Photo by: GoDucks.com
T&F Preview: Women's Sprints and Hurdles
01/06/18 | Track and Field
Previewing the Oregon track and field program by event groups entering the start of the 2018 indoor season (Jan. 13)
Head coach Robert Johnson: "This group will once again be among the deepest and most talented in the nation, which is exciting after what they did last year to help us win the Triple Crown. The combination of talent between the returners, transfers and newcomers will give the Women of Oregon an exciting edge this year."
WOMEN'S SHORT SPRINTS (60m, 100m, 200m, 4x100 Relay)
Who's back: Despite losing nine-time all-American and 2016 U.S. Olympian Deajah Stevens to the professional ranks, the Women of Oregon once again return elite talent to what was one of the nation's most dominant event groups last season. The Ducks are led by eight-time all-American and three-time NCAA champion Ariana Washington, last year's NCAA indoor champion in the 200 meters who returns for her final season of eligibility indoors and her redshirt junior year outdoors. Washington was also the NCAA champion outdoors in both the 100 and 200 meters in 2016 before joining Stevens on the U.S. Olympic team.
The Women of Oregon also bring back senior Hannah Cunliffe (below), the defending NCAA champion and collegiate record-holder in the 60 meters (7.07). Cunliffe was the USTFCCCA women's indoor track athlete of the year last year before her outdoor season was cut short due to injury. With Washington and Cunliffe back in the fold, the UO women should once again be consistent national contenders in the individual sprints as well as the 4x100 relay, where they also return budding sophomore Makenzie Dunmore. The Ducks broke the collegiate record last year in the 4x100 and bring back Washington, Cunliffe and Dunmore from that relay team.
Who's new: Oregon brings in a pair of freshmen and a trio of transfers to join Washington and Cunliffe in the short sprints.
Lauren Rain Williams (below) is a highly regarded freshman out of Lakewood, Calif., having run the third-fastest 200 meter time in national high school history under all conditions (22.44w). Rain Williams was the 2016 California state champion in the 100 meters and a two-time New Balance Nationals Indoor champion in the 200 meters before missing the 2017 state championships due to injury. The Women of Oregon add another talented freshman in Jasmin Reed, the 2017 California state runner-up in the 100 meters and state champion in the 4x100 relay who also placed third in the state in the 200 meters.
The Ducks stayed in-state to add a pair of transfers in Venessa and Kerissa D'Arpino, twins out of Oregon State with one year of eligibility left indoors and two years remaining outdoors. Venessa D'Arpino is the OSU school record-holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meters as well as the 4x100 relay, while Kerissa D'Arpino ran the 60, 100 and 200 meters for the Beavers while also thriving in the 400-meter hurdles. Oregon added a third transfer in the sprints, Rachel Vinjamuri. Coming to Oregon from Portland State, Vinjamuri was a 2016 all-Big-Sky honoree in the 4x100 relay, and she also helped the Vikings break the school record in the 4x400.
WOMEN'S LONG SPRINTS (400m, 4x400 Relay)
Who's back: The Ducks will be tasked with replacing the majority of their NCAA champion and collegiate record-breaking 4x400 squad, with Elexis Guster graduating and Stevens and Raevyn Rogers, who recently won the 2017 Bowerman Award after her unbelievable junior season, electing to turn professional. Makenzie Dunmore (below) will be back in the 4x400 mix for Oregon – she ran the opening leg on the collegiate record-breaking team – and the Ducks will hope for more out of her in the 400 after she missed all-American honors by one spot as a freshman.
Hannah Waller will look to carve out a bigger role for the Ducks after a productive freshman season in which she placed fifth in the 400 meters at the Pac-12 Championships while serving as the primary alternate on the 4x400. Oregon also returns senior Brooke Feldmeier, an 800-meter specialist who trains with the long sprinters and could see more time on the 4x400 relay in her final season.
Who's new: The Ducks brought in a pair of newcomers to bolster this group, adding one transfer and one freshman. Highly-touted freshman Shae Anderson (below) joins the Ducks after an extremely decorated high school career at Norco High School in California, where she was the 2016-17 California Gatorade girls track and field player of the year. Though she has experience in nearly all of the sprinting and hurdling events, Anderson thrived in the 400 meters her senior year. She was the 400-meter California state champion in 2017 and her personal-best time of 51.99 was the second fastest in the nation, giving the Ducks another dynamic option in the quarter-mile.
Briyahna DesRosiers comes to the Ducks from Texas A&M, and she brings with her NCAA Championship experience after running the 400 meters and the 4x400 relay for the Aggies last June at Hayward Field. DesRosiers helped her squad to fourth place in the relay outdoors as well as a national third-place finish indoors, and she has also competed in the 200 meters and the 4x100 relay.
WOMEN'S HURDLES (60H, 100H, 400H)
Who's back: Oregon loses Sasha Wallace, the 2017 NCAA Indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles, but brings back Alaysha Johnson (below) to lead the women's hurdles. Johnson, the school record-holder in the 100-meter hurdles (12.69) and defending Pac-12 champion, will look to build on a terrific season last year in which she was a first-team all-American both indoor and outdoors. Impressively, Johnson has already secured her degree despite still having two years of eligibility remaining indoors and outdoors.
Rhesa Foster, the defending Pac-12 long jump champion, will also compete in the 100 hurdles for the Ducks as she gets set for her sophomore season. Khadejah Jackson, Kylee O'Connor and Keera Stephen also return for Oregon in the 400-meter hurdles. Jackson was fifth in 400 hurdles last season at the Pac-12 Championships while O'Connor missed the finals by one spot, and all three provide depth in the individual sprints and relays, as well. Madi Greenleaf is back as well for her redshirt senior season after competing in a variety of events last season, and Rubie Cordey also returns for the Ducks after redshirting last season.
Who's new: The Ducks added freshman Kaylah Robinson (below) to bolster their short hurdles group. Robinson, a Richmond, Calif., native, was one of the few female high school athletes in the nation's history to run the 100-meter hurdles in under 13 seconds with a personal-best wind-aided time of 12.98. Robinson was the California state runner up in the 100 hurdles in both 2016 and 2017, and she placed fifth at the 2017 U.S. Junior Outdoor Championships. Freshman Shae Anderson may also provide the Ducks with a boost in the hurdles. In addition to winning the 2017 state title in the 400 meters, Anderson was also the state champion and third-fastest in the nation in the 300-meter hurdles. Kerissa D'Arpino will also be a factor for the Ducks in the 400-meter hurdles in addition to the short sprints, as she placed 12th in the 400 hurdles at the 2016 Pac-12 Championships.
2018 Oregon Track and Field Previews
Jan. 2 - Men's Sprints and Hurdles
Jan. 3 - Men's Jumps and Combined Events
Jan. 4 - Men's Throws
Jan. 5 - Men's Distance
Jan. 6 - Women's Sprints and Hurdles
Jan. 7 - Women's Jumps and Combined Events
Jan. 8 - Women's Throws
Jan. 9 - Women's Distance
Head coach Robert Johnson: "This group will once again be among the deepest and most talented in the nation, which is exciting after what they did last year to help us win the Triple Crown. The combination of talent between the returners, transfers and newcomers will give the Women of Oregon an exciting edge this year."
WOMEN'S SHORT SPRINTS (60m, 100m, 200m, 4x100 Relay)
Who's back: Despite losing nine-time all-American and 2016 U.S. Olympian Deajah Stevens to the professional ranks, the Women of Oregon once again return elite talent to what was one of the nation's most dominant event groups last season. The Ducks are led by eight-time all-American and three-time NCAA champion Ariana Washington, last year's NCAA indoor champion in the 200 meters who returns for her final season of eligibility indoors and her redshirt junior year outdoors. Washington was also the NCAA champion outdoors in both the 100 and 200 meters in 2016 before joining Stevens on the U.S. Olympic team.
The Women of Oregon also bring back senior Hannah Cunliffe (below), the defending NCAA champion and collegiate record-holder in the 60 meters (7.07). Cunliffe was the USTFCCCA women's indoor track athlete of the year last year before her outdoor season was cut short due to injury. With Washington and Cunliffe back in the fold, the UO women should once again be consistent national contenders in the individual sprints as well as the 4x100 relay, where they also return budding sophomore Makenzie Dunmore. The Ducks broke the collegiate record last year in the 4x100 and bring back Washington, Cunliffe and Dunmore from that relay team.
Who's new: Oregon brings in a pair of freshmen and a trio of transfers to join Washington and Cunliffe in the short sprints.
Lauren Rain Williams (below) is a highly regarded freshman out of Lakewood, Calif., having run the third-fastest 200 meter time in national high school history under all conditions (22.44w). Rain Williams was the 2016 California state champion in the 100 meters and a two-time New Balance Nationals Indoor champion in the 200 meters before missing the 2017 state championships due to injury. The Women of Oregon add another talented freshman in Jasmin Reed, the 2017 California state runner-up in the 100 meters and state champion in the 4x100 relay who also placed third in the state in the 200 meters.
The Ducks stayed in-state to add a pair of transfers in Venessa and Kerissa D'Arpino, twins out of Oregon State with one year of eligibility left indoors and two years remaining outdoors. Venessa D'Arpino is the OSU school record-holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meters as well as the 4x100 relay, while Kerissa D'Arpino ran the 60, 100 and 200 meters for the Beavers while also thriving in the 400-meter hurdles. Oregon added a third transfer in the sprints, Rachel Vinjamuri. Coming to Oregon from Portland State, Vinjamuri was a 2016 all-Big-Sky honoree in the 4x100 relay, and she also helped the Vikings break the school record in the 4x400.
WOMEN'S LONG SPRINTS (400m, 4x400 Relay)
Who's back: The Ducks will be tasked with replacing the majority of their NCAA champion and collegiate record-breaking 4x400 squad, with Elexis Guster graduating and Stevens and Raevyn Rogers, who recently won the 2017 Bowerman Award after her unbelievable junior season, electing to turn professional. Makenzie Dunmore (below) will be back in the 4x400 mix for Oregon – she ran the opening leg on the collegiate record-breaking team – and the Ducks will hope for more out of her in the 400 after she missed all-American honors by one spot as a freshman.
Hannah Waller will look to carve out a bigger role for the Ducks after a productive freshman season in which she placed fifth in the 400 meters at the Pac-12 Championships while serving as the primary alternate on the 4x400. Oregon also returns senior Brooke Feldmeier, an 800-meter specialist who trains with the long sprinters and could see more time on the 4x400 relay in her final season.
Who's new: The Ducks brought in a pair of newcomers to bolster this group, adding one transfer and one freshman. Highly-touted freshman Shae Anderson (below) joins the Ducks after an extremely decorated high school career at Norco High School in California, where she was the 2016-17 California Gatorade girls track and field player of the year. Though she has experience in nearly all of the sprinting and hurdling events, Anderson thrived in the 400 meters her senior year. She was the 400-meter California state champion in 2017 and her personal-best time of 51.99 was the second fastest in the nation, giving the Ducks another dynamic option in the quarter-mile.
Briyahna DesRosiers comes to the Ducks from Texas A&M, and she brings with her NCAA Championship experience after running the 400 meters and the 4x400 relay for the Aggies last June at Hayward Field. DesRosiers helped her squad to fourth place in the relay outdoors as well as a national third-place finish indoors, and she has also competed in the 200 meters and the 4x100 relay.
WOMEN'S HURDLES (60H, 100H, 400H)
Who's back: Oregon loses Sasha Wallace, the 2017 NCAA Indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles, but brings back Alaysha Johnson (below) to lead the women's hurdles. Johnson, the school record-holder in the 100-meter hurdles (12.69) and defending Pac-12 champion, will look to build on a terrific season last year in which she was a first-team all-American both indoor and outdoors. Impressively, Johnson has already secured her degree despite still having two years of eligibility remaining indoors and outdoors.
Rhesa Foster, the defending Pac-12 long jump champion, will also compete in the 100 hurdles for the Ducks as she gets set for her sophomore season. Khadejah Jackson, Kylee O'Connor and Keera Stephen also return for Oregon in the 400-meter hurdles. Jackson was fifth in 400 hurdles last season at the Pac-12 Championships while O'Connor missed the finals by one spot, and all three provide depth in the individual sprints and relays, as well. Madi Greenleaf is back as well for her redshirt senior season after competing in a variety of events last season, and Rubie Cordey also returns for the Ducks after redshirting last season.
Who's new: The Ducks added freshman Kaylah Robinson (below) to bolster their short hurdles group. Robinson, a Richmond, Calif., native, was one of the few female high school athletes in the nation's history to run the 100-meter hurdles in under 13 seconds with a personal-best wind-aided time of 12.98. Robinson was the California state runner up in the 100 hurdles in both 2016 and 2017, and she placed fifth at the 2017 U.S. Junior Outdoor Championships. Freshman Shae Anderson may also provide the Ducks with a boost in the hurdles. In addition to winning the 2017 state title in the 400 meters, Anderson was also the state champion and third-fastest in the nation in the 300-meter hurdles. Kerissa D'Arpino will also be a factor for the Ducks in the 400-meter hurdles in addition to the short sprints, as she placed 12th in the 400 hurdles at the 2016 Pac-12 Championships.
2018 Oregon Track and Field Previews
Jan. 2 - Men's Sprints and Hurdles
Jan. 3 - Men's Jumps and Combined Events
Jan. 4 - Men's Throws
Jan. 5 - Men's Distance
Jan. 6 - Women's Sprints and Hurdles
Jan. 7 - Women's Jumps and Combined Events
Jan. 8 - Women's Throws
Jan. 9 - Women's Distance
Players Mentioned
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Multis
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Sprints
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Sprints
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