With Oregon track and field coming off a successful weekend at the Pepsi Invitational, this week the focus of the program will shift back to the usual dynamic.
At the Pepsi Invite the Ducks worked to score points for their team, as individual performances added to the overall score. It all boiled down to a duel meet in everything but name, where programs went head-to-head in order to win.
Now with the Oregon Relays being hosted Thursday through Saturday within the friendly confines of historic Hayward Field, the goals will once again be placed upon the individual.
“We are back to our norm, chasing marks to get qualified for NCAAs,” Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said.
Several Ducks will be hoping to claim those marks and secure their spots at regionals, which will be in Austin, Texas.
“I’d love to see some of those 1500 meter girls and 1500 meter guys nail down and seal a spot,” Johnson said.
On the men’s side, senior Johnny Gregorek will be headed into the event as the favorite after putting up an impressive performance last weekend. He finished first with a time of 3:43.43, a showing he will hope to carry over.
For the women junior Annie Leblanc will be the name to watch, as she will not only be running in the 1500 but will also be making her debut in the 800.
Liz Brenner, a three-sport athlete for the Ducks, will be debuting in the javelin.
In addition to the athletes who will be remaining at home, a small contingency will be traveling down to Walnut, California to participate in the Mt. SAC Relays. The hope is that the better weather may help push those athletes over the top.
Most of the attention on the first two days of the Oregon Relays will be dedicated to the multi-sport events, where redshirt senior Dakotah Keys and sophomore Mitch Modin are listed in the decathlon and freshman Ashlee Moore in the heptathlon.
Senior Lauren Crockett, whose main event is the high jump, will also be joining Moore in the heptathlon. This is the same meet last year in which Crockett made her debut in her non-standard event.
“I’ve used the heptathlon to break up training,” Crockett said. “I’m excited to get out there this weekend and compete with Ashlee and see how things go.”
The Relays will be a chance to enter some of the Duck athletes into new events as a litmus test to see how they do. If someone stands out, the coaches may focus on training them for that event come championship season.
Another area that the Oregon Relays will help address is the few teachable moments that cropped up during the Pepsi meet. Both the men and women’s 4×100 squads struggled with their exchanges — a skill that takes time to perfect.
One member of the men’s 4×400 relay team, Marcus Chambers, talked about having to adjust how he runs on the final straightaway as he faces the wind.
“Everybody I talked to just said I need to push through and not think about it too much,” Chambers said. “I just have to go out there and run.”
The Oregon Relays will be free for all students, and the first event on Thursday is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur