While the Oregon men’s track and field team is scheduled to compete against top-flight competition at the Texas Relays this weekend, the women’s team and head coach Tom Heinonen were feeling a little left behind.
So, Heinonen decided to send his team to the Willamette Open in Salem Saturday.
The Ducks will face a similar field to the one that competed at their own Oregon Preview two weeks ago: small Northwest colleges, some community colleges and a smattering of post-collegiate talent.
But Heinonen said the meet should provide an opportunity for the Ducks to gain a little more experience and possibly sneak in one or two NCAA qualifying times before the important Washington Dual meet next weekend at Hayward Field.
“We’re taking almost all the same people we took to Stanford,” Heinonen said, referring to the Stanford Invitational meet in which Oregon competed over spring break.
The Ducks will try to continue the success they had at Stanford, where two Oregon athletes scored NCAA provisional marks. Distance runner Hanna Smedstad scored an NCAA provisional time in the 10,000 meter race, while Mary Etter threw an NCAA provisional distance in the discus.
Etter and Smedstad join javelin thrower Sarah Malone and pole vaulter Holly Speight as Ducks who have NCAA provisional marks. A handful of other Oregon athletes have notched Pacific-10 Conference qualifying marks, 11 in all.
Smedstad is the only one from that group who will not compete in Salem. Etter is tentatively entered in the shot put and discus, Malone is entered in the javelin and Speight is entered in the pole vault.
Etter, for one, is looking forward to the tune-up.
“I’m way off top form,” Etter said. “There’s a lot of work to do, but it’s just the beginning of the season.”
In the track events, junior Jenny Kenyon and freshman Ann Sullivan will try to build on their recent success in the heptathlon. Both athletes recently qualified for the Pac-10 meet in that event.
Sullivan said that while she won’t run the heptathlon in Salem, she hopes to use the meet to work on a few areas, as well as to prepare for the meet with Washington.
“I’m running the 400 hurdles, so hopefully I won’t stutter at the Washington Dual,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan is entered in the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter hurdles. Kenyon is entered in the 100, 200 and 100-meter hurdles.
Some Oregon athletes have come close to NCAA provisional marks and could crack that barrier at the Willamette Open. All-American pole vaulter Niki Reed, thrower Maureen Morrison and middle-distance runners Eri Macdonald and Annette Mosey could find themselves in the winners’ circle Saturday against relatively easier competition.