2012TRK-Outlook

2012 SCHEDULE

2012 Schedule 2012 Indoor Track and Field Schedule Date Event Jan. 14 Blue and Orange Opener Jan. 27–28 Texas A&M Mondo Challenge Feb 10 Don Kirby Elite Invitational Feb. 10–11 Husky Classic Feb. 24–25 MPSF Championships March 2-3 Alex Wilson Invitational March 9–10 NCAA Indoor Championships

Location Nampa, Idaho College Station, Texas Albuquerque, N.M. Seattle, Wash.

Seattle, Wash.

Notre Dame, Ind. Nampa, Idaho

2012 Outdoor Track and Field Schedule March 18 Oregon Preview Eugene, Ore. March 23–24 USC Trojan Invitational Los Angeles, Calif.

April 2-3 Sam Adams Multi-Events Santa Barbara, Calif.

April 6 Stanford Invitational Stanford, Calif.

April 7 Pepsi Team Invitational Eugene, Ore. Oregon, Texas A&M, UCLA, Washington April 13 John Knight Twilight Monmouth, Ore. April 19-21 Oregon Relays Eugene, Ore. April 26–28 Penn Relays Philadelphia, Pa. April 29 Payton Jordan Invitational Stanford, Calif.

May 5 Oregon Twilight Eugene, Ore. May 5–6 Pac-12 Conference Hep./Dec. Eugene, Ore. May 12–13 Pac-12 Conference Championships Eugene, Ore. May 24–26 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds Austin, Texas June 6–9 NCAA Outdoor Championships Des Moines, Iowa June 21 U.S. Olympic Trials - Hammertime Beaverton, Ore. June 22-July 1 U.S. Olympic Trials Eugene, Ore.

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2012 SEASON

2012 Season It will be a championship year at Historic Hayward Field in 2012.

Not only will TrackTown USA host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, but the inaugural Pac-12 Championships will also be held in Eugene, part of an exciting 2012 University of Oregon schedule.

Colorado and Utah join the 10 current schools for the first Pac-12 meet, which will begin with the decathlon and heptathlon May 5-6 and continue with the main portion of the meet May 12-13.

The regular season is also highlighted by the April 7 Pepsi Team Invitational, which will feature three-time defending men’s and women’s NCAA Champion Texas A&M travelling to Eugene for the second time in the last three years. Joining the Ducks and Aggies will be men’s and women’s teams from both UCLA and Washington, which should make for one of the most exciting Pepsi meets in recent memory. It will be UCLA’s first appearance at the Pepsi meet since 1994.

Oregon opens the home outdoor season with the Oregon Preview on March 18, and also has the traditional Oregon Relays April 19-21 and the Oregon Twilight May 5. This year, the Oregon Relays will include a combined events competition April 19-20.

“This will be a really fantastic year for Tracktown USA,” said Lananna. “We are excited and honored to be hosting the inaugural Pac-12 Championships, as well as the Pepsi Team Invitational and our other top-level meets.”

The Women of Oregon are the two-time defending indoor champions and the Ducks open the 2012 season Jan. 14 at the Blue and Orange Invitational in Nampa, Idaho, site of the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships.

The indoor season also includes the Texas A&M Mondo Challenge Jan. 27-28 in College Station, Texas, the Don Kirby Elite Classic Feb. 10 in Albuquerque, N.M., two meets in Seattle, Wash. - the Feb. 10-11 Husky Classic, the Feb. 24-25 MPSF Championships and the March 3 UW Final Qualifier - and the March 2-3 Alex Wilson Invitational.

The indoor season concludes March 9-10 at the NCAA Championships, hosted by Boise State in Nampa, Idaho.

The outdoor season starts a week later with the Oregon Preview.

Road meets during the outdoor season include the March 23-24 USC Invitational, the April 2-3 Sam Adams Multi-Events, the April 13 John Knight Twilight at Western Oregon, the Penn Relays April 26-28 and the April 29 Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford.

Following the Pac-12 meet, Oregon will travel to Texas for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds May 24-26. The outdoor season wraps up June 6-9 at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

Following the collegiate season, Oregon will host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials June 21-July 1 at Historic Hayward Field.

A 2012 season ticket includes all regular season meets, but not the Pac-12 Championships. Ticket prices are $65 for reserved, $55 for adult general admission and $45 for child/senior general admission.

The family plan, general admission for two adults and three kids, is available for $125.

Two-day Pac-12 Championship tickets are $45 for reserved, $35 for adult general admission and $25 for child/senior general admission.

For more ticket information, visit www.goducks.com or www.tracktown12.com.

U.S. Olympic Trials

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Pepsi Team Invitational

Pac-12 Championships

MEN’S TEAM PREVIEW

An Influx of New Talent Oregon’s 2011 season was a dichotomy of the old and the new. The Ducks received terrific performances from veterans like A.J. Acota, Matthew Centrowitz, Steve Finley, Justin Frick, David Klech, Danny Mercado, Jordan Stray, Vernell Warren and Alex Wolff to win their fifth consecutive Pac-10 championship.

All those student-athletes have since graduated.

However, the group of young Ducks could be among its strongest in years. The flock of first and second year performers includes the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class from 2010 and the No. 2 class of 2011.

At the top of that list is sophomore Mike Berry, the 2011 Pac-10 champion at 400 meters and school recordholder with a time of 44.91. Other youngsters to watch include sophomores Mac Fleet, who was the national runner-up in the mile in 2010 before redshirting the 2011 season, Boru Guyota, who was fifth in the Pac-10 at 800 meters, Ethan Powell, who was seventh in the javelin at the league meet, and Parker Stinson, the three-time junior 10,000 meter champion who was seventh in the event at the Pac-10 meet a year ago.

The Ducks also look to welcome some redshirt freshmen into the fold from that No. 1 recruiting class in javelin thrower Sam Crouser, decathlete Dakotah Keys and sprinter Kelly Beck.

Mike Berry

Newcomers for the 2012 season include distance runners Chris Brewer, Jeramy Elkaim, Russell Hornsby, Matt Jablonski, Chad Noelle and Ryan Pickering, sprinters Arthur Delaney, Jack Galpin and Joeal Hotchkins, hurdler Johnathan Cabral, decathlete Alec Fellows and hammer thrower Greg Skipper. All are freshmen except Hotchkins, a junior transfer.

That isn’t meant to dismiss the elder statesmen on the squad. In fact, the Ducks do have conference championships experience across the board at the top of the roster. Senior Luke Puskedra is the most experienced distance runner on the squad and a four-time Pac-10 scorer. Other seniors who have scored at the Pac-10 meet include Kevin Godfrey (decathlon), Bryan Harper (4x400 meter relay), Eric Hersey (110 meter hurdles), Britton Nelson (javelin), Brian Schaudt (triple jump) and Travis Thompson (800 meters).

Add in juniors like 2011 Pac-10 runners-up Elijah Greer (800 meters) and Austin Ouderkirk (pole vault), and the Men of Oregon look to be as balanced as they have been in years.

Sprints/Relays Few freshmen had the impact that Mike Berry did last season. The Seattle, Wash., native won the Pac-10 400 meter title in a school record 44.91. He went on to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships and fifth at the USA Championships to earn a spot in the Team USA 4x400 relay pool. At the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, he helped the Americans win their semifinal heat and advance to the finals, and though he did not run in the final, earned a gold medal with Team USA’s victory.

He’ll be joined in the short races by speedy freshmen Kelly Beck (Central Point, Ore.), Arthur Delaney (Gresham, Ore.) and Jack Galpin (Medofrd, Ore.), as well as junior transfer Joeal Hotchkins (Las Vegas, Nev.) and senior Bryan Harper.

Luke Puskedra

Middle distance runners Travis Thomspon (Newport) and Elijah Greer (Lake Oswego) join Beck (Central Point), Delaney (Gresham), Galpin (Medford), Harper (Junction City) in the relay pool, among others, and all hail from Oregon, meaning the Ducks could potentially field all in-state 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay squads at some point in 2012.

Oregon also has football players B.J. Kelley and Dior Mathis on the roster, with others potentially joining the team later in the season.

Middle Distance Junior Elijah Greer, sophomore Mac Fleet and a large group of newcomers will carry the work for the middle distance group in 2012. Greer was the Pac-10 runner-up in the 800 meters in 2011, while Fleet was the national runner-up in the mile in 2010 before redshirting last season.

Sixth-year senior Travis Thompson is also a Pac-10 scorer at 800 meters, as is sophomore Boru Guyota, while sophomore Cole Watson and senior Travis Stanford have Pac-10 experience. Greer (1:45.06/No. 3), Thompson (1:47.60/No. 7) and Guyota (1:47.75/No. 10) all rank in the Ducks’ career top 10 at 800 meters.

But it is the newcomers who are the most intriguing addition to this group. They include Matthew Bell (Santa Monica, Calif.), Chris Brewer (Vista, Calif.), Russell Hornsby (Williamsburg, Va.), Matt Jablonski (Cockeysville, Md.), Matthew Melancon (Eugene, Ore.) and Chad Noelle (Greene, N.Y.).

Noelle, Jablonski and Eklaim went 1-2-3 in the high school mile at the 2011 Millrose Games in New York.

Eric Hersey

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MEN’S TEAM PREVIEW Distance Senior Luke Puskedra had his best season on the track as a junior in 2011, placing fifth in the Pac-10 and sixth at the NCAA meet in the 10,000 meters. He was also fifth in the 5,000 at the conference meet. Puskedra ranks sixth in school history at 10,000 meters (28:34.17).

The Ducks also have up-and-coming sophomore Parker Stinson, who was seventh in the 10,000 at the Pac10 meet, and added depth with the mid-year transfer of sophomore Trevor Dunbar, an All-American for the University of Portland.

But the Ducks will need some other runners to step up in both the 5K and 10K, as well as the steeplechase.

Some who have been waiting in the wings include senior Chris Kwiatkowski, junior Bryce Burgess and sophomores Tim Costin, Ben DeJarnette, Mitch Hunt and Brian Shrader.

Newcomers will also see a lot of racing for the Oregon at the longer distances. That includes freshmen Colby Alexander (Strongsville, Ohio), Jeramy Elkaim (Livingston, N.J.), Ryan Pickering (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Daniel Winn (Portland, Ore.).

Hurdles There is plenty of excitement in the hurdle area where freshman Johnathan Cabral joins senior Eric Hersey.

Cabral, from Calabasas, Calif., was a two-time prep All-American in the hurdles in 2011, while Hersey is a two-time Pac-10 scorer in the 110 meter hurdles and ranks No. 10 in school history in the event (13.94).

Elijah Greer

Jumps Oregon graduated reliable long jumper Vernell Warren, but still has a deep jump corps, especially in the triple jump.

Senior Brian Schaudt will be joined by junior Tyler Pinkney and redshirt freshman Trevor Ferguson.

Schaudt finished third in the Pac-10 in the triple jump in 2011 and now ranks among the school’s top 10 in the event (51-8.25/15.75m). Pinkney was also a Pac-10 qualifier, while Ferguson just missed 50 feet during his redshirt season a year ago.

Senior Danny Marconi is a Pac-10 qualifier in the high jump with a PR of 7-2.25/2.19m, a mark which places him fifth in school history.

Pole Vault Oregon’s high bar duties will be carried by junior Austin Ouderkirk, who was one of the biggest surprises of the 2011 Pac-10 championships. Ouderkirk was the conference’s runner-up and has a best clearance of 16-9.5/5.12m.

Freshman Matt Hidalgo (Banks, Ore.) and junior transfer Jordan Alviso (Mt. San Antonio College/Granite Bay, Calif.) are new to the pole vault team for 2012.

Throws Sam Crouser (Gresham, Ore.), the 2010 national prep athlete of the year, looks to get his Oregon career rolling after redshirting the 2011 season. Crouser set the national prep record in the javelin, 255-4/77.82m in 2010.

Another freshman, Greg Skipper, opens up for the Ducks in the hammer. Skipper, from Oregon City, Ore., was a high school All-American in the event.

Brian Schaudt

The Ducks will also turn to a number of veterans in the throws. Sophomore Ethan Powell was a pleasant surprise at the Pac-10 meet a year ago, finishing seventh in the javelin. Senior Britton Nelson, another Pac-10 scorer, is back after redshirting the 2011 season. Oregon also has senior Josh Heidegger and junior Michael Thompson looking for break out seasons in the javelin.

In the shorter throws, Oregon will turn to senior Randall Horn, while sophomore Tanner Harris and junior Miles Walk are options in the hammer.

Decathlon Oregon’s strong tradition in the combined events figures to be growing in 2012. The Ducks graduated Pac10 runner-up David Klech, but return Pac-10 scorer Kevin Godfrey as well as Dakotah Keys.

Godfrey, a senior, was sixth at the league meet in 2011 with 6,853 points. Keys (Sweet Home, Ore.), who holds the Oregon prep decathlon record of 7,204 points, was primed for a solid season his first year in Eugene, but an injury cut short his season and he ended up with a medical redshirt outdoors. He looks to pick up where 2011 left off.

The Ducks have also added freshman Alec Fellows from Woodway, Wash, in the combined events.

Austin Ouderkirk

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WOMEN’S TEAM PREVIEW

A Collection of Talent The Oregon women’s track and field program looks to again be at the top of the national and conference races in 2012. The Ducks have been named the Terry Crawford National Program of the Year for three years running now thanks to a collection of talent that runs across nearly all of the track and field disciplines.

The 2012 team boasts returning NCAA champions in the likes of juniors Anne Kesselring (800 meters) and Jordan Hasay (mile, 3,000 meters), and seniors Brianne Theisen (heptathlon, pentathlon) and Amber Purvis (4x400 meter relay).

The team also features returning conference champions like sophomore English Gardner (100 meters), Hasay (1,500 meters, 5,000 meters), Theisen (heptathlon) and the 4x400 meter relay team of Chizoba Okodogbe, Phyllis Francis, Laura Roesler and Purvis.

Yet that barely begins to scratch the surface of Oregon’s depth.

In addition to those champions, there are All-Americans in seniors Alex Kosinski (5,000 meters) and Bronwyn Crossman (10,000 meters) and juniors Becca Friday (1,500 meters) and Lanie Thompson (steeplechase).

Anne Kesselring

There are also additional returning Pac-10 scorers in sophomores Megan Patrignelli (1,500 meters), Kortney Ross (pole vault) and Sarah Andrews (10,000 meters), junior Taylor Wallace (steeplechase) and seniors Lauryn Newson (long jump), Lyndsay Pearson (400 meter hurdles) and Rebecca Rhodes (long jump).

That’s 19 current team members who have scored at the Pac-10 Championships, a number of whom have now been part of Oregon’s three straight conference championships.

And for good measure, the Ducks welcome the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class to campus for 2012.

That should help the Ducks overcome the graduation of NCAA champion Melissa Gergel (pole vault), AllAmericans Jamesha Youngblood (long jump, triple jump), Claire Michel (steeplechase), Mandy White (100 meters) and Michele Williams (4x400 meter relay) and Pac-10 scorers Jordan Roskelley (pole vault) and Sara Cole (hammer).

Sprints/Relays Oregon’s sprints and relays group returns much of its roster from the record-setting 2011 season and welcomes some talented youngsters to the squad.

Senior Amber Purvis and sophomore English Gardner lead the way, with help from sophomores Phyllis Francis, Chizoba Okodogbe and Laura Roesler, juniors Alexandria Davidson and Devin Gosberry, seniors Camilla Dencer and Lauryn Newson and freshman Jenna Prandini.

Purvis is a record nine-time All-American who holds the school mark in the 200 meters (22.74) and is No. 2 in the 100 (11.21) She also holds the indoor 60 meter (7.20) and 200 (23.17) marks and has a piece of both the indoor and outdoor 4x400 meter marks.

Gardner has the Oregon record at 100 meters, a time of 11.03 from her win at the 2011 Pac-10 Championships, which broke Gail Devers’ meet record and Angela Williams’ U.S. junior record. She also second in the 200 (23.02) and is a key member of the 4x100 meter relay.

Brianne Theisen

In addition to Purvis and Gardner, the Ducks have Prandini, a prep All-American from Clovis, Calif., Davidson and Newson in the sprints to offset the graduation of All-American Mandy White.

In the 400, the Ducks have tremendous depth with Okodogbe, Purvis and Francis, who all rank in the school’s top 10, in addition to Gosberry and Dencer.

Oregon set the school record in the 4x400 meter relay, 3:28.18, at the 2011 NCAA Championships with the team of freshmen Okodogbe, Francis, Rosler and senior Michele Williams. While Williams, who was also a Pac-10 scorer at 400 meters, will need to be replaced, the rest of the mile relay squad return as sophomores and has depth in Purvis and Gosberry, among others.

In the 4x100 relay, the Ducks will turn to Garder, Purvis and Newson, regulars on the squad a year ago, as well as Prandini and Davidson.

Middle Distance Defending NCAA 800 meter champion Anne Kesselring leads a middle distance corps that also includes NCAA indoor mile champ Jordan Hasay and an impressive corps of NCAA and Pac-10 scorers.

Kesselring’s win last season was only one of the highlights between 800 meters and a mile. The Ducks return every point at 800 and 1,500 meters, including Hasay, a junior, who claimed the Pac-10 1,500 meter title in addition to her indoor mile crown.

Junior Becca Friday was one of the surprises in the 1,500 meters, finishing fifth at that distance at the NCAA Championships and fourth at the Pac-10 meet. Kesselring, a junior, was also a Pac-10 scorer at 1,500 meters (4:21.36).

English Gardner

The depth continues with the sophomore class. Laura Roesler was third in the 800 at the Pac-10 meet and a semifinalist at the NCAA Championships, while Megan Patrignelli was a Pac-10 scorer at 1,500 meters.

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WOMEN’S TEAM PREVIEW Sophomore Phyllis Francis is also in the mix at 800 meters as is her sister, freshman Claudia Francis. A couple of Ducks coming off injuries, senior Alex Kosinski and sophomore Sarah Penney, can also run the middle distances.

Distance The distances are another area of strength for the Ducks, where the only significant graduation came in the steeplechase. In fact, the group may be stronger with sophomore Jordan Hasay leading the way and senior Alex Kosinski back from the injury that forced her to miss the 2011 outdoor season.

Hasay was the Pac-10 champion at 5,000 meters (in addition to the 1,500 crown) and won the NCAA indoor 3,000 meter title (in addition to the mile win). She was also an All-American in the 5,000 meters and comes into her junior season with eight All-America awards - one behind Purvis for the school record.

Kosinski was second in the 5,000 at the 2010 Pac-10 meet and ran third at that distance at the NCAA Championships.

They will be backed by All-America senior Bronwyn Crossman (10,000 meters), sophomore Sarah Andrews, senior transfer Kimber Mattox (Willamette/Bend, Ore.) and freshmen Molly Grabill (Poway, Calif.) and Allison Woodward (Green Bay, Wis.) In the steeplechase, Oregon loses 2010 Pac-10 champion and school record-holder Claire Michel, but returns Pac-10 scorers Lanie Thompson and Taylor Wallace. Thompson, a sophomore ranks No. 2 in school history (10:03.74), while Wallace, a junior is No. 3 (10:18.19).

Jordan Hasay Hurdles Senior Lyndsay Pearson is a Pac-10 scorer in the 400 meter hurdles and leads a mix of young and veteran hurdlers.

The Ducks have seniors from other areas - Rebecca Rhodes, Camilla Dencer and Brianne Theisen - as potential hurdlers. Rhodes, a jumper, led the Ducks in the 100 meter hurdles last season (13.96), while Theisen, an NCAA champion heptathlete, holds the school record in the 100 hurdles (13.39). Dencer showed potential in the 400 hurdles a season ago.

Oregon also has freshman Anetra Brown (Indianapolis, Ind.) in the hurdles.

Jumps Oregon looks to be improved in the high jump and will turn to freshman Jenna Prandini to overcome the graduation of Pac-10 long and triple jump champion Jamesha Youngblood.

The Ducks have a solid corps returning in the long jump, including Pac-10 scorers Lauryn Newson and Rebecca Rhodes, both seniors. But newcomers will have to carry the banner in the high jump and triple jump.

In the high jump, the Ducks have added a couple of 5-10 jumpers in freshmen Lauren Crockett (Ogden, Utah) and Chancey Summers (Eagle Creek, Ore.). The Ducks also have heptathlete Brianne Theisen as an option. She has a PR in the event of 6-1.25/1.86m, which ranks second in school history.

Prandini, from Clovis, Calif., was a prep All-American in the triple jump. She and junior Maggie Pietka are also the main options in the triple jump.

Amber Purvis

Pole Vault The Ducks will miss 2011 NCAA pole vault champion Melissa Gergel and NCAA qualifier and Pac-10 scorer Jordan Roskelley.

But the young vaulters will be led by sophomore Kortney Ross, who was third at the 2011 Pac-10 Championships (13-4.5/4.08m). She will be joined by sophomore Sammie Clark and freshman Anginae Monteverde (Fresno, Calif.). Monteverde was a high school All-American in the pole vault after clearing 13-6.

Throws Sophomore Laura Bobek is the only Pac-10 competitor in an otherwise unproven list of young throwers.

Bobek was a Pac-10 competitor in both the shot put and the discus as a freshman in 2011.

Among the young throwers looking to break through are sophomores Jill Fogelstrom, Felicia Odle, Rachel Perry and Hannah Picknell, newcomer McKenzie Henderson (The Dalles, Ore.), a sophomore transfer from Lane Community College, and freshmen Bailey Flynn (Beaverton, Ore.), Daphne Chambers (Springfield, Ore.) and Lauren Sens (Elk Grove, Calif.)

Heptathlon Five-time NCAA champion Brianne Theisen has been one of the most impressive student-athletes in recent history. She a two-time national champion in both the indoor pentathlon and outdoors in heptathlon. After setting the collegiate record in winning the 2011 NCAA indoor pentathlon title (4,540 points), she redshirted the outdoor season with a back injury. Fully recovered, the Humboldt, Sask., native is a threat to win the 2012 Bowerman Award as the nation’s top track and field athlete.

The Ducks have also added promising freshman Alyssa Monteverde (Fresno, Calif.) in the heptathlon.

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Rebecca Rhodes