Coming into the final day of the 2015 Pac-12 Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium, Oregon was in control, leading both the men and women’s team competitions. By the time Sunday came to a close, the Ducks were able to complete the sweep. This was despite a late USC push for the seventh straight year.
“We the staff, were emotional from the very beginning because we knew what it was,” Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said. “Unbelievable team effort by both the men and women.”
It was far from easy for the Ducks, as the Trojans made a day two push on the backs of the sprinters to challenge them. They came close on both sides, but Oregon was able to hold on with some strong individual performances in front of the 1,212 fans in attendance.
The final standings for the men’s competition had Oregon (152), USC (121) and Washington (84.50). For the women, it was Oregon (185), USC (182) and Stanford (87).
For the team, it was Oregon just being Oregon.
“That is all of our heritage, all of our tradition,” Johnson said. “If you come to our office there’s a huge montage of our history and heritage. We put that together to connect our past with our present.”
The turning point for the Oregon men came from the 5,000 and triple jump, two late events that provided enough of a scoring surge to regain control of the lead. Edward Cheserek, Eric Jenkins, Will Geoghegan and Jake Leingang went 1-2 and 5-6 respectively. In typical fashion, Cheserek and Jenkins were in complete control by the end of the race, crossing side-by-side. Cheserek was given the win (13:45.25).
The men’s triple jump had three scorers in Nate Moore, Trevor Ferguson and Josh Melu — all combining for a crucial six points.
“It was really fun to see everyone show up,” Jenkins said.
Things were much closer for the women, with everything boiling down to the final event, the 4×400. Oregon went in assuming the favored Trojans would win, so to hold onto sole possession of the title they had to finish no worse than third. Representing the team were Raevyn Rogers, Christian Brennan, Annie Leblanc and Ashante Horsely.
Through the race, the team never fell behind third, and Horsley fought in the anchor leg to get back into second place and secure the team win. They finished in 3:34.73.
“We came into this meet knowing it was going to be a dog fight,” Horsley said. “We all competed for each other.”
What really helped Oregon were surprising performances across the board in multiple events. Sophomore Ben Thiel won the 400-meter hurdles with a PR (50.32) and freshman Rogers won the 800 with a huge PR of her own (2:01.67). Joining her on the podium was teammate Leblanc, who finished second (2:03.77).
Jasmine Todd had the most points of any Duck, finishing a busy weekend by contributing 35 team points after five events.
Sophomore sprinter Marcus Chambers was also busy, competing in the 400, 4×400 and the 4×100. He sent a personal record after his performance in the 400, winning in 45.21.
“I’ve been waiting to PR, bound to happen soon,” Chambers said, wearing a championship hat and holding his awards. “My training this year has been going really well, getting faster and faster after every race.”
“I was more excited watching my teammates,” Todd said. “Watching them compete and seeing all those PRs was absolutely amazing.”
Click here for a complete list of results.
Oregon will now turn its attention toward the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas. The meet runs from the 28th to the 30th.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur