As if the possibility of personal records and Pacific-10 Championship qualifying marks weren’t incentive enough for the members of the Oregon women’s track and field team Saturday, event winners also got to go home with nifty Oregon Invitational souvenirs.
“We got the sweatshirts!” exclaimed sophomore sprinter Endia Abrante in jest after she anchored the Ducks’ 4×400 relay team’s meet-ending win in 3:45.34, yet another personal best for the group. “We PR’d by two seconds, so what can you say? I looked up at the clock and I was just amazed. It’s a great way to end the track meet.”
And a fitting way. The quartet of sophomore Jenny Kenyon, freshmen Eri Macdonald and Janette Martin and Abrante, or at least some combination of that core, have improved with each race this season. They ran a 3:48.20 at the Hayward Relays on April 8, a 3:47.14 at Mt. SAC on April 15, and then a 3:46.88 at the April 22 Washington Dual.
On Saturday, Kenyon ran the first leg less than a 1/2 hour after finishing fifth the 200-meter dash. And when Oregon’s only heptathlete handed the baton to Macdonald, the Ducks were nearly even with Seattle Pacific.
Macdonald faded a bit down the backstretch, seemingly tired from her spectacular come-from-behind win less than an hour earlier.
But then, exactly as she had in the 800, Macdonald rocketed off the final curve to put her team in the lead.
Martin extended the advantage, and Abrante affirmed the fact.
“We just keep on getting better and better every time out,” Martin said. “And we’re young, so that’s encouraging too for the next three years. To see if we can keep getting better and go to the ultimate level of nationals.”
Sophomore pole vaulter Niki Reed has already reached that level this season, having cleared the NCAA automatic qualifying mark the previous weekend with a vault of 13 feet, 1 1/2 inches.
On Saturday, although Reed didn’t get a sweatshirt, finishing second behind Utah State’s Shae Bair, the Ducks’ All-American did set school and personal records by clearing 13-5 1/4.
“It’s nice to be jumping that high,” Reed said, adding that it helped having Bair in the competition. “When you’re jumping by yourself, you already know you’ve won, but this way the adrenaline stays when you’ve got someone else you’re competing against.”
Hurdler Lucretia Larkin, a redshirt freshman, was the only Duck who hadn’t previously qualified for the Pac-10s to do so on Saturday.
In the morning session, Larkin placed first in her heat, with a personal record of 14.36 in the 100-meter hurdles. Then, later in the day, she improved with a Pac-10 qualifying time of 14.29.
“Can’t ask for more than that,” said head coach Tom Heinonen of Larkin, who struggled with injury all of last season and much of the winter. “She’s really starting to run well, and that’s really a credit to her perseverance.”
Junior Maureen Morrison finished second in the hammer throw (183-0). Freshman Mary Etter was one of the busiest Ducks, finishing second in the discus (155-6), fourth in the shot put (43-1 3/4) and eighth in the hammer (158-9).
Chrissy Ruiter ran her first 10,000 Friday night and finished third in 36:52.50.