Summer 2014: Friends of Oregon Track and Field Newsletter

Friends of Oregon Track and Field

NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014 VOLUME VI - ISSUE IV

NCAA Champions!

Way to GO dUCKS! University of Oregon National Champions (Starting top to bottom and from left to right): Oregon Men’s Team, Sam Crouser (Javelin), Mac Fleet, Edward Cheserek, Devon Allen, Sam Crouser (NCAA Individual Champions), Mac Fleet (1500m), Laura Roesler (800m), Devon Allen (110m Hurdles), Edward Cheserek (10,000m), Jenna Prandini (Long Jump).

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Above (Left to Right): Oregon Women take home the NCAA third place trophy, Oregon celebrates the NCAA Team Title with a dunk!

2014 Oregon Track & Field Championship Season Oregon Brings NCAA Men’s Team Title To TrackTown USA

By Curtis Anderson / TrackTown USA EUGENE, Ore. – Without a doubt, the recently completed 2014 collegiate outdoor track and field season was one for the record books.

The University of Oregon claimed its first NCAA men’s outdoor championship since 1984, while the UO women finished strong with a third-place spot on the awards podium.

Prior to those performances at Hayward Field in early June, the Ducks swept the Pac-12 outdoor titles for the sixth consecutive season. It was the eighth straight triumph for the UO men and a sixth straight crown for the Duck women.

Individually, UO freshman Edward Cheserek and UO senior Laura Roesler capped phenomenal years by being named 2014 finalists for college track and field’s most coveted award – The Bowerman.

Cheserek became the first Duck runner to win the NCAA cross country crown as a freshman, and then go on to win national indoor titles at 3,000m and 5,000m.

At the NCAA outdoor championships, he brought the hometown crowd to its feet with a stunning final kick to easily win the 10,000 meters in 28 minutes, 30.18 seconds, the first freshman winner at that distance since 1979.

He would later come back to finish second to Arizona’s Lawi Lalang – another 2014 finalist for The Bowerman – in a thrilling 5,000m final, 13:18.71 to 13:18.36. Those times stand No. 8 and No. 4, respectively, in NCAA history.

Roesler ended her UO career on a winning note as she overcame the burden of high expectations to win the NCAA 800m title with a time of 2:01.22 despite getting bumped with 250 meters to go.

She also won the NCAA indoor 800m crown.

In her final race as a Duck, Roesler took second at the 2014 USA Outdoor National Championships with a PR of 1:59.04, the second-fastest time in UO history behind Claudette Groenendaal’s 1:58.33 in 1985.

There were numerous other noteworthy UO accomplishments: • Freshman Devon Allen caught fire at the end of the season to win NCAA and USA titles in the 110-meter high hurdles, the first to accomplish that feat since Renaldo Nehemiah in 1979. His PR of 13.16 stands as a school record and No. 2 alltime performance among collegians.

• Sophomore Jenna Prandini was a workhorse. She won three Pac-12 titles (long jump, 100m, 200m) and finished as NCAA high-point scorer with a victory in the long jump, second in the 200m and third in the 100m.

• Senior Phyllis Francis was the hero of the NCAA indoor meet. She won the 400m with a U.S. and collegiate record of 50.46, and then helped clinch the team’s fifth straight championship with her anchor leg on the winning 4x400m relay.

• Senior Mac Fleet, who now competes for Oregon Track Club Elite, won his second consecutive NCAA outdoor 1,500m title by holding off Arizona’s Lawi Lalang and UO junior Sam Crouser won the NCAA javelin title on his sixth and final throw of the competition.

All in all, with a total of three NCAA team championships, it was the best combined indoor and outdoor track and field season in school history.

And when you add the sport of cross country, it meant even more accolades for Oregon.

The UO men’s and women’s teams both earned 2013-14 program of the year honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USATFCCCA).

The Ducks claimed the Terry Crawford Division I Women’s Program of the Year Award for a sixth consecutive season, while the UO men won its first John McDonnell Division I Men’s Program of the Year Award since 2010.

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An Incredibly Successful IAAF World Junior Championships, Oregon14

By Curtis Anderson / TrackTown USA EUGENE, Ore. – From the opening notes of the “Music for 10,000 meters,” to the world’s biggest international dance party, there was a festive atmosphere surrounding the IAAF World Junior Championships this past July.

The historic track and field meet, held on U.S. soil for the first time, attracted nearly 52,000 spectators to Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus over six days of competition.

Those in attendance were treated to two world junior records.

French hurdler Wilhem Belocian clocked 12.99 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles to take down the mark of 13.12 set by China’s Wiang Liu in 2002.

In addition, Czech Republic’s Anezka Drahotova won the 10,000m race walk in 42:47.25, crushing the old standard of 42:59.48 set by Russia’s Yelena Lashmanova in 2011.

Before the meet concluded with the aforementioned dance party at Matthew Knight Arena, attended by hundreds of young athletes, all age 19 or under – many of whom were adorned with newly acquired Duck gear – there were seven championship meet records and 84 national junior records established.

Team USA matched its previous best performance at the World Juniors with 21 medals – eleven gold, five silver and five bronze.

The University of Oregon played a role in that effort.

UO signee Ariana Washington placed seventh in the 100m and then helped bring home a gold medal with a strong second leg on Team USA’s winning 4x100m relay in 43.46.

“This is my new home,” Washington said. “So, a gold medal at my new home is the most amazing feeling. I just can’t wait to be an Oregon Duck.”

UO freshman Christian Brennan also had a productive meet.

She placed seventh in the 400m at 54.15 and ran the third leg on Canada’s 4x400m relay which finished fourth with a Canadian national junior record of 3:33.17.

“I didn’t get the time I wanted,” Brennan said of her open 400 race.

“But I know I did my best, and at the end of the day, that’s all I can really do.”

Four other athletes with Oregon ties competed at World Juniors.

UO freshman and former Sheldon High standout Maggie Schmaedick placed 12th in the 5,000m at 16:19.01, just missing a personal best. UO freshman Cole Walsh, the reigning USA junior pole vault champion, cleared 16 feet, 5 inches in qualifying, but it wasn’t quite enough to reach the final.

UO signee Ashlee Moore set a PR of 5,466 points in the heptathlon to place 13th overall, while incoming recruit Raevyn Rogers, who won the USA junior title in the 800m, got clipped from behind in her first-round race and failed to advance.

“There is a lot to work on,” Moore said. “So I’m excited to come back for college, especially here, and get to work on a few events.”

Besides a sneak peek into the future of UO track and field, the World Juniors provided a stunning backdrop for other University of Oregon endeavors.

Each of the 167 national federations from around the world represented at the meet worked in tandem with UO studentambassadors. The UO volunteers provided vital assistance with language and cultural barriers throughout the competition.

The international scope of UO faculty research was also on display with the development and installation of three interactive digital maps at the meet venue. Spectators could access information via touch-screen technology.

The most intriguing buzz, however, was created during the opening ceremonies on the first night of competition.

In what is believed to be a first for track and field in this country, and perhaps the world, the UO Brass & Percussion Ensemble played an original musical score by conductor Brian McWhorter throughout the men’s 10,000m final.

Simply titled, “Music for 10,000 meters,” the composition was played for the duration of the 25-lap race, picking up tempo to support the crowd’s rhythmic clap each time the runners rounded the Bowerman Curve.

“It kept me going through some of the tougher spots in the race,” said Team USA’s Brendan Shearn. “It was a completely new experience for me and I thought it was really cool.”

Above (Left to Right): IAAF World Junior Championships, Oregon14 Opening Ceremonies and Competition

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Above (Left to Right): 2013 NCAA Cross Country Champion Edward Cheserek will lead the Ducks into 2014. Oregon kicks off the 2014 Cross Country Season with the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Pre’s Trail.

The 2014 Oregon Cross Country Season Starts on Pre’s Trail The Oregon Cross Country teams kick off their season with style this weekend in a highly anticipated match-up with Michigan State at the Dellinger Invitational hosted on Pre’s Trail, the first Oregon cross country meet held at Eugene’s Alton Baker Park since 2010.

The cross country meet on Friday evening begins a season of Oregon Ducks/Michigan State Spartans competition across many sports. The schools’ football teams will take the field on Saturday morning in one of the highest profile non-conference games of the season along with volleyball and baseball competitions planned for later this year.

The cross country season will continue with the men’s team returning to Boston for Boston College’s Battle in Beantown. The women will head north to Seattle for UW’s Washington Invitational.

The Pre-National Invitational in mid-October at Indiana State’s LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course will highlight a regular season where the teams will look to position themselves well for the championships at the end of the season.

The Ducks will then head to the Bay Area to start the post-season with the Pac-12 Championships Oct. 31 in Oakland. Two weeks after that, the Ducks cross the San Francisco Bay for the NCAA West Regional Championships Nov. 14 at Stanford.

The men’s team, which finished fifth at last year’s NCAA Championships and second at the Pac-12 Championships, will feature defending NCAA Cross Country Champion Edward Cheserek. The Bowerman Trophy nominee had a season to remember last year, becoming Oregon’s first freshman individual cross country champion.

He followed that historic win with four more on the track, leading the men’s teams to NCAA Championships during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Joining Cheserek at the front of the pack will

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be Eric Jenkins, who will make his Oregon cross country debut this season. Jenkins finished fourth in the 5k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and his 13:18.57 5k personal best places him among the fastest in the NCAA this year. The Ducks also return seniors Tanguy Pepiot and Daniel Winn, junior Matthew Melancon and sophomore Jake Leingang from the last year’s squad.

The Oregon women, who return all seven runners that competed at the 2013 NCAA Cross Country Championships, will be led by senior Megan Patrignell - the team’s top finisher in five meets last season.

Joining her will be seniors Lindsay Crevoiserat and Mia Elbon, juniors Annie LeBlanc, who led the squad at the NCAA Championships last year, Molly Grabill and Abbey Leonardi, and sophomore Maggie Schmaedick. The women will also look towards several key newcomers to add to their veteran foundation. Frida Berge, who joined the Ducks last winter, will make her cross country debut after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 5k last spring. Four-time California State Cross Country Champion Sarah Baxter brings her extraordinary cross country credentials to the team. Baxter, a two-time Nike Cross Country Nationals Champion, won all but one cross country race during her high school career. Joining Baxter as newcomers in the line-up will be transfers Brianna Nerud and Waverly Neer. Nerud, who comes to Eugene from Syracuse University, and Neer, who joins us from Columbia University, both have outstanding cross country credentials and will make immediate impacts on the team.

To follow the third-ranked men’s cross country team and secondranked women’s cross country team throughout the season, visit GoDucks.com or check out the team on Twitter at @OregonTF.

Oregon Team: Robert Johnson: Vin Lananna:

@oregontf @Run4Ducks @vinlananna

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2014 Alumni Homecoming Celebration!

The 2014 edition of the Annual Alumni Homecoming was a great night of stories, laughter and celebration for the Friends and Family of Oregon Track and Field. The Ballroom at the Ford Alumni Center was filled with Oregon Track and Field alumni, current stundent-athletes, staff, coaches and friends of the program and too many tales to recount.

Some of the highlights from the evening included: Kenny Moore sharing his thoughts with the room on what it now means to be a Track & Field Fan at Hayward Field, Baylor Freshman Trayvon Bromell stopping by after his win in the NCAA Men’s 100 Meter (also a new World Junior Record) and receiving a standing ovation, and a photo op of outstanding Oregon 800 runners (pictured at the top left corner of the page). A special thank you to the Alumni Homecoming Organizing Committee for making this a great event for everyone in attendence.

Alumni, Duck Fans and Friends of Oregon Track & Field Save These Dates for 2014 and 2015!

Bill Dellinger Cross Country Invitational Friday, Septerber 5, 2014 @5:45 pm, Alton Baker Park

NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships Wednesday, June 10 - Saturday, June 13, 2015, Historic Hayward Field Oregon Track & Field Alumni Homecoming Friday, June 12, 2015

2015 USA Track & Field Championships Wednesday, June 25 - Sunday, June 28, 2015, Historic Hayward Field We Look Forward to Seeing You!

We look forward to seeing you again in 2015!

2014 University of Oregon Cross Country Schedule

Friday, September 5, 5:45pm Friday, September 26, TBA Saturday, October 4, TBA Saturday, October 18, TBA Friday, October 31, TBA Friday, November 14, TBA Saturday, November 22, 8:00am

Bill Dellinger Invitational Alton Baker Park, Eugene OR Battle in Beantown Franklin Park, Boston, MA Washington Invitational Jefferson Park Golf Course, Seattle, WA Charles Bowles Invitational Bush Park, Salem, OR Pre-National Invitational LaVern Gibson Course, Terre Haute, IN Pac-12 Championships Metropolitan Links GC, Oakland, CA NCAA West Regional Stanford Golf Course, Stanford, CA NCAA Championships LaVern Gibson Course, Terre Haute, IN