafters.
Redshirt junior Jordan Kent continues to pick up speed in his third week of practice after a pair of letterwinner campaigns for the football and basketball squads. A member of UO’s All-America 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays in the 2005 NCAA Championships (sixth, 39.20; third, 3:00.81), Kent also ranks top-seven for UO all-time in the 100 (seventh, 10.41, 2005) and 200 meters (fifth, 20.82, 2005). This year, the 4x100m relay ran a regional qualifier to win the Pepsi Team Invitational two weekends ago (40.33), and the 4x400m relay clocked a season best 3:11.31 in the same meet. Senior Matt Scherer is the highest-ranked current Duck in the shorter sprints with his fourth-place ranking in the 400 meters (45.70) - a personal best from the NCAA Outdoor Championships semifinal last year. The Sumner, Ill., native ranks ninth nationally among collegians this season thanks to his winning mark and season best two weekends ago in the Pepsi Team Invitational (46.06). Last year he collected All-America 400 meters honors in the NCAA Championships outdoors (11th-semifinal) and indoors (ninth, 47.15) and was a fourth-place finisher in the Pac-10 (46.11) and West Regional Championships (46.52). Career-wise, he has broken the 46.00-second barrier four times in his career – all in Pac-10, West Regional and NCAA action. Senior Eric Mitchum has competed in the 110-meter hurdles in four meets this season and each of them has been sub-13.80, including a season best (13.65, w:0.9) that ranks him fourth nationally. He has won the first three of those races, and in the other – the Mt. SAC Relays last weekend - he took second and was the top collegian (13.71, w:1.8). In Friday evening’s distance carnival, redshirt sophomore Michael McGrath is entered in the 1,500 meters and may also run Saturday’s 800 meters. Indoors in March, he became UO’s second-ever sub-4:00 indoor miler (3:59.25) and first since legendary great Steve Prefontaine clocked 3:59.2 in 1973. The Portland native McGrath opened his outdoor campaign with a regional qualifier in the Oregon Preview 1,500 meters (3:46.82), and his personal best of 3:42.44 dates back to the 2005 Payton Jordan U.S. Open at Stanford last May. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, redshirt freshman Christopher Winter is a two-time Junior World Championships qualifier in the steeple and took third in the 2,000-meter steeple in 2004. The North Vancouver, B.C., native also competed in the world junior finale in cross country in 2004 and ’05 and ranked top-five for the Canadian squad both seasons. He owns a steeplechase best of 8:54.94 from a meet in Burnaby, B.C. in the summer of 2004 – a time slightly faster than his 2005 season best of 8:54.99 from the Canadian Junior Championships last July in Montreal. Two weeks ago, he ran a season best of 9:00.95 in the Pepsi Team Invitational at home that ranks second in the conference. The pole vault should also be a key event when UO defends its Pac-10 Conference men’s team title from 2005, and this weekend is paced by redshirt senior Jonathan Derby – one of only six collegiate vaulters that qualified for the NCAA Championships indoors and outdoors in ’05 and the only returnee in ’06 from the Pac-10. Derby ranks fifth all-time indoors for UO (17-6 1/2) with his last chance mark from 2005.

 

  

 

 

Duck Regional Qualifiers


Men – National Ranking (as of 4/19/06), Season Best, Date
400m – 9th, Matt Scherer, Sr., 46.06, 4-8
800m – 39th, Matt Scherer, Sr., 1:50.25, 3-25
1,500m – 30th, Michael McGrath, So., 3:46.82, 3-18
Steeplechase – 25th, Christopher Winter, Fr., 9:00.95, 4-8
110m Hurdles – 4th, Eric Mitchum, Sr., 13.65, 3-25
4x100m Relay – 34th, Del Rincon, Mitchum, Huske, Kent, 40.33, 4-8
Pole Vault – 1st, Tommy Skipper, Jr., 5.79m (19-0), 3-18
Pole Vault – 35th, Jonathan Derby, Sr., 5.10m (16-8 3/4), 3-18
Shot Put – 58th, Colin Veldman, Jr., 17.00m (55-9 1/4), 3-25
Discus – 31st, Colin Veldman, Jr., 55.07m (180-8), 3-25
Hammer - 50th, Colin Veldman, Jr., 58.20m (190-11), 3-18
Javelin - 58th, Ryan Brandel, Jr., 61.75m (202-7), 3-18


Women – National Ranking (as of 4/19/06), Season Best, Date
800m – 1st, Rebekah Noble, Fr., 2:03.11, 4-8
1,500m – 9th, Amber McGown, Sr., 4:21.30, 4-1
1,500m – 20th, Dana Buchanan, Jr., 4:23.88, 4-1
1,500m – 32nd, Rebekah Noble, Fr., 4:24.90, 4-1
Steeplechase – 22nd, Dana Buchanan, Jr., 10:33.77, 4-8
Steeplechase – 49th, Amanda Fitz-Gustaffson, RSr., 10:45.68, 4-8
5,000m – 68th, Zoe Nelson, Fr., 16:50.60, 3-31
5,000m – 69th, Sarah Pearson, So., 16:50.64, 3-31
4x400m Relay – 44th, McFadden, Searcy, Worthen, Noble, 3:40.17, 4-8
Pole Vault – 6th, Emily Enders, Jr., 4.11m (13-5 3/4), 3-25
Long Jump – 31st, Lauryn Jordan, Sr., 6.12m (20-11 1/4), 4-8
Triple Jump – 47th, Lauryn Jordan, Sr., 12.61m (41-4 1/2), 4-8
Hammer – 2nd, Britney Henry, Jr., 67.54m (221-7), 4-15
Hammer – 13th, Brittany Hinchcliffe, Sr., 61.11m (200-6), 4-8
Javelin – 4th, Rachel Yurkovich, Fr., 54.82m (179-10), 3-18
Javelin – 48th, Ashley McCrea, Fr., 46.01m (150-11), 3-25
Javelin – 73rd, Roslyn Lundeen, Sr., 43.85m (143-10), 4-8
Heptathlon – 8th, Kalindra McFadden, Fr., 5428, 4-13
Heptathlon – 9th, Lauryn Jordan, Sr., 5426, 4-13

 

* Note - Links to NCAA national and regional rankings are located on the www.GoDucks.com website in the STATISTICS dropdown.

 

 

  

WOMEN'S WEEKEND REVIEW: Henry Breaks Pac-10 Hammer Record.

WALNUT, Calif. (4/15/06) - In the 48th annual Mt. SAC Relays last week, redshirt junior Britney Henry unleashed a 13-foot hammer throw school and conference record to place second in the invitational section (221-7) behind the New York Athletic Club’s Erin Gilreath (first, 228-8). Heading into the weekend, only 20 competitors in the world had thrown farther than Henry this season, including only one American ­ Gilreath ­ who logged a season best. Henry’s previous season best and school record was 208-7 from the Oregon Preview in Eugene in mid-March. The first-year Duck competitor was also only 2 feet and 1 inch off her personal best (223-8) when she competed unattached last season - her first in Eugene. Entering 2006, only two collegians had ever thrown farther than Henry’s personal best ­ recent NCAA champions Loree Smith (Colorado State, 2005, 229-9) and Candice Scott (Florida, 2004, 229-5) - and Henry also ranked ninth on the all-time U.S. list. The first two days of the meet, redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden and senior Lauryn Jordan scored NCAA provisional marks and were the top collegiate heptathlon finishers with their third- and fourth-place marks (5,428 / 5,426). Both Ducks topped the NCAA provisional mark of 5,000 points and were just shy of the automatic standard of 5,500 points. On the all-time UO list, Jordan's 59-point personal best left her sixth all-time. McFadden joined the UO all-time list at fifth behind a quartet of former All-Americans that includes current Oregon assistant coach and heptathlon mentor Kelly Blair LaBounty (first, 6,038, 1993). Other Duck women's competitors included redshirt senior Brittany Hinchcliffe (hammer, 12th, 190-3) and freshman Rachel Yurkovich (javelin, seventh overall/fourth-collegian, 161-7)

 

 

MEN'S WEEKEND REVIEW: Mitchum Leads Collegians at Mt. SAC

WALNUT, Calif. (4/15/06) - In the 48th annual Mt. SAC Relays last week, senior Eric Mitchum made his fourth meet appearance and took second in the invitational section of the 110-meter hurdles (13.71, w:1.8). The Calumet City, Ill., native was the top collegian behind post-collegian Ryan Wilson of Nike (first, 13.55). The five-time All-American Mitchum’s time was only .06 seconds off his season best (13.65, w:0.9) from the Trojan Invitational at USC at the end of the March. In his last two trips to the Walnut-hosted meet, he ran two of his fastest four regular season career-best times in 2005 (13.53, w:2.0) and ’04 (13.56, w:1.0). Also in the sprints, senior Matt Scherer switched from the invitational 400 meters to the 200 meters to and placed sixth in the invitational section in a .02-second season and personal best (21.35, w:1.7). Other men's marks came from redshirt junior Colin Veldman in the discus (third, 162-1) and a rain-soaked hammer (ninth, 176-2).

 

 

TRACKWIRE.COM NCAA OUTDOOR PREDICTIONS

 

* courtesy of www.trackwire.com, which also includes complete team and individual men's and women's predictions for the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

 


Women's Team Score - 13th, 21 points


Oregon Individual Event Predictions
800 - 1, Rebekah Noble
Hammer - 2, Britney Henry
Javelin - 6, Rachel Yurkovich
Heptathlon - 9, Kalindra McFadden
Heptathlon - 10, Lauryn Jordan


Oregon Men's Team Score - 7th, 28 points


Oregon Individual Event Predictions
5,000 - 5, Galen Rupp
10,000 - 3, Galen Rupp
110 Hurdles - 2, Eric Mitchum
Pole Vault - 1, Tommy Skipper
Decathlon - 1, Andy Young


 

2005 OREGON INVITE MEN'S RECAP: Frosh Makes Collegiate Debut.
EUGENE (4/21-23/05) - In last year's Oregon Invitational, Andrew Young claimed Pac-10 Men's Field Event Athlete of the Week honors for his decathlon win and NCAA provisional score of 7,329 points. His tally earned an NCAA return for the Newberg, Ore., native and was just shy of his personal best from the 2004 Pac-10 Championships decathlon (third, 7,372). Then-Duck redshirt athlete Brian Bartow added second place (PR 6,671). Oregon sprinters and hurdlers won four events and climbed the UO all-time charts courtesy of Richard Del Rincon (200m, 20.93, w:0.7 - #6 all-time at UO), Kedar Inico (400m, 46.56, #8 all-time at UO), Akobundu Ikwaukor (110m hurdles, 14.03, w:1.3 - #7 all-time) and the 4x100 of Del Rincon, Matt Scherer, Inico and Jordan Kent (40.00). Scherer and Ikwuakor also logged solid marks in the 400 and took second (46.57) and fourth (47.59), respectively, while Eric Mitchum took second in the 400-meter hurdles (52.15) in a .05-second personal best behind former teammate Brandon Holliday (first, 51.47). Kent won the long jump by six inches (24-9 3/4, w:0.0) in his first appearance on the runway since the 2003 midseason. In the distances, Galen Rupp debuted for UO in the men's 5,000 meters and survived a mid-race fall to get up and still notch a regional qualifier (fifth, 13:50.10). Other top Duck distance marks came from recent Ducks Roderick Dotts (800, sixth, then-two-second Duck best 1:50.46), Brett Holts (steeplechase, second, season debut 8:47.22) and Kyle Alcorn (steeple, sixth, then-half-second PR 8:53.77).


 

2005 OREGON INVITE WOMEN'S RECAP: Jordan Went NCAA Provisional in UO Hep Debut.
EUGENE (4/21-23/05) - On the women's side in the Oregon Invitational year, Lauryn Jordan finished second in the heptathlon with a provisional score of 5,020 points - 20 points above the NCAA provisional standard. Her score moved her to eighth all-time for the Ducks, and improved on her former personal best of 4,895 from 2004 when she competed for San Joaquin Delta College in California. In the sprints, former Duck Sofie Abildtrup won the 400 (54.37) in a .42-second personal best, and also met the regional qualifying standard (54.61) for the first time this season. Another then-senior, Kayla Mellott chopped almost 1 1/2 seconds off her 400-meter hurdles season best en route to an almost half-second personal best (second, 60.15), and remained seventh- all-time for Oregon. In the distances, Sara Schaaf took fifth in the 800 (2:10.38) and almost anchored the 4x400-meter relay to a comeback win (second, 3:44.76) over Washington (first, 3:44.58), and teammate Laura Harmon ran her first outdoor regional qualifier of '05 in the 5,000 meters (seventh, 16:39.37). Former Duck Sarah Malone won the javelin with another +170-foot throw (first, 173-1), and All-America teammate Roslyn Lundeen trailed in third place (157-1), less than two feet off her then-season best. In the hammer, then-redshirt Britney Henry took second (206-4), and teammate Bree Fuqua won both the shot put (52-11 1/2) and discus (155-10).

 

 

2006 UO WOMEN’S OUTLOOK: Field Events Again Pace Charge in ‘06.

The field events again lead the Oregon women’s charge in 2006 with a pair of double All-Americans back in the javelin – redshirt seniors Roslyn Lundeen (seventh in ‘02, eighth in ‘03) and Elisa (Crumley) Reynoso (12th in ‘02, 13th in ‘03). The hammer throw sports a pair of NCAA veterans – redshirt senior Brittany Hinchcliffe (12th in ‘05) and redshirt junior Britney Henry (2004). Henry’s 2005 season and personal best (223-8) ranked fifth in the U.S. and 41st in the world. The pole vault sports another pair of NCAA veterans in redshirt senior Hannah Moore and junior Emily Enders who made NCAA trips indoors and outdoors in ‘04, respectively, and finished 13th (12-11 1/2) and 15th (12-9 1/2). At the Pac-10 level, Jordan and Lundeen are former Pac-10 runners-up in the high jump and javelin, and are among six Duck veterans that have scored previous top-eight Pac-10 placings. Several newcomers also expect to challenge for NCAA invitations. Freshman and Newberg, Ore., native Rachel Yurkovich broke the high school record in the javelin in 2005 (176-5), before she won USA Junior and Pan-Am Junior titles in ‘05 (166-1 / 172-6) and also took fifth in the USA senior finale (170-3). Fellow javelin thrower and North Bend, Ore., native Ashley McCrea ranked second among preps in ‘05 (158-6), was a two-time state champion herself in the 3A ranks, and took fifth in the U.S. junior finale in ‘05 (146-11). Freshman Rebekah Noble was a USA junior and Pan-Am junior champion also as a senior (2:03.73/2:04.07). Her senior prep season best (2:03.73) led the prep ranks in ‘05, ranked eighth on the all-time U.S. high school ,list and was the fastest time by a prep since 1982. Indoors in ‘06, Noble claimed NCAA runner-up honors in the 800 meters, and additional indoor All-America honors went to Buchanan, McGown, redshirt senior Sara Schaaf, and sophomore Irie Searcy in the distance medley relay. Several other freshmen could challenge for NCAA invitations and include distance runners Katie Leary and Zoe Nelson, prep All-America hammer thrower Megan Maloney, and heptathlete Kalindra McFadden.

 

 

2006 DUCK MEN’S OUTLOOK: UO Flexes Depth Around the Track.

The UO men have claimed four straight top-two Pac-10 team finishes, including wins in 2003 and ‘05. In 2006, the ‘Men of Oregon’ finished a best-ever sixth place as a team indoors in the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and sported top-six finishes from senior Eric Mitchum (60 hurdles, third, 7.68), junior Tommy Skipper (pole vault, first, 18-6 1/2) and sophomore Galen Rupp (3,000, sixth, 8:07.85; 5,000, fifth, 13:56.41). Skipper also won NCAA titles indoors in ‘05 (18-4 1/2) and outdoors in ‘04 (18-8 1/4), and added a fourth top-two NCAA finish as a freshman indoors in ‘04 (second, 18-4 1/2). Mitchum is altogether a six-time All-American thanks to his other NCAA finishes outdoors in the 110-meter hurdles (second, 13.38, 2004; fourth, 13.53, 2005) and indoors in the 60 hurdles (sixth, 7.74, 2004; fourth, 7.73, 2005). Skipper and Mitchum are past Pac-10 and West Regional champions in the pole vault (2004) and 110-meter hurdles (2004, ‘05), respectively. Rupp also sped to an NCAA runner-up finish in 2005 in the 10,000 meters (28:23.75) and was a top-four placer in the Pac-10 5,000 and 10,000 meters (fourth/second) in 2005. The Duck sprint crew came off a record-setting postseason run in 2005 that included school records in the NCAA outdoor finale in the 4x100-meter relay (sixth, 39.20) and 4x400-meter relay (third, 3:00.81), and the latter time would have won the NCAA finale every year prior since 1964 except four seasons. Other Ducks that have received NCAA invitations include redshirt sophomore Patrick Werhane (cross country, 2005), redshirt junior Jordan Kent (200 meters, 2003), and seniors Matt Scherer (400 meters, 2003, ‘04, ‘05),  Akobundu Ikwuakor (110-meter hurdles, 2004, ‘05; 400-meter hurdles, ‘05), redshirt senior pole vaulter Jonathan Derby (pole vault outdoors and indoors in ‘05) and Andrew Young (decathlon, 2004, ‘05). Top newcomers include junior transfers Colin Veldman (shot put/discus/hammer) and Ryan Brandel (javelin), the distance pair of redshirt sophomore Michael McGrath (800 meters/1,500 meters) and redshirt freshman Christopher Winter (steeplechase), and a host of freshman newcomers, including prep All-Americans Jared Huske (110-meter hurdles/400-meter hurdles) and Matthew Maloney (javelin), and Walter Thurmond III (110-meter hurdles), Mark Lewis (shot put), Alex Wolff (javelin) and Alexey Shkuratov (decathlon).

 

 

MEN’S NEWCOMERS: UO Sports Key Hurdles, Distances, Throws and Dec. Additions

The men’s newcomer list welcomes back redshirt sophomore Michael McGrath who was an NCAA qualifier indoors in ’06 thanks to his first career sub-4:00 mile in early March (3:59.25). Also in the distances, redshirt freshman Christopher Winter is a two-time World Junior Championships qualifier in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and in cross country. Freshmen Matthew Maloney and Alex Wolff ranked first and fourth nationally in the prep javelin in ’05 and placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 2005 USA Junior Championships. Freshman Jared Huske ranked second among preps in the 110-meter hurdles in ’05 (13.71), while freshman cornerback Walter Thurmond III stood third on the squad indoors in the 60-meter hurdles (8.15) in ’06 behind a pair of NCAA outdoor high hurdles veterans. Redshirt junior Colin Veldman was an NCAA provisional qualifier indoors in the shot put in ‘06 with his indoor school record (58-8 3/4), and freshman Alexey Shkuratov will contend for Pac-10 duty in the decathlon, 110-meter hurdles and long jump and owns bests of 14.53, 6,708 and 23-6, respectively.

 

TOP DUCK MEN’S NEWCOMERS

Michael McGrath, RSo., Portland, Ore. - 800 1:47.62, 1,500 3:42.44

Jeffrey Erb, RFr., Eugene, Ore. - 800 1:51.63

Andrew Perri, Fr., Oakridge, Ore. - 800 1:52.72, 1,500 3:58

Christopher Winter, RFr., N. Vancouver, B.C. - Steeplechase 8:54.94

Keegan Burnett, Jr.-TR, Sweet Home, Ore. - PV 16-5 1/4

Jared Huske, Fr., Topeka, Kan. - 110H 13.33w / 13.71 (#2 US ‘05), 300H 36.93 (#10 US ‘05), 400H 52.49 (#10 US ‘05)

Walter Thurmond III, Fr., West Covina, Calif. - 110H 14.29 (HS-14.16)

Colin Veldman, RJr.-TR, Fort Collins, Colo. - SP 58-10, DT 184-6, HT 211-0

Mark Lewis, RFr., Arroyo Grande, Calif. - SP 54-2 (indoors ‘06) (63-5 1/2-HS, #10 US  ‘04)

Matthew Maloney, Fr., Barrington, R.I. - JT 231-5 (#1 HS ’05), HT (12 lb.) - 213-6

Alex Wolff, Fr., Newberg, Ore. - JT 213-5 (#4 HS ‘05)

Ryan Brandel, Jr.-TR, Milwaukie, Ore. - JT 212-0

Michael Hill, RJr., Bend, Ore. - HT 169-9

Brian Bartow, RJr., Grants Pass, Ore. - Dec. 6,772, JT 209-0

Alexey Shkuratov, RFr., Minsk, Belarus - Dec. 6,708, 110H 14.53

 

 

WOMEN’S NEWCOMERS: Throws and Middle Distances Ink Prep All-Americans.

A host of talented new faces will add ammunition in UO’s championship runs in ‘06. The Duck women’s newcomer class was ranked best in the nation by Track and Field News and featured a pair of 2005 national prep leaders and U.S. and Pan-Am junior champions – freshmen Rachel Yurkovich (javelin) and Rebekah Noble (800 meters). The distance corps has received immediate dividends from graduate student Amber McGown and junior Dana Buchanan who ran on its All-America indoor distance medley in ’06, and freshmen Zoe Nelson and Katie Leary were two of the team’s cross country runners in the fall. True freshman Megan Maloney ranked third nationally in the hammer among preps in ’05 (then-PR 169-10), and redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden was an NCAA provisional qualifier indoors in ’06 with her pentathlon school record (3,929).

 

TOP DUCK WOMEN’S NEWCOMERS

Leah Worthen, Fr., Coos Bay, Ore. - 100 12.2, 200 24.8, 400 55.9

Rebekah Noble, Fr., Spokane, Wash. - 400 53.3, 800 2:03.11 (HS-2:03.71-#1 HS ‘05)

Dana Buchanan, Jr.-TR, Beachburg, Ont. - 800 2:09.85, 1,500 4:23.88, Mile 4:44.58 (indoors), Steeplechase 10:33.77

Amber McGown, RSr.-TR, Melfort, Sask. - 800 2:13.00, 1,500 4:21.30, Mile 4:41.48 (indoors)

Katie Leary, RFr., Klamath Falls, Ore. - 1,500 4:36.76, 3,000 10:00.38

Zoe Nelson, Fr., Kalispell, Mont.,  - 1,600 4:54.8, 3,000 9:43.4, 2-Mile 10:23.7 (#3 HS ’04), 5,000 16:50.60

Tara Rhein, Fr., Roseville, Calif. - PV 11-2

Britney Henry, RJr.-TR, Spokane, Wash. - HT 221-7 (223-8-‘05, #5 US ’05, #41 US ’05)

Megan Maloney, Fr., Barrington, R.I. - HT 174-2 (HS-169-10, #3 HS ’05)

Ashley McCrea, Fr., North Bend, Ore. - JT 158-6 (#2 HS ‘05)

Rachel Yurkovich, Fr., Newberg, Ore. - JT 179-10 (HS-176-5, #1 HS ‘05)

Kalindra McFadden, RFr., Bozeman, Mont. - 100H 14.64/14.38W, 200 25.00, Hep 5,428

 

 

2006 INDOOR WOMEN’S RECAP: Noble & DMR Go All-American Indoors.

In the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Arkansas (3/10-11), the Duck women claimed their third-highest ever NCAA indoor team finish (23rd-tie, 10 points), and both the M&W teams placed top-25 in the same season for the first time ever. All five of the women’s qualifiers claimed All-America honors and included freshman Rebekah Noble (800, second), and the distance medley relay (seventh) of graduate student Amber McGown, redshirt senior Sara Schaaf, junior Dana Buchanan and redshirt sophomore Irie Searcy. During the indoor regular season, Duck women scored five school records – senior Lauryn Jordan (60 hurdles, 8.73), the distance medley relay (11:16.05), redshirt senior Britney Hinchcliffe and redshirt junior Britney Henry (weight throw, 61-1 1/4) and redshirt freshman Kalindra McFadden (pentathlon, 3,929)

 

 

2006 INDOOR MEN’S RECAP: Men Repeat Best-Ever Sixth in NCAA Finale.

The ‘Men of Oregon’ took sixth in March’s NCAA indoor team race with 23 points to match their all-time best placing from ’05, and also notched their third top-10 finish in five years after they also took ninth in 2002. Oregon welcomed All-America efforts from four of their five entries – junior Tommy Skipper (pole vault, first), senior Eric Mitchum (60 hurdles, third) and freshman Galen Rupp (3,000, sixth; 5,000, fifth). During the indoor regular season, four men’s indoor school records were broken or tied by Rupp (5,000, 13:48.51), Mitchum (60 hurdles, 7.67), Skipper (pole vault, 18-8.75-tied) and redshirt junior Colin Veldman (shot put, 58-8 3/4).

 

 

HAYWARD IS HAPPENING: More High-Caliber Meets On Tap in ‘06

Looking ahead to other home meets in ’06, the Oregon Twilight concludes the regular season Friday, May 5, immediately followed by the Pacific-10 Conference Championships Heptathlon and Decathlon, Saturday-Sunday, May 6-7. The following weekend, the Pac-10 Championships return to Eugene for the sixth time in school history, Saturday-Sunday, May 13-14. The Duck men will look to defend their 2005 team title, while the women are set to improve on their 68-point tally in 2005 – their highest since 1998. Hayward Field spectators should look for a host of Duck track and field alumni on hand the Pac-10 weekend as part of a special UO track and field alumni reunion. More meet information for several home meets is already posted or will be added soon to the SCHEDULE link on the www.GoDucks.com website.

 

NEW BOWERMAN BOOK: Author Kenny Moore Unveiled First Copy at Pepsi Team Invite.
Hayward Field fans received a special bonus in the recent Pepsi Team Invitational as former UO distance runner and Olympian Kenny Moore unveiled his long-awaited book about famous Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman entitled “Bowerman and the Men of Oregon”. The Eugene native and North Eugene High School product personally delivered the first copy to Bowerman’s widow Barbara and her family at a special ceremony during the meet. Officially assigned a late April/early May release nationwide by Rodale Publishing, a link on the UO Bookstore ( www.uobookstore.com ) will include more information when it’s available on the UO campus. The UO alumni magazine – Oregon Quarterly ( www.oregonquarterly.com ) – recently ran an excerpt that’s still available online. The book will chronicle the legendary Duck mentor Bowerman who served as the UO men’s track and field head coach from 1949-1972. His men’s squads won four NCAA track and field team titles (1962-64-65-70) among their 16 top-10 NCAA finishes in his 24 years as head coach, to go along with 24 NCAA individual crowns He served as the U.S. Olympic head coach in 1972 and as an assistant coach in 1968. A founder of the famous athletic company Nike Inc. with another ex-UO distance runner Phil Knight, Bowerman introduced the idea of running shoes with waffle-iron-soles that are still popular today. Moore was one of Bowerman’s greatest distance runners and took fourth in the 1972 Olympic marathon (2:15.39.8) and ran the same Olympic event in 1968 (14th, 2:29.49.4). A Duck letterwinner from 1964-66, Moore was an All-American in the NCAA Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in ’64 (sixth, 9:02.8) and ’66 (sixth, 9:08.8).

 

COACHING UPDATE: Lananna Quickly Makes Mark as Ducks’ New Mentor.

Associate Athletic Director and Director of Track and Field Vin Lananna is in his first season with the Ducks, and is very familiar with the University of Oregon and Pacific-10 Conference. The former Stanford head coach guided the league rival Cardinal men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs to five NCAA team titles and 35 top-10 NCAA team finishes in his 11-year career from 1992-2003. Less than three months after his arrival, the Eugene community and University of Oregon celebrated a come-from-behind win in the bid for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials – the fourth time since 1972 that the grand meet will travel to Hayward Field. Other members of the 2005-06 track and field staff include assistant athletic director Michael Reilly, assistant coaches Kelly Blair LaBounty (women’s hurdles, heptathlon, first year), Lance Deal (throws, fourth year), Robert Johnson (jumps, women’s sprints, first year), Andy Powell (men’s distances, first year), Dan Steele (men’s sprints, hurdles, pole vault, decathlon, fourth year), and volunteer coaches Piotr Buciarski (pole vault, first year), Kayla Mellott (men’s sprints, first year), Maurica Powell (women’s distances, first year) and Mark Vanderville (pole vault, seventh year) and director of operations Colleen Wren.

 

 

HAYWARD FIELD PROFILE: Eugene Welcomed its Ninth NCAA Finale in ‘01.

At the heart of the recent buzz around Track Town, USA is venerable Hayward Field – the centerpiece of the community’s and University’s successful bid for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. One of the most famous track facilities in the world, it is named for Bill Hayward, who coached the Oregon’s men’s team from 1904-1947. The 10,205-seat stadium was originally dedicated in 1919 and boasts a standing room capacity of 10,505. In 2001, the venue welcomed the world’s fastest, strongest and most explosive to a Triple Crown of great meets – the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Prefontaine Classic (www.preclassic.com) and USA Outdoor Championships. Altogether, nine NCAA Championships (1962-64-72-78-74-77-91-96-01) have visited Track City USA, along with three Olympic Trials (1972-76-80) and six U.S. Championships (AAU 1971-75, TAC 1986, USATF-1993-99-01). Since the NCAA started rotating outdoor championships sites in 1934, Oregon has welcomed more finals than any other school. California follows with eight (although they haven’t hosted one since 1968), and no other school has hosted more than five. Looking ahead, the fabled facility will host the 2006 Pacific-10 Conference Championships (Sat.-Sun., May 13-14), Oregon State High School Track and Field Championships (Fri.-Sat., May 26-27) and Prefontaine Classic (Sun., May 28).

 

 

ALL-AMERICA EQUATION: Breaking down the NCAA Honor.

Based on their NCAA Championships performances, individuals are awarded All-America honors by the U.S. Track Coaches Association (USTCA). The top-eight finishers from each event are honored regardless of citizenship, and any additional U.S. finishers that are among the top eight American finishers are also rewarded. If necessary, the U.S.-based honors can even extend to the top performances in the preceding qualifying round if there are not eight Americans in the event’s final.

 

 

NCAA MEN’S OUTDOOR REWIND: Mitchum, Rupp and Skipper Have Placed Top-Two Before.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (6/8-11/05) – Last year, the ‘Men of Oregon’ placed ninth in the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third time in five years, and the squad welcomes back nine NCAA veterans in ‘06, including multiple NCAA champion Tommy Skipper and a pair of former NCAA runners-up – senior Eric Mitchum (110 hurdles, 2004) and sophomore Galen Rupp (10,000, 2005). Other Ducks with NCAA experience include 3/4 of UO’s record-setting 4x400 and 4x100 relays that placed third and sixth in the ’05 outdoor collegiate finale in school records (3:00.81/39.20), and a quartet of seniors – Matt Scherer (400), Akobundu Ikwuakor (110/400 hurdles), Jonathan Derby (pole vault) and Andrew Young (decathlon). Mitchum and Skipper are also former Pac-10 and West Regional champions and are among 13 Duck veterans that have already scored top-10 conference finishes in individual events.

 

 

NCAA WOMEN’S OUTDOOR REWIND: Field Events Showcase Several Vets.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (6/8-11/05) – The Duck women tied for 32nd in the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships last June, courtesy of the eight points from NCAA javelin runner-up Sarah Malone. The Duck women return a pair of top-12 throwers from last year’s collegiate outdoor finale – redshirt seniors Roslyn Lundeen (ninth, javelin) and Brittany Hinchcliffe (12th, hammer) – and senior Lauryn Jordan scored a personal best in the heptathlon (14th, 5,367) that moved her to fifth on the UO all-time lists. Lundeen won All-America honors for her top-eight finishes as a freshman and sophomore in 2002 and ’03 (seventh/eighth), and Elisa (Crumley) Reynoso was also an All-American those two seasons (12th/13th). Oregon sports several other NCAA veterans including junior newcomer Britney Henry - an NCAA hammer qualifier in 2004 for LSU, (223-8) – and the pole vault duo of junior Emily Enders and redshirt senior Hannah Moore who were qualifiers outdoors and indoors in 2004 (15th-tie / 13th).

 

 

THE ROAD TO SACTO: Explaining the Outdoor Regional System.

Over the course of the 2006 outdoor campaign, Duck individuals will try to meet regional qualifying event standards as they bid for invitations to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Regional event standards are based on the 100th best performance nationally from 2005, while all conference champions are also automatically invited to their respective regional. Qualifiers then compete head-to-head in their respective regional among four national sites that host two-day meets on Fri.-Sat., May 26-27, as the Ducks travel to Provo, Utah for the West Regional.  Except for the 10,000 meters and heptathlon/decathlon (which still operate on an automatic/provisional standard system similar to the indoor season), the top-five finishers from each individual regional event and top three relay placers automatically advance to the NCAA Championships, nearly two weeks later (June 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif.). Besides the automatic advancers from each regional, an additional 6-8 athletes nationally per individual event are invited by the NCAA Championships selection committee based on a season performance list (in case of injury, illness, etc.) as long as that athlete finished top eight in the regional event.

 

A list of various regional and national qualifying standards is available in the STATISTICS dropdown link at the top of the www.GoDucks.com track and field page.