Head coach Robert Johnson remembers what Keshia Baker, a member of Oregon’s first NCAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship team, said to him before her departure from the University of Oregon in 2010.
“Coach, I don’t know what you’re going to do when we graduate,” Baker said to him on the heels of the women’s first indoor national championship.
Nearly five years and four titles later, the women’s team will send 12 qualifiers to the championship. The 25 total qualifiers for both men and women marks an Oregon school record. The women will search for their sixth consecutive title while the men bid for their second in a row.
“We’ve got a bunch of bullets in the gun to score points,” Johnson said. “It’ll be a whole different experience of us trying to win those titles.”
Oregon will count on Jenna Prandini and Jasmine Todd to lead the six-peat bid. Prandini ranks first in the NCAA in the 200-meter dash (22.87). Both women rank in the top 10 of the 60-meter dash and long jump.
The Ducks dropped to seventh in the NCAA rankings and finished second at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships last week. However, Johnson said that only once in the past five championship seasons have the women been ranked first in the nation heading into nationals.
Oregon will also rely heavily on its younger athletes. Five of the nine women traveling to Arkansas are underclassmen, including freshmen Ariana Washington (200-meter dash) and Nikki Hiltz (mile).
“These freshmen and sophomore are ready to go,” Prandini said. “I think they’re mentally prepared and I know that they can handle it.”
The most troublesome aspect of this year’s championship team, however, is the absence of a 4×400 relay qualifier on either the men’s or women’s side. Last season, the women won the 4×400 in the final event of the meet and clinched their half-point victory over Texas.
“That one stings a little bit,” Johnson said. “Other people will have to step up.”
The Oregon men rank second in the country and won the MPSF Championships last weekend.
Excluding the distance medal relay team, seven of the eight men competing this weekend are distance runners. Oregon will tie a record by entering five qualifiers in the 3,000-meter. Three will enter the 5,000-meter and the mile.
Eric Jenkins, Edward Cheserek, Will Geoghegan and Parker Stinson all rank in the top five of various distance events. Jenkins ranks first in the 3,000-meter (7:44:91) and 5,000-meter (13:31:76).
One of the issues, if one could call it that, for the distance runners will be finding a balance between performing well on an individual level and helping a teammate finish higher in a race.
“Deep down inside they’re all competitors,” Johnson said. “Teammates or not, you’re competitors once you get out there on that finish line.”
The distance medal relay, likely to consist of of Jenkins, Cheserek, Marcus Chambers and Johnny Gregorek, set the NCAA-best time of 9:27:02 at the MPSF Championships.
“My focus is to win the title, especially in the DMR,” Cheserek said.
Greg Skipper (weight throw), who was one of multiple Ducks to break a school record this season, will be the only individual athlete not competing in a distance event.
Lauren Crockett will begin the meet for the Ducks in the high jump at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Follow Jack Heffernan on Twitter @JHeffy13