University of Oregon
NCAA West Regionals
Four Earn NCAA Bids on First Day
05/25/17 | Track and Field
CODY DANIELSON (JAVELIN), CULLEN PRENA (HAMMER), RHESA FOSTER (LONG JUMP) AND TANNER ANDERSON (10,000M) ALL SECURED SPOTS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS THURSDAY ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE NCAA WEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
AUSTIN - Cody Danielson, Cullen Prena, Rhesa Foster and Tanner Anderson all punched tickets to the NCAA Championships for the Oregon track and field team on Thursday as the Men and Women of Oregon opened the NCAA West Regional Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
While Danielson (javelin), Prena (hammer), Foster (long jump) and Anderson (10,000m), secured their NCAA bids, 19 Ducks on the track advanced out of their first rounds and into position to race for a slot in Eugene, where the top 12 student-athletes in each event will compete for NCAA titles beginning on June 7 at Historic Hayward Field.
NCAA Qualifiers: Danielson, coming off a second-place Pac-12 finish, qualified in the javelin with a mark of 219-8 (66.97m), 11th best in the field. Danielson has now reached the NCAA Championships in back-to-back years with the Ducks, and for the third time in his career. He finished seventh last season in Eugene.
Prena was a pleasant surprise in the hammer throw for the men, as he threw a PR of more than six feet at 214-11 (65.52m) to finish ninth and advance. This will be the redshirt junior's first career appearance in the NCAA Championships, and he will have a chance to double up on Saturday when he throws the discus in Austin.
Foster carried over the momentum from her Pac-12 win in the long jump two weeks ago, as the freshman finished sixth with a PR jump of 20-11 3/4 (6.39m), good for fifth-best in UO history. She is one of three freshmen to advance to Eugene in the long jump.
Anderson provided an exciting finish for the Ducks in the 10,000 meters, the last race of the day, taking third in 29:52.26 to reach the NCAAs. The redshirt freshman is coming off a third-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, and is a welcome sight for Oregon after losing 17-time NCAA champion Edward Cheserek for the season.
Oregon Men: The Men of Oregon advanced five Ducks in the 1,500 meters, with Tim Gorman (3:51.75), Sam Prakel (3:54.68), Mick Stanovsek (3:55.35) and Blake Haney (3:59.19) automatically moved on by finishing top five in their heats, and Austin Tamagno (3:52.16) advanced on time.
Pac-12 champion Kyree King (10.06w) and Damarcus Simpson (9.94w) each won their 100 meter heats to reach the quarterfinals, and Marcus Chambers (46.94) was second in his 400 meter heat to automatically move on.
Simpson, the Pac-12 champion in the long jump, was unable to advance in that event after fouling out.
Oregon Women: The Women of Oregon also enjoyed a strong showing in the 1,500 meters, as Katie Rainsberger (4:23.49), Emma Abrahamson (4:24.06) and Jessica Hull (4:32.86) all moved on automatically to the quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Ducks' premier sprinting trio of Ariana Washington (10.97w), Deajah Stevens (11.00w) and Hannah Cunliffe (11.06w) each won their first-round heats in the 100 meters to advance, to Friday's quarterfinals, with Washington and Stevens posting the two fastest times in the field.
In the 400 meters, seniors Elexis Guster (52.27) and Ashante Horsley (53.56) reached tomorrow's quarterfinals along with freshman Makenzie Dunmore (52.41). Raevyn Rogers (2:06.94), the two-time defending outdoor NCAA champion in the 800 meters, posted the top time in the first round to advance, and Brooke Feldmeier (2:09.52) will join her after taking second in her heat.
Senior Maggie Schmaedick (35:28.19) finished 16th in the 10,000 meters to just miss qualifying, wrapping up a tremendous Oregon career for the senior.
Up Next: The West Regional Championships will continue on Friday at 10 a.m. PT beginning with the men's pole vault and the women's discus, and will conclude at 7 p.m. with the men's steeplechase.
Players Mentioned
