Oregon track and field is making the trip down to Austin, Texas to participate in the NCAA Preliminary Rounds. The three-day event begins on Thursday.
The meet serves as the qualifier for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, with the top 12 times/marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West prelims earning a bid. For the multi-sport events — decathlon and heptathlon — there is no preliminary round. Instead, the top 24 marks in the nation earn an automatic berth to the Championships.
This year, the Ducks are sending a collegiate record 75 entries to the meet. There are 42 athletes on the men’s side, four more than the previous record of 38 set by Arkansas in 2012. The women have 33 entries, the most of any other team this season.
Oregon also has two events with an impressive seven entries — the men’s 1500 and 5000. BYU is the only other school to field seven athletes in an event, sending that many to the run the steeplechase.
If everything goes as planned for the Ducks, they will be bringing back multiple qualifiers to take part in the Championships, which is set to run June 10-13.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur