Oregon track and field will send 31 combined entries to the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The meet, taking place June 6-9 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, features 17 individual entries and spots for both relays (4×400 meters, 4×100 meters) from the No. 3 Oregon women. The No. 15 Oregon men, on the other hand, send 11 individuals with spots in the 4×100 meter relay.
At the meet, the top eight places in each event score, with points assigned as follows: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Neither the men nor women have won an outdoor= NCAA title in recent history, though both programs have come tantalizingly close.
“We came in second last year – a close second,” said sophomore sprinter English Gardner,@@checked@@ one of the Ducks’ key competitors. “I told my coach I never wanted to be a bridesmaid at a wedding again. I want to be the bride. So, let’s take home the big white cake and enjoy ourselves when we get back to Eugene.”
Historically, the Oregon women have won a single outdoor national title from 1985 in Austin, Texas. However, the Ducks have been the national runners-up the last three seasons, creating a palpable sense of frustration within the team that’s undoubtedly serving as motivation for the next few weeks.
“There are a lot of expectations for us as a group, as Oregon Ducks,” Gardner said.
That being said, not all members of the team are fretting. Fifth-year senior Brianne Theisen,@@checked@@ who recently won her third-straight Pac-12 pentathlon title, said that bygones are bygones.
“I usually forget about what went on in other years,” Theisen said. “I think that we won’t feel like there’s any hump to get over. I think we’ll get over it as soon as we get rolling.”
As far as seeding, the women boast the top slot in the heptathlon (Theisen), 100 meters (Gardner) and the 4×400 meter relay. The Ducks also have top-10 seeds in the 1,500 meters (No. 3 Jordan Hasay, No. 6 Rebecca Friday), 5,000 meters (No. 5 Alex Kosinski), 800 meters (No. 6 Laura Roesler), 10,000 meters (No. 3 Allie Woodward) and the 4×100 relay (No. 6).@@all names checked@@
The Oregon men have five NCAA team championships under their belt: 1962 (Eugene), 1964 (Eugene), 1965 (Berkeley, Calif.), 1970 (Des Moines, Iowa) and 1984 (Eugene). In 2010 in Fayetteville, Ark., Oregon tied for second overall — its best finish since taking the crown in 1984.
Leading the charge for the men will be sophomore Mike Berry,@@checked@@ who recorded the No. 1 time in the nation in the 400 meters en route to victory at the NCAA West Preliminary meet last month.
“Of course, it’s a target because it’s the number one time in the country right now,” Berry said. “But, I’m pretty comfortable running that time. I think I can make it through the rounds and run something faster at Nationals.”
His steady improvement has helped him join a quartet of Oregon women on the 2012 Bowerman Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the top men’s and women’s collegiate student-athlete. The Duck women currently qualifying are Gardner, Theisen, Hasay and Anne Kesselring.@@checked@@ Theisen and Gardner are among the 10 on the official watch list, while Berry, Hasay and Kesselring are among others receiving mention.
Based on their showings at the NCAA West Preliminaries, the men have six top-10 seeds at the NCAAs. Their entries include Berry (No. 1 400), Luke Puskedra (No. 2 10,000 meters), Sam Crouser (No. 2 javelin), Johnathan Cabral (No. 6 110-meter hurdles), Dakotah Keys (No. 9 Decathlon) and Chris Kwiatkowski (No. 9 5,000).@@names checked@@
Anyone looking to track the Ducks can turn to Oregon track and field’s official twitter (@OregonTF) or ESPNU/ESPN3, which will televise the final two hours of the meet live from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Saturday.