T&F Preview: Women's Sprints and Jumps

Breaking down the Oregon track and field program by event groups entering the start of the indoor season (Jan. 14)

Head Coach Robert Johnson: "Arguably the most talented group of women in the country. Coming back after an incredible season last year, and now with the addition of our transfers and freshmen, the depth of this group will be a serious force for the Women of Oregon."

WOMEN'S SHORT SPRINTS (60m, 100m, 200m, 4x100)

Who's back: There is no shortage of accolades among this group's returners, as the Ducks bring back a pair of 2016 U.S. Olympians in Deajah Stevens and Ariana Washington, the 2016 Pac-12 Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Year in Hannah Cunliffe and 11 total All-American selections.

Stevens took seventh in the 200 meters at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games (22.65) and finished second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (22.25). She racked up four All-American honors during her first season as a Duck, making her one of the top sprinters in the country entering her junior year.

Washington, also a four-time All-American, went to Rio as an alternate for the 4x100 relay squad after a stellar finish to the outdoor season that saw her claim NCAA Championships in both the 100 meters (10.95) and the 200 meters (22.21). A known commodity in the outdoor season, Washington will look to start strong during indoors after earning All-American honors in 2014 with a six-place finish in the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Washington and Stevens were each named to the preseason watch list for the 2017 Bowerman Award, given to the top male and female athletes in collegiate track and field.

Cunliffe returns after seeing her outdoor season cut short last year with a hamstring injury during the 100 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after being named the Pac-12 Women's Track Athlete of the Year. A three-time Pac-12 champion and a two-time All-American, Cunliffe finished second in the 60 meters (7.12) at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships and third in the 200 meters (22.85), and is a member of the 4x100 relay team that set the school record (42.68) at the Mt. SAC Relays.

WOMEN'S LONG SPRINTS (400m, 800m, 4x400)

Who's back: Three-time national champion and four-time All-American Raevyn Rogers returns to lead this group as a junior after claiming both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles in the 800 meters last season. Rogers placed fifth in the event at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, and has earned much-deserved hype leading into this season as she joined Stevens and Washington on the preseason watch list for the Bowerman Award. Rogers will be counted on in the 4x400 relay as well, where she helped the Ducks to a third-place finish at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships.

Junior Brooke Feldmeier joins Rogers as a force in the 800 and 4x400 relay. A three-time All-American, Feldmeier took ninth in the 800 at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships and was on the third-place 4x400 team with Rogers at the Indoor Championships.

Also returning as an All-American is senior Ashante Horsley, who took fourth in the 400 meters (53.82) at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships last season and competed on the distance medley relay during indoors.

Who's new: The Women of Oregon added even more accolades to an already loaded group with senior transfer Elexis Guster, a six-time All-American and three-time Big Ten champion for Iowa. Guster competed at Hayward Field at the 2016 Olympic Trials in both the 200 and the 400 meters, and has won Big Ten titles in both the 4x400 and 4x100 relays. With four outdoor All-America awards and two indoor, Guster should provide an immediate impact for the Ducks.

The Ducks also add a pair of highly-touted freshmen in MaKenzie Dunmore and Hannah Waller. Dunmore joins the Ducks after a decorated high school career in Georgia that saw her claim the GHSA Girls 6A State Championship in the 200 meters, as well as state titles in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Dunmore also brings excellent potential in the 400 meters with a PR of 52.51 seconds. Waller, one of the best 400 meter runners in high school athletics last year, took second in the 400 at the 2016 CIF California State Championships with a PR time of 53.01 seconds, her second straight state title, and also placed third in the 200. The Ducks also added a local product in Rubie Cordey, the 2016 NWAC 400 meter champion and 200 meter runner-up for Lane Community College.

WOMEN'S HURDLES (60H, 100H, 400H)

Who's back: Another area of strength for the Ducks is headlined by seven-time All-American Sasha Wallace and two-time All-American Alaysha Johnson. Returning for her senior season, Wallace will be a force during indoors in the 60 hurdles, an event she took second in last year at the NCAA Indoor Championships (7.91) and earned All-American honors for each of the last two years. Outdoors, Wallace competed in the 100 hurdles at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials after taking third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (12.81w) and breaking the school record in the semi-finals (12.95).

Johnson, also a participant in the 100 hurdles at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, took third at last year's Pac-12 Outdoor Championships (13.34) and eighth in the 60 hurdles at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships, and will be a force on the 4x400 relay both indoors and outdoors. Oregon also returns Khadejah Jackson, an outdoor Pac-12 qualifier in the 400 hurdles last year.

Who's new: Freshman Rhesa Foster arrives in Eugene with a history of success in both the 100 hurdles and the long jump. Foster set a PR in the 100 hurdles at last year's West Coast Relays with a first-place time of 14.17 seconds. Despite being forced to miss the hurdles at the 2016 CIF California State Championships due to an injury, Foster was still able to claim the state title in the long jump with a career-best jump of 20-7.5 (6.28m). Look for Foster to be a factor in both events, and she brings a history in the 100 meters as well.

WOMEN'S JUMPS (Triple Jump, Long Jump, High Jump)

Who's back: Wallace has competed in the triple jump during her career, but will keep the majority of her focus on the hurdles. The Ducks are thin among returners here outside of Wallace after the graduation of perennial All-American jumper Jasmine Todd.

Who's new: The Ducks welcome ChaQuinn Cook as a sophomore transfer from Portland State to try and bolster their jumping group. Cook has the ability to do just that in the triple jump, as she was the 2016 Big Sky Champion both indoors and outdoors and placed third at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships with a mark of 42-0.75 (12.82m). Cook was the first Viking since 2009 to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds.

Two more transfers join the jumping group of the Women of Oregon, Kiare Tanner and Ashlyn Hare. Tanner, a transfer from California, took fourth in the triple jump as last year's MPSF Indoor Championships, and competed in both the long jump and the triple jump at the 2015 Pac-12 Championships. Hare joins the Ducks as a transfer from Vanderbilt and will look to make an impact in the high jump for her new squad after competing sparingly for the Commodores in both indoor and outdoor last season.