Ducks Look To Hone Championship Edge At MPSFs

The Oregon track and field program heads to Seattle for the MPSF Championships this weekend still chasing qualifying marks for nationals, but also looking to shift its focus to chasing runners in other jerseys as well.

The UO men and women will compete Friday and Saturday at UW's Dempsey Indoor Center. Then they'll take a two-week break from competition before the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas.

The UO women are the top-ranked team in the country, and one of six ranked teams in the MPSF field. The No. 3 Men of Oregon are one of five ranked teams in Seattle this week.

"It's a good test for us to go and continue to hone our craft as we get prepared for College Station in another couple of weeks after that," UO coach Robert Johnson said.

Junior Alli Cash, who will run the 3,000 meters this weekend, said the MPSF meet is "a good opportunity to put yourself in that championship mindset," after chasing qualifying marks for much of the indoor season.

"That's just how it works; you've got to run a certain time to get into the (national) meet," Cash said. "MPSF is the start of it for us, where you're really focused on beating people."

That said, plenty of Ducks will have qualifying marks in mind when they compete this weekend. The top 16 individuals in each event will make nationals, and several UO men and women are perched precariously on the bubble entering the MPSF championships.

On the women's side, long jumper Rhesa Foster, 400-meter runners Elexis Guster and Makenzie Dumore, 800 runner Brooke Feldmeier and miler Lilli Burdon are all at or just outside the top 16 in their respective events.

Similarly on the men's side, pole vaulter Cole Walsh and miler Tim Gorman are looking to solidify qualifying marks. Kyree King (60), Marcus Chambers (200) and Damarcus Simpson (long jump) appear solidly in for at least one event, but are looking for more this weekend – King in the 200, Chambers in the 400 and Simpson in the 60.

"I'm trying to sneak in for the 60 and get more points on the big stage," Simpson said. "We're all trying to get a big team at nationals. That's the main goal."

Johnson said Tuesday the Ducks had 31 individuals with likely qualifying marks. But that number will change based on results from conference meets around the country this weekend, and when NCAA declarations are made Monday, moving some athletes up on their lists as others scratch out of events.

Simpson, who has run the 60 in 6.68 seconds this indoor season, is hoping to lop at least one-tenth of a second off that this weekend.

"That would be huge for me, being a jumper," he said. "I'd be pretty impressed with that."

There are no such concerns for Simpson in the long jump, in which he's gone 26 feet, 3.5 inches for one of the top marks in the nation. He's among several UO athletes whose primary goal this weekend in their signature events is to stay healthy, and hone their competitive edge for nationals in two weeks.

The UO women, for example, boast the nation's top-rated runner in the 3,000, Katie Rainsberger, and also the top distance-medley relay. That unit of the program has taken the momentum from its cross country national championship in the fall and carried into the indoor postseason that begins this week.

"We've just built so much momentum," Cash said. "It's been exciting every week."