University of Oregon
NCAA West Regionals
NCAA Championship Roster Locked and Loaded
05/27/17 | Track and Field
THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OREGON WRAPPED UP THE NCAA WEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS ON SATURDAY WITH 14 MORE NCAA QUALIFIERS, AND WILL RETURN TO EUGENE WITH 31 ENTRIES IN 21 EVENTS FOR THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
AUSTIN - The Oregon track and field team put a punctuation mark on its time at the NCAA West Regional Championships on Saturday, as the Men and Women of Oregon secured 14 more spots in 10 events for the the NCAA Championships.
The Ducks will have a total of 31 entries, 17 on the women's side and 14 for the men, in 21 events for the NCAAs, which will run June 7-10 at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene.
"It was a pretty good weekend for the Ducks," said head coach Robert Johnson. "We are thrilled with the 29 entries that we'll be heading back to Eugene with, and we're ecstatic for those kids that were able to punch their NCAA tickets. There might have been a few things we could have done better to get a few more spots, but we're excited about the opportunity that we have with the group that we have. This is what the whole season builds up to, the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field, and now we need to go get it done."That's a wrap from Austin. The Ducks will have a total of 31 entries in 21 events at the NCAA Championships in Eugene! #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/l5SSVWiaFj
— Oregon Track & Field (@OregonTF) May 28, 2017
The weekend in Austin was largely a success for the Ducks, but they did suffer some attrition in the women's sprints. Junior sprinter Hannah Cunliffe was lost for the remainder of the season when she was unable to run the 100 and 200 meters on Friday.
"Hannah was unable to go yesterday after experiencing soreness in her hamstring; she was just unable to loosen it up," said Johnson. "It's a tough situation, especially after she worked so hard to get back after last season, but as we've said, we need to do what's best for our student athletes in the long term."
In addition to Cunliffe's injury, the women's 4x100 relay team was disqualified on Saturday due to an exchange zone violation.
Saturday's NCAA Qualifiers: The final day in Austin began with the men's discus, and Pac-12 champion Ryan Hunter-Simms earned his NCAA spot after throwing 187-2 (57.04m) to place fifth in the field. A redshirt senior, Hunter-Simms will head back to Eugene for the first NCAA appearance of his career.
The Men of Oregon added another qualifier a few hours later, as the quartet of Damarcus Simpson, Kyree King, Julius Shellmire and Marcus Chambers ran 38.94 to place second in their 4x100 heat and automatically advance. For the second time this season, the foursome broke the UO all-time record in the 4x100.
The Women of Oregon punched their first NCAA ticket of the day shortly after the 4x100. Freshman standout Katie Rainsberger (4:28.74) continued her stellar season by finishing second in her heat to qualify in the 1,500 meters. The Ducks then got a pair of entries on the men's side in the 1,500, with Tim Gorman (4:00.25) and Blake Haney (3:47.92) each placing third in their heats.
The Ducks then got back to work in the sprints, as Alaysha Johnson (12.68w) and Sasha Wallace (12.90w) took first and third, respectively, in their 100 hurdle quarterfinals to advance to the NCAAs. Deajah Stevens (22.16w) and Ariana Washington (22.44w) followed suit not long after in the 200 meters, with Stevens running the top time in the field.
King earned a qualifying spot of his own in the men's 200 meters, winning his quarterfinal heat and running the second fastest time in the field (20.22w) to move on to Eugene.
Pac-12 triple jump champion Chaquinn Cook continued to open eyes this outdoor season, leaping a lifetime-best 44-4 (13.51m), the best mark in the field, to advance.
The Women of Oregon doubled up in an event once again in the 5,000 meters. Samantha Nadel (16:42.86) and Lilli Burdon (16:43.82) went 2-3 in their heat to wrap up the qualifying bids for the women's distance crew. This will be Nadel's first-career NCAA Outdoor appearance, while Burdon returns for the second time.
The final entry of the weekend came in the women's 4x400, where the quartet of Ashante Horsley, Elexis Guster, Brooke Feldmeier and Raevyn Rogers qualified after running 3:28.28, second best in the field.
Ducks' NCAA Roster: The Ducks will take a strong and well-balanced contingent of Ducks to the NCAA Championships in less than two weeks, with 31 total entries. The Women of Oregon have 17 entries 10 events as they prepare for a run at the historic Triple Crown, while the Men of Oregon will feature 14 entries in 11 events. Here is a complete list of all the Ducks who will be competing for NCAA titles at Historic Hayward Field beginning on June 7:
WOMEN:
Lilli Burdon - 5,000
Chaquinn Cook - Triple Jump
Makenzie Dunmore - 400
Brooke Feldmeier - 800
Rhesa Foster - Long Jump
Elexis Guster - 400
Ashante Horsley - 400
Alaysha Johnson - 100H
Samantha Nadel - 5,000
Katie Rainsberger - 1,500
Raevyn Rogers - 800
Deajah Stevens - 100, 200
Sasha Wallace - 100H
Ariana Washington - 100, 200
4x400
MEN:
Tanner Anderson - 10,000
Joe Delgado - Decathlon
Marcus Chambers - 400
Cody Danielson - Javelin
Tim Gorman - 1,500
Blake Haney - 1,500
Ryan Hunter-Simms - Discus
Kyree King - 100, 200
Mitch Modin - Decathlon
Cullen Prena - Hammer Throw
Damarcus Simpson - 100
Cole Walsh - Pole Vault
4x100
Cunliffe's Tough Break: Scratching out of the 100 and 200 meters on Saturday is another tough break for Cunliffe, who will likely see her outdoor season end prematurely for the second year in a row. Cunliffe was the indoor women's athlete of the year this season after winning the NCAA title in the 60 meters and taking second in the 200 meters, and she placed third in both the 100 and 200 meters at this year's Pac-12 Championships. She also broke the collegiate record in the 60 meters during the indoor season.
Players Mentioned
