History has a funny way of repeating itself.
One year ago, the men of Oregon track and field picked up their head coach, Robert Johnson, and carried him against his will towards the rippling water of the steeplechase pit. Despite his best efforts to break free, Johnson was tossed into the water.
Johnson once again found himself soaking wet after his team dumped two buckets of ice water over his head. It was in celebration of winning the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Friday afternoon at Hayward Field for the second time in a row and seventh in school history.
“Believe it or not the steeplechase isn’t half bad,” Johnson joked after the meet, clothes damp. “I am still freezing, shivering.”
The Ducks won the championship with 85 points, enough to hold off late surges from sprint-oriented schools. Florida finished second (56) and Arkansas took third (53). Fellow Pac-12 school USC was the second best finisher in the conference, placing fifth.
“We thought heading into the day that if we could get to 70 plus, that would be enough to make sure we were happy at the end,” Johnson said. “Just got on a roll there, pretty outstanding day.”
Oregon went into the 5000 only needing three points to clench the championship. Edward Cheserek, Eric Jenkins and Will Geohegan were able to come through, combining for 23 points.
Throughout the race the Duck teammates stuck together, running as a pack in the middle of the field. When Cheserek finally made his move, the others went with him. It came down to a sprint around the Bowerman curve, and the crowd thundered encouragement as a 1-2-3 Oregon finish looked to be in the works.
“I wasn’t holding anything back,” Jenkins said. “The last lap was tough, the last 200 was even harder.”
Jenkins pushed, but couldn’t quite catch it at the end as Cheserek held on, spreading his arms wide as he crossed the line in 13:48.67.
“I was looking around to see where my teammates were,” Cheserek said, “trying to score points to help the team.”
Jenkins finished second (13:48.92) and Geohegan placed fourth (13:49.35). At the end of the race all three came together in an embrace.
“We said congratulations,” Cheserek said.
The big difference for Oregon this year was the surprise points across several events.
Freshman Blake Haney was able to finish third in the 1500 (3:55.12), picking up six team points. The winner was Oklahoma State’s Chad Noelle, a former Duck. Most projected that Oregon would only get one point in the event.
“We wanted to fly under the radar this year,” Haney said. “Being overlooked is a little bit to my advantage, a lot less pressure. I got to go out there and run my race.”
Senior Johnathan Cabral took second in the 110 hurdles, crossing in a wind aided 13.22. It was a strong final performance for an athlete who has battled injuries throughout his time at Oregon.
“It’s almost bringing a tear to my eye, it’s like having the last race with the family,” Cabral said. “Just trying to stay positive right now, watch the rest of the team and cheer them on.”
Then, Marcus Chambers came out and finished second in the 400, overcoming a slow start with a big kick down the stretch to capture the victory.
“I saved a little bit at the end to be able to outkick everybody,” Chambers said. “Kept it smooth.”
Chambers finished in 45.59. One of the favorites going into the event, Deon Lendore of Texas A&M, was unable to finish, pulling up during the race.
At the end of the meet the Ducks stood out in the middle of the stadium, huge smiles across their faces as the crowd of 11,168 roared in approval. They began the ‘Go Ducks’ cry, standing arm in arm while wearing their championship hats and shirts. In the middle stood Robert, a little wet, but happy as he hoisted the trophy above his head.
“When you start to compare anything with what we have done in the past, its pretty special,” Johnson said. “This is a pretty special place in terms of history and tradition and legacy go.”
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With the men’s Championship, Oregon will now turn its attention to the women’s competition and the final day of the NCAA Championships starting tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.
“That is one of the big changes there,” Johnson said, “you come from a high and you have to get back grounded to go out and do this thing all over again.”
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur