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Women’s History Top Outdoor Performances 192 Top Indoor Performances 194 NCAA History 195 NCAA All-Americans 196 Individual Honors 197 Conference History 198 Dual Meet History 200 University Honors 201 Academic Honors 202 Letterwinners 204 Historic Hayward Field Men’s Team Information Team Roster 36 Featured Athlete Profi les 37 Featured Newcomer Profi les 92 Others to Watch 95 June 9-12 The University of Oregon University President 207 Athletics Director 208 1 Welcome to...

TRANSCRIPT

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1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Track Town, USA 22009 NCAA Indoor Championship 42009 Pac-10 Women’s Title 62009 Pac-10 Men’s Title 82009 NCAA Championships 10

The 2009 Season

2010 Schedule 122010 NCAA Championships 13Men’s Preview 14Women’s Preview 16

Staff Profi les

Vin Lananna, Associate Athletic Director 18Assistant Coach Profi les 22Support Staff Profi les 33Oregon Media Services 35

Men’s Team Information

Team Roster 36Featured Athlete Profi les 37Featured Newcomer Profi les 92Others to Watch 95

Women’s Team Information

Team Roster 96Featured Athlete Profi les 97Featured Newcomer Profi les 144Others to Watch 148

Inside Track Town, U.S.A.

Historic Hayward Field 149Philip H. Knight 150

Hayward Field Statistics

Top Performances at Hayward Field 154Attendance Records 157Home Meet Records 158

Coaching Legends

Bill Hayward 160Bill Bowerman 161Bill Dellinger 162Tom Heinonen 163

University Quick Facts

President: Richard LariviereAssistant to the President for

Intercollegiate Athletics: Dan WilliamsAthletic Director: Mike BellottiFaculty Representative: James O’FallonFacility: Hayward Field (10,500), founded 1919.Conference: Pacifi c-10 (www.pac-10.org)Enrollment: 22,300Location: Eugene, OregonMascot: DucksColors: Yellow and Green (Pantone 342, Pantone Yellow or 109)Duck Ticket Offi ce: (541) 346-4461 1-800-WEB-FOOTAthletic Dept. Phone: (541) 346-4481Athletic Dept. Phone (TTY): (541) 346-5418Media Services Contact: Greg WalkerSID E-mail: [email protected] Services Phone: (541) 346-5488Media Services FAX: (541) 346-5449Press Box Phone: (541) 346-4497 or 346-4496Web Site: GoDucks.comNCAA Championships: 15 Men’s Outdoor Track: 1961, 1964, 1965, 1970, 1984 Men’s Indoor Track: 2009 Women’s Outdoor Track: 1985 Men’s Cross Country: 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 2007, 2008 Women’s Cross Country: 1983, 1987Conference Championships: 52 Men’s Track & Field : 1924, 1934, 1965, 1967, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1990, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 Women’s Track & Field: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 2009 Men’s Cross Country: 1969, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2006, 2007, 2008 Women’s Cross Country: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995

About the Cover

Designed by Keith Stedman of the Oregon Media Services offi ce, the 2010 multi-media guide cover features three NCAA

Champions and six Pac-10 Champions. From the far left, that number includes Keshia Baker (400 meters), Cyrus Hostetler

(javelin), Jamesh Youngblood (long jump & triple jump), Brianne Theisen (heptathlon), Andrew Wheating (800 meters) and

Ashton Eaton (decathlon). Theisen, Wheating and Eaton are additionally NCAA Champions.

Credits

The 2010 Oregon Track and Field Multi-Media Guide was written and designed by Greg Walker with editorial assistance

provided by Michael Reilly. Additional statistical research and editorial content provided by Ross Concillo, Chris Geraghty, Tom

Heinonen, Dave Hirsch, Andy McNamara, Emily Neal, C.L. Shaff er, Geoff Thurner, Joe Waltasti, Andria Wenzel, Patrick Werhane

and Dave Williford. Photography courtesy of John Becker, George Beltran, Rio Capper, R.M. Collins III, Paul Conners, Dave

Coskey, Steve Dykes, Eric Evans, John Gillespie, John Giustina, Jeff Golden, Don Gosney, Stan Green, Tony Harper, Kurt Jensen,

Jeff Johnson, Phil Johnson, Norm Maves, Warren Morgan, Kevin Morris, Oregona, Oscar Palmquist, Bill Ross, Geoff Thurner,

Chris Todd, Betty Udesen, Michael Underwood, Bob Welch, Randy Wood, Herb Yamanaka, David Zahn and UO Archives.

Table of ContentsIn Memoriam

Steve Prefontaine 164Bill McChesney, Jr. 165

2009 Season in Review

Men’s 2009 Season Review 166Men’s 2009 Featured Performances 167Women’s 2009 Season Review 168Women’s 2009 Featured Performances 1692009 Cross Country Season in Review 170

Men’s History

Top Outdoor Performances 172Top Indoor Performances 174NCAA History 175NCAA All-Americans 177Conference History 180Dual Meet History 182Individual Honors 184University Honors 187Academic Honors 188Letterwinners 189

Women’s History

Top Outdoor Performances 192Top Indoor Performances 194NCAA History 195NCAA All-Americans 196Individual Honors 197Conference History 198Dual Meet History 200University Honors 201Academic Honors 202Letterwinners 204

Dual Sport Legends

Dual Sport Letterwinners 206

The University of Oregon

University President 207Athletics Director 208

2010 NCAA Championships

June 9-12

Historic Hayward Field

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Welcome to...

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Track Town, USA

Historic Hayward Field2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials

2009 Pac-10 Track & Field Championships

2009 USA Track & Field Championships

2010 NCAA Track & Field Championships

2011 USA Track & Field Championships

2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials

2013 NCAA Track & Field Championships

2014 NCAA Track & Field Championships

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Ashton Eaton

NCAA

Heptathlon

Champion

Galen Rupp, A.J. Acosta

NCAA Distance Medley

NCAA Indoor Champs

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Galen Rupp

NCAA 3,000

Meters &

5,000 Meters

Champion

a, Chad Barlow, Andrew Wheating

Relay Champions

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Brianne Theisen

Pac-10

Heptathlon

Champion

Keshia Baker

Pac-10 400 Meters Champion

Pac-10 Women’s Title

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Jamesha Youngblood

Pac-10

Long Jump &

Triple Jump

Champion

Melissa Gergel

Pac-10

Pole Vault

Champion

Rachel Yurkovich

Pac-10

Javelin

Champion

Zoe Buckman

Pac-10

800 Meters

Champion

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Andrew Wheating

Pac-10

800 Meters

Champion

Galen Rupp

Pac-10

10,000 Meters

Champion

Matthew Centrowitz

Pac-10

1,500 Meters

Champion

Pac-10 Men’s Title

Pac-10

1,500 Meter

Sweep

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Chris Winter

Pac-10

Steeplechase

Champion

Ashton Eaton

Pac-10

Decathlon

Champion

Cyrus Hostetler

Pac-10

Javelin

Champion

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NCAA Runners-up

Andrew Wheating

NCAA

800 Meters

Champion

Brianne Theisen

NCAA

Heptathlon

Champion

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Galen Rupp

NCAA

5,000 Meters &

10,000 Meters

Champion

Ashton Eaton

NCAA

Decathlon

Champion

Rachel Yurkovich

NCAA

Javelin

Champion

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2010 SCHEDULE

2010 ScheduleIndoor Track and Field Schedule

Date Event Location

January 16 UW Indoor Preview Seattle, Wash.

January 29–30 Texas A&M Challenge College Station, Texas

February 12–13 Tyson Invitational Fayetteville, Ark.

February 12–13 Husky Classic Seattle, Wash.

February 26–27 Mountain Pacifi c Championships Seattle, Wash.

March 6 Iowa State Qualifi er Ames, Iowa

March 6 UW Last Chance Qualifi er Seattle, Wash.

March 12–13 NCAA Indoor Championships Fayetteville, Ark.

Outdoor Track and Field Schedule

Date Event Location

March 20 Oregon Preview Eugene, Ore.

March 26–27 Stanford Invitational Stanford, Calif.

March 31–April 3 Texas Relays Austin, Texas

April 10 Pepsi Team Invitational Eugene, Ore.

Oregon, Illinois (men), Missouri, Texas A&M, Washington

April 14–15 Mt. SAC Relays Heptathlon/Decathlon Azusa, Calif.

April 15–17 Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, Calif.

April 17 Men of Oregon vs. UCLA Eugene, Ore.

April 22–24 Penn Relays Philadelphia, Pa.

April 30–May 1 Oregon Relays Eugene, Ore.

Presented by Oregon Community Credit Union

May 8 Oregon Twilight Eugene, Ore.

May 8–9 Pac-10 Conference Heptathlon/Decathlon Berkeley, Calif.

May 15–16 Pac-10 Conference Championships Berkeley, Calif.

May 27–29 NCAA West Regional Austin, Texas

June 9–12 NCAA Outdoor Championships Eugene, Ore.

June 23–27 USA Junior National Championships Des Moines, Iowa

June 23–27 USA Championships Des Moines, Iowa

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2010 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

2001 NCAA Championships

at Hayward Field1988 NCAA Championships

at Hayward Field

1996 NCAA

Championships

at Hayward Field

2010 NCAA ChampionshipsTrack Town, USA, is hosting the NCAA Championships at Historic Hayward Field June 9-12. Tickets are available on line at www.goducks.com, via phone (1-800-932-3668/541-346-4461) or in person at the Athletic Ticket Offi ce in the Len Casanova Center.

The four-day, all-session ticket prices are $80 for reserved seating, $60 for adult general admission and $40 for youth and senior general admission and U of O students.

For the fi rst time in its history, the NCAA Championships will feature a streamlined competition schedule with each of the four days featuring only semifi nals or fi nals.

The 2010 Championships should also be among the most compelling in recent history with the reigning champion Texas A&M men’s and women’s teams defending their titles against the host school, Oregon, which fi nished as the runner-up in both races a season ago in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Ducks feature three defending NCAA Champions on their current roster, including senior Ashton Eaton in the men’s decathlon, senior Andrew Wheating in the men’s 800 meters and junior Brianne Theisen in the women’s heptathlon.

The talent traveling from around the nation to Track Town, USA, will be impressive.

The men alone fi gure to have 14 of the 19 individual event champions back to defend their crowns in 2010, including every running event between 100 and 1,500 meters. In addition to Eaton (decathlon) and Wheating (800 meters), the list of returning NCAA men’s champions includes Trindon Holliday of Louisiana State (100 meters), Charles Clark of Florida State (200 meters), Jonathan Borlee of Florida State (400 meters), German Fernandez of Oklahoma State (1,500 meters), Ronnie Ash of Bethune-Cookman (110 meter hurdles), Jeshua Anderson of Washington State (400 meter hurdles), Jason Colwick of Rice (pole vault), Ngonidzashe Makusha of Florida State (long jump), Will Claye of Oklahoma (triple jump), Ryan Whiting of Arizona State (shot put), Marcel Lomnicky of Virginia Tech (hammer) and Chris Hill of Georgia (javelin).

Conversely, the women’s competition looks to have Bowerman Award fi nalist Porscha Lucas of Texas A&M back to defend her title in the 200 meters, in addition to Kimberly Williams of Florida State, who is the defending NCAA champ in both the long jump and the triple jump. Other women looking to defend include Joanna Atkins of Auburn (400 meters), Angela Bizzarri of Illinois (5,000 meters), Kylie Hutson of Indiana State (pole vault), Mariam Kevkhishvili of Florida (shot put) and Theisen in the heptathlon.

If the 2009 Championships are any indication, the 2010 team races could come down to the fi nal event. The women’s competition was decided in the fi nal 20 minutes of the meet, while the men’s came down to the last event, the 4x400 meter relay, with four different teams — Oregon, Florida, Florida State and Texas A&M — vying for the title before the Aggies eked out a two-point victory.

This will be the Championships’ fi rst appearance in Eugene since 2001, and will be the 10th time overall that Hayward Field has hosted the NCAA meet. Chicago (13) and Eugene will be the only cities to have hosted at least 10 NCAA Track & Field Championships.

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MEN’S TEAM PREVIEW

Alex Wolff

Marshall Ackley

And Now for an EncoreThe 2009 men’s track and fi eld season was inarguably one of the best in program history. In fact, with a national championships indoors — the school’s fi rst, nonetheless — a runner-up trophy outdoors and a third straight Pac-10 title to go with an NCAA championship in cross country in the fall, 2009 may indeed have been the best all-around season ever witnessed by Track Town, USA.

So what then does 2010 do for an encore?

Competing for an unprecedented fourth straight Pac-10 title and hosting the 2010 NCAA Championships for a start?

Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna welcomes back a host of talent, led by NCAA champions Ashton Eaton (both the NCAA indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon) and Andrew Wheating (800 meters). Those two were also Pac-10 champions in their event, and will be joined by fellow league winners Matthew Centrowitz (1,500 meters) and Cyrus Hostetler (javelin).

Middle Distance

Aside from Galen Rupp’s turn in the 1,500 meters at the Pac-10 Championships (second place), Oregon returns everyone who ran at 800 or 1,500 meters during the championship season, including Wheating, senior, and Centrowitz, who is only a sophomore outdoors. Not only did Wheating win the 800 at the Pac-10 meet, but he was also third in the 1,500.

Senior Jordan McNamara was also a Pac-10 fi nalists at 1,500 meters, while junior Travis Thompson ran the 800. McNamara went on to make the fi nals in the 1,500 at both the NCAA Championships and the USA Track & Field Championships.

The Ducks also welcome back All-American A.J. Acosta, a junior who redshirted the 2009 outdoor season after helping the Ducks win the NCAA distance medley relay title indoors. Acosta fi nished second in the 1,500 meters at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships, to go along with his fi fth-place fi nish in the 5,000.

Others who will contend in the middle distances include freshmen Mac Fleet (San Diego, Calif.) and Elijah Greer (Lake Oswego, Ore.).

Decathlon

Eaton, a senior, accomplished the rare feat of winning both the NCAA indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon titles in the same academic season. He comes into the 2010 season as the two-time defending NCAA and Pac-10 champion. He also fi nished second in the decathlon at the USA Track & Field Championships to earn a spot on Team USA for the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany.

Eaton also surpassed the school record in the decathlon, scoring 8,241 points at the NCAA Championships, but that score was not wind-legal. Eaton is the school record holder in the indoor heptathlon (6,174 points).

Also returning in the decathlon are seniors Marshall Ackley and Aaron McVein. Ackley set and reset PRs virtually every time he competed in 2009. He fi nished second at the Pac-10 championships with 7,337 points, and then increased that to 7,470 points at the NCAA Championships, where he earned his fi rst All-America award.

McVein also improved rapidly throughout the season, ultimately taking eighth at the Pac-10 Championships.

Throws

Oregon’s throws groups will be even deeper in 2010 with no losses to graduation, the addition of freshman Michael VanDoren and the return of senior All-American Mike Simmons.

The group is led by Hostetler, a senior who not only won the Pac-10 javelin last season, but also set school and Pac-10 records in the event with his throw of 272-10 at the Pepsi meet, which ranks fourth all-time in NCAA history. Hostetler went on to fi nish third at the NCAA Championships.

He will be joined by fellow All-Americans Simmons and Alex Wolff, plus 2010 Pac-10 scorer Britton Nelson with one of the most impressive javelin corps in the country. Wolff, a senior and two-time All-American, was third at the Pac-10 meet a year ago and 10th at the NCAA Championships. Nelson, a junior, was seventh at the Pac-10 meet in 2010.

Simmons, who redshirted 2009 with an injury, was seventh at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships and ninth at the 2008 NCAA Championships.

The Ducks also return junior Jordan Stray in the hammer. Stray was sixth in that event at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships and was an NCAA Championships qualifi er in 2008.

VanDoren, from Albany, Ore., should help immediately in the shot put and discus, while junior Scott Penny also has experience in the throwing events.

Luke Puskedra

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15

MEN’S TEAM PREVIEW

Vernell Warren

Jordan McNamara

Chad Barlow

Distance

Oregon sustained the biggest losses in the longer distances with the graduation of Rupp, the 2009 Bowerman Award winner who posted one of the greatest seasons of distance running in NCAA history during 2008-09. After winning the 2008 NCAA Cross Country title, he claimed three NCAA crowns indoors (3,000 meters, 5,000 meters and the distance medley relay) before an epic sweep at 5,000 and 10,000 meters outdoors. He was also the Pac-10 champion at 10,000 meters and placed second in the 1,500 meters.

The Ducks will also be looking to replace 2009 Pac-10 steeplechase champion Chris Winter as well as Shadrack Biwott, who was second in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and ran eighth in the 5,000 at the NCAA Championships.

Fortunately, there many veterans and newcomers ready to fi ll the void. All-Americans Luke Puskedra, Kenny Klotz, Danny Mercado, Diego Mercado,

Puskedra fi nished fourth in the 10,000 meters at the Pac-10 meet, while he earned NCAA All-America honors for his sixth-place indoor fi nish in the 5,000 meters and his 11th-place outdoor fi nish at 10,000 meters.

Danny Mercado scored in both the Pac-10 5,000 and 10,000 meters, while twin brother Diego scored at 10,000 meters and both were NCAA Championships qualifi ers at that distance.

Puskedra, Klotz, Danny Mercado and Centrowitz all earned All-America honors during the fall in cross country.

The freshmen include Bryce Burgess (Portland, Ore.), Ben DeJarnette (Mechansville, Va.), Mitchell Hunt (Fremont, Neb.) and Elliott Jantzer (Medford, Ore.). Oregon will also welcome Michael Maag, a transfer from Princeton, who was 10th in 5,000 meters at the 2009 NCAA Championships.

Sprints

Seniors Chad Barlow and Eaton anchor a sprint and hurdle group that also features some exciting freshmen and sophomores.

Barlow and Eaton both scored in the Pac-10 Championships at 400 meters, while Barlow was also an NCAA Championships qualifi er at that distance. Both runners also were part of the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams that fi nished seventh and third, respectively, at the conference meet.

Filling out the roster are junior Vernell Warren, a jumper who is a key member of the relay teams, and sophomore Matt Butcher, who has Pac-10 experience in the 200 meters and relays.

The Ducks have also added football’s LaMichael James, a freshman All-Amerca running back, to the sprint corps. James is a former Texas state champion in the 100 meters.

Jumps

The jumps corps is one of the team’s up-and-coming groups, with established veterans Eaton and Warren bringing along sophomores Danny Marconi and Brian Schaudt.

Warren took fourth in both the high jump and the long jump at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships and qualifi ed for his fi rst NCAA Championships in the long jump. Eaton had a monster long jump in 2009, a wind-aided 25-8 that would have cracked the school’s top 10.

Schaudt just missed scoring in the triple jump as a freshman, while Marconi looks to be on the verge of clearing 7-0 in the high jump. Decathlete McVein will also contribute in the high jump, an event he was ninth in at the 2009 Pac-10 meet.

Senior long jumper Andre Crenshaw also rejoins the track team after completing his football eligibility.

Hurdles

Sophomore Eric Hersey and junior David Klech pace the hurdle group, which will also receive some support from decathlete Ackley.

Hersey was a Pac-10 scorer in the 110 meter hurdles and looks to be on the verge of a breakout season. Eaton is also capable of scoring in the 110 hurdles and actually had the Ducks best time last season (13.85).

Klech impressed in the 400 meter hurdles during the dual meet with UCLA before an injury slowed him the remainder of the 2009 season.

And then there’s Ackley, a surprising Pac-10 scorer in the 400 hurdles (eighth) who also was an NCAA Regional qualifi er in the event.

Pole Vault

Eaton and senior Colin Witter-Tilton give the Ducks a veteran presence in the pole vault. Eaton led all Ducks with a clearance at 16-9 in 2009, while Witter-Tilton was a 2008 Pac-10 scorer and NCAA Championships qualifi er.

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16

WOMEN’S TEAM PREVIEW

Standing on Their OwnYears of thoughtfully rebuilding the women’s program by Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna paid off in 2009 as the Women of Oregon won their fi rst Pac-10 title in 17 years and were the runners-up at the NCAA Track & Field Championships. The Ducks, who scored points in 20 of 21 events at the Pac-10 Championships, return six of their seven Pac-10 champions.

That list includes NCAA and Pac-10 heptathlon champion Brianne Theisen, as well as 2009 league champs Keshia Baker (400 meters), Zoe Buckman (800 meters), Melissa Gergel (pole vault) and Jamesha Youngblood (long jump and triple jump). That list doesn’t even include seven-time All-American Nicole Blood, who was the 2008 league champion at 5,000 meters and the runner-up a season ago. Other returning All-Americans include Mattie Bridgmon (10,000 meters), Alexandra Kosinski (distance medley relay, cross country) and Amber Purvis (distance medley relay).

The Ducks also feature a bevy of school record-holders, including Purvis, who has a share of seven school marks (outdoor 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100 meter relay; indoor 60 meters, 200 meters, 4x400 meter relay and distance medley relay). Also in that pool are Baker (indoor and outdoor 400 meters, 4x100 meter relay and indoor 4x400 meter relay), Theisen (heptathlon, 100 meter hurdles, indoor pentathlon, indoor 60 meter hurdles), Youngblood (indoor and outdoor long jump, outdoor triple jump, 4x100 meter relay and indoor 4x400 meter relay), Claire Michel (steeplechase), Blood (distance medley relay), Buckman (distance medley relay), Kosinski (distance medley relay) and Mandy White (4x100 meter relay).

Combine those marks with a recruiting class led by national prep runner of the year Jordan Hasay and the Duck women are poised to expand their own legacy.

Sprints

Baker, a senior, is the two-time Pac-10 400 meter champion and has positioned herself as one of the top quarter-milers in the United States. She was fi fth at that distance at the NCAA outdoor meet and sixth indoors. She’s also a key member of Oregon’s relay teams. Baker will be joined on the relay pool by Purvis, White, Theisen and Youngblood, in addition to a few newcomers.

Purvis, a speedy sophomore, already holds every school record between 60 and 200 meters. Only a minor toe injury kept her from an NCAA Championships appearance last season, though she recovered in time to set the school mark in the 100 meters, 10.38, at the Pan American Junior Championships last summer.

White, a junior, has been a consistent presence in the record-setting relays the past two years and looks to be on the verge of a breakout season in the sprints.

While Theisen (heptathlon) and Youngblood (jumps) will concentrate their main focus elsewhere, both have been key members of the relay teams with NCAA experience.

Oregon’s newcomers, a freshman and a pair of transfers, fi gure to make the sprint corps as deep as it’s ever been. Junior Michele Williams is an NCAA Division II qualifi er from Adams State, while sophomore Camilla Dencer is a rare 400/800 meter runner from UCLA. The wildcard might be unheralded freshman Alexandria Davidson who showed tremendous development in the fall.

Heptathlon

The heptathletes produced an NCAA champion, two All-Americans and trio of Pac-10 scorers in 2009. That will be diffi cult to match in 2010 with the graduation of Pac-10 runner-up Kalindra McFadden (now a volunteer assistant for the Ducks), but having Theisen back as the defending national champion is no small consolation. Theisen was also the Canadian national champion in 2009 and represented Team Canada at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin. At the Pac-10 meet, she scored in the heptathlon, high jump, long jump and 4x400 meter relay team and enters her junior year (sophomore indoors) as one of the best all-around athletes in the nation. She will be joined by senior Erin Funkhouser, who was eighth at the Pac-10 meet in 2009, and freshmen Melanie Vertrees.

Middle Distance

Buckman and Kosinski combined with Blood to score 25 points in the 800 and 1,500 meters at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships and all three return for 2010. Buckman, senior, was the league 800 meter champion and just missed the fi nals at the NCAA Championships. Kosinski, a junior, scored in both the 1,500 (third) and 800 (fi fth) at the league meet and all three earned All-America status on the Ducks’ NCAA Indoor fi fth place distance medley relay team.

Hasay leads an infl ux of talent to the middle distances, joining fellow freshmen Rebecca Friday, Anne Kesselring, Sarah Penney, and Chloé Steinbeck, as well as Dencer. Hasay’s college career got off to a fl ying start in the fall when she won All-America honors at the NCAA Cross Country championships (18th) and was named the Pac-10 newcomer of the year. Kesselring is also an intriguing overseas addition to the squad with a personal best in the 800 of 2:04.96.

Jasmine Kelly

Alexandra Kosinski

Nicole Blood

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17

WOMEN’S TEAM PREVIEW

Jumps

Youngblood, a junior, now owns every horizontal jumps record at the school, save the indoor triple jump mark. She blossomed as a sophomore, becoming the fi rst Duck to capture both the Pac-10 long jump and triple jump title; in fact, she’s just the second person in league history to pull off the rare double. She went on to score in the long jump at both the NCAA Outdoor (third) and Indoor (fi fth) championships. Veteran junior Amy Skofstad also returns in the vertical jumps.

In the high jump, senior Jasmine Kelly became a Pac-10 scorer for the fi rst time with a fourth-place fi nish in 2009 and looks to take that next step to the NCAA Championships in 2010. She will be joined in the high jump by freshmen Kelly Petaja and Maggie Pietka.

Theisen is also a Pac-10 level scorer in both the long and high jump, while fellow heptathletes Funkhouser and Vertrees will add depth in the jumps.

Distance

Seniors Blood and Bridgmon anchor the distance group. Blood is one of the most decorated women in school history, having won seven All-America awards her fi rst three years as a Duck. She was the Pac-10 runner-up at 5,000 meters and also scored in the 1,500 meters in 2009 before earning All-America honors in the 5,000 with a runner-up fi nish at the NCAA Championships. She also earned All-America honors in cross country (10th), the indoor 3,000 meters (sixth) and mile (12th) as part of her quintuple All-America junior season. She capped her year by running a PR at the USA Track & Field Championships (15:38.61). Then the opened her senior year by winning the Pac-10 Cross Country championship in the fall.

Bridgmon was a two-time All-American for the Ducks last season, picking up honors in cross country and for her seventh place fi nish in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Championships. She also ran fi fth in that event at the Pac-10 Championships.

Those two are also bolstered by the return of senior Bria Wetsch, a 2009 Pac-10 scorer in the 10,000 meters (seventh), senior Lauren Zaludek, junior Betsy Bies and sophomore Bronwyn Crossman. Both Zaludek and Crossman were solid in the fall, scoring for the Ducks at the Pac-10 cross country championships.

Newcomers in the distances include freshmen Alexandra Jones, Melanie Thompson and Taylor Wallace.

The steeplechase is in good hands with Michel, a junior and the current school record holder (9:35.69), who was a Pac-10 scorer and an NCAA Championships fi nalist a year ago. The Ducks also have senior Brooke Guiffre returning to offset the graduation of former school record holder Dana Buchanan.

Pole Vault

Gergel, a junior, has positioned herself as one of the nation’s top vaulters and is on the verge of reaching an elite level after becoming just the third Duck to clear 14 feet. The three-time All-American set a PR of 14-2 in winning the 2009 Pac-10 championship.

But Gergel is not alone on the runway, and may not have even been the most improved Duck vaulter of 2009. That distinction goes to junior Jordan Roskelley, who saw her PR improve more than a foot over the course of the season and she became a Pac-10 scorer for the fi rst time, tying for fi fth.

Throws

Oregon’s biggest losses come in the throws with the graduation of two-time NCAA javelin champion Rachel Yurkovich, as well as Lucy Cridland, Megan Maloney and Ashley McCrea. All four scored at the Pac-10 meet, combining for 27 points, and three of the four, Yurkovich, Cridland and McCrea, were NCAA Championship qualifi ers.

The Ducks do have one experienced thrower returning in shot putter Rita Santibanez. The senior was sixth in the shot put at the Pac-10 Championships in 2009 and was also an NCAA Regional qualifi er.

Yurkovich, the four-time Pac-10 champion, and McCrea, who was third at the Pac-10 meet, leave a void in the javelin that may be best fi lled by Theisen, who owns the 10th-best throw in school history. Cridland was the Pac-10 runner-up and an NCAA Championships qualifi er in the discus, while Maloney was sixth in the conference in the hammer.

The Ducks will look to freshman Laura Bobek, a state champion from Astoria, and junior Sara Cole to fi ll the gaps in the throws.

Hurdles

Sophomore Lyndsay Pearson anchors the hurdles and was a Pac-10 scorer in the 400 hurdles (sixth), an event the Ducks will need to overcome the graduation of fellow Pac-10 scorer Leah Worthen (eighth).

School record holder Theisen leads the way in the 100 hurdles, which was the only event the Ducks didn’t register a point in at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships. Pearson also saw extensive racing at this distance last season.

Sophomore Rebecca Rhodes rounds out the hurdles corps.

Claire Michel

Mattie Bridgmon

Amber Purvis