In 1985, the Oregon women’s track and field team took its first ever NCAA championship, then held in Austin, Texas.
Seventeen years have passed since the Duck women last saw success in the southern city. In fact, in the 74 previous years of the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, no Oregon woman has participated in the event.
Until this year.
Mary Etter’s turn in the hammer throw, scheduled for 2 p.m. today at Mike A. Myers Stadium, marks the return of the Oregon women to their former glory.
After two successive outdoor weeks, Texas becomes an important stepping ground.
“We need a big meet,” head coach Tom Heinonen said. “Our athletes need to train and compete in a really tough environment and see how they handle that.”
With athletes from across the country competing in the four-day event, it will be an intense and complex competition for the Oregon athletes. No Ducks participated Wednesday, the first day of the Relays, but spectators will see a bevy of Oregon women until the meet’s completion on Saturday.
The Ducks have yet to see an outdoor event that has lasted for more than one day, something that Heinonen welcomes with open arms.
“It’s valuable for our team to be at a multiple-day meet because the Pac-10s are two days,” he said, referring to the conference championships in Pullman, Wash., in May.
In addition, the meet will provide the Duck women an opportunity to gain higher marks in a more competitive field, essentially sizing themselves up to the rest of the country. Plus, it may relieve them from the monotony of a one-day event.
“It’s really a unique opportunity,” Heinonen said. “It’s a break from the routine.”
Etter and junior Jordan Sauvage will start off the day for Oregon in a field of 23 in the event. Approximately two hours after the start of the hammer, the Oregon women’s 4×800 meter relay team will begin its quest for first. The Ducks are the only Pacific-10 Conference squad to participate in the event.
Rounding out the day for the Ducks will be junior Alicia Snyder-Carlson in the 400 hurdles, a field that will include 76 athletes. Only Washington State senior Randi Smith accompanies Snyder-Carlson from the Pac-10 in the running event.