Oregon hosts the 2009 NCAA West Regional Championships this Friday and Saturday at Historic Hayward Field. Competition begins at 2:40 p.m. on Friday and at noon on Saturday. The Ducks have 22 women and two relay teams entered in the championships, while the men have 23 individuals and the 4x400 meter relay team on the official entries list.

ADVANCE TO FAYETTEVILLE

The top five finishers (and top three relay teams) from the 19 men’s and women’s events that will be contested at the NCAA West Regional advance on to the NCAA Championships June 10-13 in Fayetteville, Ark. A top-five finish at one of the four NCAA regionals being conducted around the country this weekend is the only way to guarantee a trip to the national championships. Beyond that, those finishing sixth through 12th this weekend will be eligible for an "at-large" bid to the championships. Those bids are based on the national descending order list, and will be announced by noon on Tuesday, June 2. Additionally, the decathlon, heptathlon and the men’s and women’s 10,000 meters are exempt from regional qualifying. Those with automatic marks advance straight to Fayetteville; those with provisional marks go into the at-large pool, with bids being extended on June 2.

RESULTS

Live results from the NCAA West Regional will be available on www.goducks.com. Final results will also be posted on www.goducks.com.

SENIOR SWAN SONG

The NCAA West Regional will mark the final collegiate competition at Hayward Field for a number of Oregon seniors, including four-time NCAA champion Galen Rupp and 2008 NCAA javelin champ Rachel Yurkovich. Rupp is entered in the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters, while Yurkovich, naturally, will be in the javelin. Other seniors making their final Hayward appearance include 2009 Pac-10 champion Chris Winter (men’s steeplechase), All-American Shadrack Biwott (men’s 5,000 meters), All-American Scott Wall (men’s 5,000 meters), All-American Dana Buchanan (women’s steeplechase), 2009 Pac-10 runner-up Lucy Cridland (women’s discus), Ashley McCrea (women’s javelin), James Withers (men’s 1,500 meters), Zoe Nelson (women’s 5,000 meters), Megan Maloney (women’s hammer), Steven Johnson (men’s hammer) and potentially Leah Worthen (women’s 4x400 relay).

TUESDAYS IN TRACK TOWN

Tuesday, June 2 will mark the final date in the popular series of "Tuesdays in Track Town" town hall meetings. The 60-minute session runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be held at the Bowerman Building.

DUCKS REACH 85 NCAA QUALIFIERS

Oregon accumulated an astonishing 85 NCAA qualifying marks, 43 for the men and 42 for the women. By comparison, last season, the Ducks had 73 NCAA marks. The women have at least one NCAA mark in every event. Oregon contingent of 85 includes NCAA Championships automatic marks by Galen Rupp, Shadrack Biwott and Luke Puskedra in the men’s 10,000 meters, Ashton Eaton in the decathlon and Brianne Theisen and Kalindra McFadden in the heptathlon, as well as NCAA provisional marks by Mattie Bridgmon in the women’s 10,000 meters, Diego and Danny Mercado in the men’s 10,000 meters and Marshall Ackley in the decathlon.

OREGON’S NCAA REGIONAL ENTRIES

The Ducks have 26 competitors who are seeded among the top 10 in their respective events for the 2009 NCAA West Regional. Among those are West No. 1 seeds Keshia Baker (400), Nicole Blood (5,000), Zoe Buckman (800), Matthew Centrowitz (1,500), Melissa Gergel (pole vault), Cyrus Hostetler (javelin), Andrew Wheating (800), Chris Winter (3,000 steeplechase) and Rachel Yurkovich (javelin).

DOUBLE VISION

Three Ducks will attempt to double at the NCAA West Regional (not including relays). Galen Rupp is in both the men’s 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters. Jamesha Youngblood will double in both the women’s long jump and the triple jump. She was the 2009 Pac-10 champion in both events. Vernell Warren will compete in the men’s high jump and long jump.

NCAA WEST REGIONAL CHAMPS

While not as celebrated as a national or Pac-10 championship, Oregon has a handful of individuals who are NCAA West Regional champions. The most notable of which is three-time women’s javelin champ Rachel Yurkovich (2006-07-08). Other regional title holders on the roster include Galen Rupp (2007 5,000 meters), Andrew Wheating (2008 800 meters) and Rebekah Noble (2006 800 meters).

A CHAMPIONSHIP TRADITION

For the first time in its storied history, the Men of Oregon have won three straight Pac-10 titles. The 2009 crown means that the Ducks have won five of the last seven and 10 all-time. The Ducks have conference men’s track and field titles in 1965, 1967, 1979, 1986, 1990, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. On the women’s side, Oregon won its first title since 1992 and third overall. The Ducks’ Pac-10 crowns have come in 1991, 1992 and 2009.

PAC-10 CHAMPIONS

With 12 winners in 13 events at the 2009 Pac-10 championships, Oregon now has 14 Pac-10 champions who hold a total of 25 trophies on its 2009 roster. Here’s that rather impressive list:

Name Event Year(s)

Keshia Baker W-400 Meters 2008, 2009

Shadrack Biwott M-Cross Country 2007

Nicole Blood W-5,000 Meters 2008

Zoe Buckman W-800 Meters 2009

Matthew Centrowitz M-1,500 Meters 2009

Ashton Eaton Decathlon 2008, 2009

Melissa Gergel W-Pole Vault 2009

Cyrus Hostetler M-Javelin 2009

Galen Rupp M-5,000 Meters 2007

M-10,000 Meters 2007, 2009

M-Cross Country 2006, 2008

Brianne Theisen Heptathlon 2009

Andrew Wheating M-800 Meters 2008, 2009

Chris Winter M-Steeplechase 2009

Jamesha Youngblood W-Long Jump 2009

W-Triple Jump 2009

Rachel Yurkovich W-Javelin 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

DUCKS’ DIFFICULT DOUBLE

Oregon became just the second school in Pac-10 history to sweep the conference’s men’s and women’s championships in the same season. Prior to this year, only UCLA had accomplished that feat. The Bruins have actually accomplished that feat eight times: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 and 2004.

HISTORIC PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HAYWARD FIELD

The seventh time that Hayward Field hosted the Pacific-10 Championships certainly proved to be luck for the host school. The men won the title on home turf for the first time since 1967, while the women accomplished that feat for the first time since 1992. League meets hosted in Eugene were in 1967, 1973, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2006 and 2009.

33 DUCKS NAMED TO PAC-10 ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Pac-10 Champions Galen Rupp, Keshia Baker, Brianne Theisen, Chris Winter, Zoe Buckman and Melissa Gergel led a large contingent of 33 Oregon men and women who were named to the Pac-10 all-academic teams. That list also included 2009 Pac-10 runner-ups Lucy Cridland, Nicole Blood and Kalindra McFadden. Rupp, who carries a 3.87 grade point average in business administration, was joined on the first team by David Klech, Claire Michel, Scott Penny, Scott Wall, Bria Wetsch and Leah Worthen. The Ducks’ second team honorees included Cridland, McFadden, Winter, Brooke Guiffre, Eric Hersey, Steven Johnson and Zoe Nelson. A bevy of Oregon student-athletes made all-academic honorable mention selection, including Britton Nelson, A.J. O’Connell, Jordan Stray and Colin Witter-Tilton for the men and Baker, Blood, Buckman, Gergel, Theisen, Betsy Bies, Dana Buchanan, Erin Funkhouser, Jasmine Kelly, Alexandra Kosinski, Megan Maloney, Ashley McCrea, Jordan Roskelley, Rita Santibanez and Amy Skofstad for the women. Twenty-eight of these student-athletes will be in competition at this week’s NCAA West Regional, which begins Friday at 2:40 p.m. at Historic Hayward Field.

DUCKS SWEEP PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Oregon used rousing victories in the men’s 1,500 meters, 800 meters, 10,000 meters, javelin, steeplechase and the decathlon, while the women rolled with wins in the 400 meters, 800 meters, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, javelin and the heptathlon to sweep the Pacific-10 Conference track and field titles for the first time in the program’s storied history May 16-17 at Historic Hayward Field.

The men won their third straight Pac-10 title by scoring a school-record 158 points as Oregon claimed a conference meet victory before the home crowd for the first time since 1967. The Ducks also won three straight league titles for the first time in program history, becoming the first school to accomplish that feat since UCLA won five straight from 1992-96. USC was second with 117 points.

Oregon’s women won their first Pac-10 title since 1992 and third overall with a school-record 165.5 points. Stanford was second at 138.

The Ducks joined UCLA as the only school in school in league history to sweep both the men’s and women’s championships. The Bruins last accomplished that feat in 2004.

Both teams set the tone beginning with dual 19 point showings in the combined events. Ashton Eaton defended his decathlon title by scoring 8,091 points, while Marshall Ackley came in second (7,337). The women’s side was the same with Brianne Theisen winning with a personal-best 5,986 points and Kalindra McFadden taking second (5,780).

In the main weekend of competition, the men ran away with the title thanks to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 1,500 meters. Matthew Centrowitz ran 3:51.00 to became Oregon’s first champion in the event since Dub Myers in 1986. The freshman from Arnold, Md., was followed by Galen Rupp in 3:51.18 and Andrew Wheating in 3:51.27.

The Ducks also counted wins from Wheating in the 800 meters (1:49.83), Chris Winter in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (8:51.48) and Cyrus Hostetler in the javelin (250-5), and top three finishes from Shadrack Biwott (second in both the 5,000 and 10,000), Eaton (second in the long jump, third in the 400) and Alex Wolff (third in the javelin).

The story was much the same for the women, as Jamesha Youngblood pulled off a rare sweep of the long jump (21-1.25) and triple jump (43-2.25), setting UO school records in both events along the way.

The women also counted wins from Keshia Baker in the 400 meters (51.74, No. 2 all-time at Oregon), Zoe Buckman in the 800 meters (2:05.39), Melissa Gergel in the pole vault (14-2, No. 2 all-time at Oregon) and Rachel Yurkovich, who set school, Pac-10 and meet records in the javelin with her winning throw of 191-2. The women recorded top three finishes from Nicole Blood (second in the 5,000), Lucy Cridland (second in the discus), Alex Kosinski (third in the 1,500) Ashley McCrea (third in the javelin) and both relays (third).

DUCKS BREAK COLLEGIATE, HAYWARD FIELD RECORDS IN THE FOUR-MILE RELAY

Oregon broke the collegiate and Hayward Field records in the four-mile relay, running 16:03.24 May 9 before a cheering crowd of 5,726. With fans lining the historic oval at the corner of 15th and Agate, the Ducks broke Michigan’s 2005 collegiate record of 16:04.54 and the 1968 Hayward Field record of 16:05.0, set by Oregon Track Club, one of whom’s runners, Wade Bell, was in attendance Saturday night. Oregon opened the record attempt with redshirt freshman Matthew Centrowitz, who ran 3:59.53. Then 2008 Olympian Andrew Wheating took the baton for a 3:59.60 second leg. Senior Shadrack Biwott clocked a 4:05.21 third leg before handing off to four-time NCAA champion Galen Rupp, who brought the record home with a 3:58.93 final leg.

FOUR WOMEN’S MARKS BROKEN THIS SPRING

Seven school records have already fallen by the wayside in 2009. and sophomore Jamesha Youngblood has a piece of three of them. She snapped the school’s long jump and triple jump records at the May 16-17 Pac-10 meet, going 21-1.25 in the long jump to break Julie Goodrich’s 1988 mark of 21-0.5. In the triple, Youngblood leapt 43-0.25 to break Sara Jessie’s 1995 mark of 42-6. Youngblood also ran on the 4x100 meter relay team (Mandy White, Amber Purvis, Keshia Baker, Youngblood) that clocked a 44.64 March 28 at Stanford to break a 16-year-old mark that was held by some of the great sprinters in the program’s history -- Woods, Camara Jones, Lisa Bedwell and Jamila Godfrey. Also at the Pac-10 meet, Rachel Yurkovich extended her own Pac-10 and school records with a throw of 191-2. Freshman Amber Purvis has had a hand in three records At the Pepsi Team Invitational on April 4, she broke 20-year-old records in the 100 meters and 200 meters. She ran 11.41 in the 100 meters and 23.09 at 200 meters. She broke the 100 record of 11.58 by Rosie Williams and LeReina Woods, and broke Williams’ 200 time of 23.39. Sophomore Claire Michel also broke her own record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, running 10:23.14 March 27 at Stanford.

HOSTETLER KNOCKS DOWN PAC-10 JAVELIN MARK

2008 U.S. Olympic Trials participant Cyrus Hostetler set Pac-10 and Oregon records in the javelin with a throw of 272-10 April 4 at the Pepsi Team Invitational. He broke John Stiegeler’s 2001 mark of 252-10 by 20 feet. That throw leads all Americans in 2009 and is the fourth-farthest throw in NCAA history.

CENTROWITZ JOINS RECORD PARTY

At the May 2 Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, Matthew Centrowitz ran the fastest 1,500 meter time in the nation this season, 3:36.92. His time was less than half a second off Olympic gold medalist Joaquim Cruz’s 1984 school record of 3:36.48. The redshirt freshman’s time ranks third all-time at Oregon, behind only Cruz and Centrowitz’s father, Matt Centrowitz, who clocked 3:36.70 in 1976. It was also the seventh-fastest time in NCAA history. Centrowitz was named Pac-10 athlete of the week for his performance.

OTHERS ALSO HIT THE RECORD BOOKS

Other 2009 marks are showing up all over the Ducks’ top 10 lists, including Keshia Baker (2nd, women’s 400, 51.74; 4th, 200 meters, 23.70), Melissa Gergel (2nd, women’s pole vault, 14-2), Brianne Theisen (2nd, heptathlon, 5,986 points; 5th, women’s high jump, 5-10.5; 5th women’s 100 hurdles, 13.86), Dana Buchanan (2nd, women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase, 10:28.53), Ashley McCrea (3rd, women’s javelin, 172-1), Kalindra McFadden (3rd, heptathlon, 5,780 points), Brooke Guiffre (4th, women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase, 10:36.26), Shadrack Biwott (4th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:28.83; 8th men’s 5,000 meters, 13:36.25), Nicole Blood (4th, women’s 5,000 meters, 15:42.13), Alex Wolff (5th, men’s javelin, 235-5), Jordan Roskelley (6th, women’s pole vault, 13-0.25), Mandy White (6th, 100 meters, 11.74), Mattie Bridgmon (6th, women’s 10,000 meters, 33:37.73), Luke Puskedra (6th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:34.17), Ashton Eaton (7th, men’s 400 meters, 46.34; 8th, men’s 110 hurdles, 14.01; 10th, long jump, 25-6.75), Rita Santibanez (7th, women’s shot put, 48-10.75), Zoe Buckman (7th, women’s 1,500 meters, 4:16.66), Lucy Cridland (8th, women’s discus, 170-4), Lyndsay Pearson (9th, women’s 400 meters hurdles, 60.36), David Klech (9th, men’s 400 meter hurdles, 50.75), Jasmime Kelly (9th, women’s high jump, 5-8.75), Alexandra Kosinski (9th, women’s 1,500 meters, 4:18.43), Diego Mercado (9th, men’s 10,000 meters, 28:48.54) and Amber Purvis (10th, women’s 400 meters, 54.27). See pages 12-15 for an up-to-date version of the career top 10 lists.

RUPP SETS ALL-AMERICA MARK

With 12 career All-America awards (nine track, three cross country), senior Galen Rupp is now the most honored student-athlete in school history. He won three NCAA championships at the 2009 indoor nationals to pass Leann Warren, who earned 10 All-America awards combined between women’s track and cross country. Here’s a look at the top five:

Oregon Career All-America Awards, All Sports

1. 12 Galen Rupp, 2005-09 9 MTK, 3 MXC

2. 10 Leann Warren, 1980-85 8 WTK, 2 WXC

3. 8 Steve Prefontaine, 1970-73 4 MTK, 4 MXC

8 Kathy Hayes, 1981-85 5 WTK, 3 WXC

8 Matt Scherer, 2003-06 8 MTK

On the track-only list, his nine career All-America awards are also now tops in University history.

Oregon Career All-America Awards, Track & Field Only

1. 9 Galen Rupp, 2005-09 MTK

2. 8 Leann Warren, 1980-85 WTK

8 Matt Scherer, 2003-06 MTK

3. 6 Kedar Inico, 2004-05 MTK

6 Tommy Skipper, 2005-07 MTK

THe SENIORS

The University of Oregon honored 22 senior track and field student athletes at their final regular season home appearance during the May 9 Twilight Meet. The 11 seniors on the men’s side have led Oregon to three Pac-10 titles (2007, ’08, ‘09) and the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championship.

The list includes three-time All-American and 2007 Pac-10 cross country champion Shadrack Biwott (Eldoret, Kenya), Vincent D’Onofrio (Castro Valley, Calif.), Brett Johnson (Kentfield, Calif.), Steven Johnson (Medford, Ore.), A.J. O’Connell (Creswell, Ore.), four-time NCAA champion, 12-time All-American and five-time Pac-10 champion Galen Rupp (Portland, Ore.), Curtis Suver (Lake Tapps, Wash.), Tanner Targett (Bellevue, Wash.), All-American Scott Wall (Portland, Ore.), Pac-10 3,000 meter steeplechase champion Chris Winter (North Vancouver, B.C.) and James Withers (Santa Rosa, Calif.).

The story is much the same on the women’s side where last season, the 11 seniors led Oregon to its first Pac-10 title in 17 years in 2009, and its best showing at the NCAA Championships in 15 years (eighth) in 2008.

The 11 seniors are All-American Dana Buchanan (Beachburg, Ontario), Lucy Cridland (Portland, Ore.), three-time All-American Melissa Grelli (Cupertino, Calif.), Megan Maloney (Barrington, R.I.), Ashley McCrea (North Bend, Ore.), All-American Kalindra McFadden (Bozeman, Mont.), Zoe Nelson (Kalispell, Mont.), four-time All-American Lindsey Scherf (Scarsdale, N.Y.), Tara Starodubtseva (Eugene, Ore.), Leah Worthen (Coos Bay, Ore.) and NCAA champion, three-time All-American and four-time Pac-10 champion Rachel Yurkovich (Newberg, Ore.).

INDOOR PR’S

Not only did the indoor season produce an NCAA Championship for the men’s team and an all-time best showing for the women, it also yielded an unusually high number of personal bests in events that Oregon student-athletes will compete in during the spring. At the top of that list is Galen Rupp’s American indoor record of 13:18.12 in the 5,000 meters. Here is a list of indoor PR’s that will carry over into the outdoor season:

MEN Event Mark

Galen Rupp 5,000 Meters 13:18.12

Shadrack Biwott 5,000 Meters *13:41.66

Luke Puskedra 5,000 Meters 13:46.52

Scott Wall 5,000 Meters *13:54.20

Diego Mercado 5,000 Meters 13:57.79

Danny Mercado 5,000 Meters 14:03.28

Ashton Eaton High Jump 6-10.25

Ashton Eaton Pole Vault 16-8.75 (tie)

Vernell Warren Long Jump *24-7.25

Vernell Warren Triple Jump 47-9.25

WOMEN Event Mark

Jamesha Youngblood 200 Meters *24.81

Keshia Baker 400 Meters *53.27

Mattie Bridgmon 5,000 Meters 16:09.29

Bria Wetsch 5,000 Meters 16:38.64

Brianne Theisen High Jump 5-11.25

Melissa Gergel Pole Vault *13-9.75

Jamesha Youngblood Long Jump *21-1.25

Brianne Theisen Long Jump *19-9 (tie)

*already surpassed during the 2009 outdoor season

IN THE INDOOR RECORD BOOKS

Oregon broke 15 indoor records during the 2009 season. Every men’s indoor record between 800 meters and 5,000 meters fell in 2009. That list included Galen Rupp’s American indoor 5,000 meter record of 13:18.12 that he ran Feb. 13 at Fayetteville. His time also set a collegiate record and broke Alberto Salazar’s 1981 school record (13:22.6). Rupp also set the American collegiate record at 3,000 meters at the Reebok Indoor Championships in Boston, running 7:44.69. Other records on the men’s side included the 800 meters (Andrew Wheating, 1:47.03), mile (Matthew Centrowitz, 3:57.92), heptathlon (Ashton Eaton, 6,174 points) and distance medley relay (Jordan McNamara, Chad Barlow, Wheating, Rupp/9:29.39). For the women, records came in the 60 meters (Amber Purvis, 7.34), 200 meters (Purvis, 24.15), 400 meters (Keshia Baker, 53.27), 5,000 meters (Lindsey Scherf, 15:55.67), 60 meter hurdles (Brianne Theisen, 8.54), 4x400 meter relay (Jamesha Youngblood, Purvis, Leah Worthen, Baker/3:36.52), distance medley relay (Nicole Blood, Purvis, Zoe Buckman, Alexandra Kosinski/11:02.81), long jump (Youngblood, 21-1.25) and heptathlon (Theisen, 4,321).

MEN’S TRACK SIGNS SIX

Six multi-talented high school student-athletes from across the country have signed national letters of intent to compete for the University of Oregon next season, as announced by Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna. The five are Ben Dejarnette of Mechanicsville, Va., Mac Fleet of San Diego, Calif., Elijah Greer of Lake Oswego, Ore., Mitchell Hunt of Fremont, Neb., Elliott Jantzer of Medford, Ore., and Jacob Wilson of Vancouver, Wash. Greer set a personal best of 1:47.68 to win the 800 meters at the 2008 USATF Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Not only did his finish earn him a spot on the U.S. Junior World Team, but his time led the nation’s prep ranks and was the fourth-fastest ever by a high school runner in the United States. Fleet cemented his status as one of the nation’s top prep runners by winning the junior mile at the Feb. 7 Reebok Boston Indoor Games. A Nike Cross Nationals qualifier, Jantzer is a six-time Oregon state champion over an impressive range of distances. Competing for Atlee High School, Dejarnette finished second in both the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters at the 2008 Virginia state meet. He ran 4:14.84 in the 1,600 meter race and 9:25.18 at 3,200 meters. Hunt was the 2008 Nebraska state champion at 3,200 meters where he ran 9:25.32, after finishing sixth in the 3,200 meters as a sophomore (9:53.08). Wilson ranked 10th nationally and led the state of Washington in the javelin as a junior in 2008 with a best throw of 207-10. That throw was the winning effort at the Washington 4A state meet.

WOMEN’S TRACK SIGNS EIGHT

The Oregon women’s track and field team signed nine talented high school athletes to national letters of intent during the February signing period. The eight are led by Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year Jordan Hasay of San Luis Obispo, Calif. She is joined in the Ducks’ 2009 recruiting class by Laura Bobek of Astoria, Ore., Becca Friday of Bellingham, Wash., Alexandra Jones of Lake Oswego, Ore., Sarah Penney of Paradise Valley, Ariz., Chloe Steinbeck of Beaverton, Ore., Melanie Thompson of High Bridge, N.J., Taylor Wallace of Klamath Falls, Ore., and Anne Kesselring from Germany.