A pair of fast freshmen stole the show for the Oregon Ducks at the UW Indoor Preview on Saturday.
English Gardner, a freshman sprinter from Voorhees, N.J., won the 60-meter dash in a school-record 7.29 seconds. The mark bested Amber Purvis’ year-old record of 7.30.
Phyllis Francis, a freshman middle-distance runner from Queens, N.Y., won the 600 meters in a school-record 1:27.38. Francis bested teammates Anne Kesselring (second, 1:29.73) and Laura Roesler (third, 1:29.80) for an Oregon sweep.
Duck newcomers made a lasting impact in the sprints beyond Gardner’s performance. Junior college transfer Lauryn Newsom tied for second with senior Mandy White in the 60m (7.57), and freshman Chizoba Okodogbe finished in seventh place (7.72).
Okodogbe, Francis, Gardner and Roesler combined to form a 4×400-meter relay team for the Ducks, winning the race in 3:41.02. That time is the fifth-fastest in school history.
Senior Brianne Theisen began her indoor season in earnest, winning the 80-meter hurdles (8.42) and finishing second in the long jump (19 feet, 5.25 inches). Theisen’s 80m hurdles time was just two-hundredths of a second off her school record.
Pole vaulter Melissa Gergel finished second with a clearance of 14 feet, 1.75 inches in her event, hitting the NCAA automatic qualifying standard.
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