The last vestige of the olden days of Oregon track and field is upon us.
It’s the lone hold-over from the time when Hayward Field was yellow, college football was played in the middle of the oval and all the meets were against one team.
This Saturday, the Ducks host the 117th installment of the annual Oregon-Washington Dual Meet.
“This is an excellent opportunity to get to the basic level of competition: being a racer and competitor,” Oregon head coach Martin Smith said. “It’s a one-on-one, team-oriented competition, very different from the larger meets and invitationals.”
Oregon leads the overall series 85-32, but the Huskies have won the past three meets, including a close 85-78 win last season at Hayward Field.
“We don’t just want to get the win, we want to crush them,” said junior Ross Krempley, who won a photo-finish 800-meter run at last year’s dual. “They beat us last year, but we’re fired up this year. I like these dual meets, especially at home. The crowd gets excited. Everyone on the team gets involved. They’re great.”
Hayward Field fans should expect an exciting meet in every event. In a prospective dual meet taking the top times from each team in each event, Washington narrowly wins 82-81, propelled by the top time in the 4×400-meter relay.
“We’ve placed people to maximize point output,” Smith said. “We’re solid pretty much across the board. No one is being held out.”
While the Ducks look to dominate the field events, led by NCAA qualifiers John Stiegeler and John Bello in the throws, Washington is equally dominant in the sprinting events. Olympic qualifier and football player Ja’Warren Hooker is the favorite to win the 100 and 200 meters for the Huskies, as well as anchoring both relay teams.
Several factors could tip the scales in Oregon’s favor. Redshirt freshman Jason Hartmann, an automatic NCAA qualifier in the 10,000 meters, is entered in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters, not his usual events.
Junior Santiago Lorenzo, who is relieved of decathlete duties this weekend, will compete in the 400-meter hurdles, where he has no mark this season. Washington’s Brad Goodrich is the favorite to win the hurdle event, although Lorenzo has a faster career best.
Wins by either Hartmann or Lorenzo could propel the Ducks to victory.
Hooker and the Huskies are favored to sweep the 100 meters, but watch out for Duck football players/sprinters Wes Mallard and A.K. Keyes, who are taking a break from spring football drills for a speed test. Last season, football players Ric Cottengim and Samie Parker shocked many with sub-11 second performances in the 100 meters.
Two young and unproven distance squads will square off in the 3,000 meters and steeplechase. Oregon freshmen Brett Holts, Noel Paulson, John Lucas and Kyle Robinson make their season debuts Saturday and will face Washington All-Americans David Bazzi and Jason Fayant in the distances.
Action gets under way at noon with the women’s javelin. Running events begin at 1:45 p.m. with the men’s steeplechase.