Small meets with little competition, large meets with tough competition, and now the Oregon women’s track and field team will take on a field that is somewhere in between at the Oregon Invitational on Hayward Field this weekend.
The Ducks will continue their quest to have as many athletes as possible qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be held at Hayward Field in late May.
The action will kick off tonight with the women’s 10,000 meter race at 7:15 p.m., and the men’s 10,000 at 10 p.m. Saturday’s events start with the men’s discus at 3:00 p.m.
“There will be 700 to 800 athletes at this meet,” Oregon sprints coach Mark Stream said. “It’s good local and regional competition. That’s an equation that usually leads to success.”
Several Oregon athletes will look to qualify for the NCAAs this weekend, or move up the NCAA provisional list. Senior Hanna Smedstad has run an NCAA provisional time in the 10,000, but could move up from her current national position of 19th. Freshman Sarah Malone could move up from sixth nationally in the javelin and sophomore Mary Etter looks to improve from fifth in the discus.
“We’re expecting a lot of personal records, and lot more Pac-10 marks,” sophomore middle distance runner Janette Davis said. “I think this is going to be the meet when people really start to get after it and do some good things.”
The pole vault could be the most hotly contested competition of the meet. Oregon’s Niki Reed, currently third on the national list, may need to jump higher than her current personal best of 13-5 1/4 to beat Clackamas College’s Becky Holliday, who has already vaulted 13-7 this season.

But the Ducks are deep behind Reed, too. Senior Holly Speight will try to move up the NCAA provisional list, while sophomore Georgette Moyle and freshman Kirsten Riley will try to reach Pac-10 heights, which have barely eluded them this season. Senior Karina Elstrom, a former all-American before injuring her back last season, is also working her way up to Pac-10 heights.
While the sprint and middle distance runners may not get as much attention as the field squads, several athletes are improving in those areas as well. Sophomore Eri Macdonald, who already qualified for the Pac-10s in the 1,500, came within .21 of a second from qualifying for the 800 in California last weekend. Davis has also turned in strong performances this year, and could qualify in the 200 or 400 this weekend.
In the hurdles, the strongest area of the Ducks’ “short game,” Cameo Davis has notched a Pac-10 time in the 400 hurdles, while Ann Sullivan did the same in the 100 hurdles. Both could run onto the NCAA provisional list Saturday.
Other Ducks to watch include Amanda Brown, who is looking to land on the NCAA provisional list after qualifying for the Pac-10s in the long jump. Senior Maureen Morrison has been steadily improving in the hammer, and is now only a foot from making the NCAA provisional list.
All athletes will have the advantage of competing on their own track this weekend.
“We competed away from home last weekend, and it was dead quiet on the track,” Janette Davis said. “You’re running and wondering, ‘Where’s my crowd, where is everybody?’”
“The fans are incredible here,” freshman high jumper Rachael Kriz said.
The Ducks will take on nearly 30 regional schools this weekend, including Pac-10 teams Washington and Arizona State.