For the second time this outdoor season, the Oregon men’s track and field team will face another team in head-to-head competition.
But for the first time this season, the team aspect will mean something.
The Ducks will take on the Huskies from Washington in the 93rd Washington Dual meet at Hayward Field on Saturday. Oregon has won 60 of the 92 meets overall, and 29 of the last 35, but the Ducks are currently reeling from injuries to stars John Stiegeler, Santiago Lorenzo and others, so this weekend’s meet could be a benchmark for Oregon’s young season.
“I feel like we need to win these ones in order to have confidence for later meets,” Oregon middle-distance runner Ross Krempley said. “If we can’t win the Washington Dual, we can’t win the Pac-10s.”
Krempley referred to the Pacific-10 Conference Championships, held May 18-19, where the Ducks haven’t placed in the top three since 1996 and haven’t finished first since 1990. The Pac-10 meet is one of two remaining scored meets after the Washington Dual, and the NCAA Championships is the second of those meets.
“It’s just real different from a big invitation meet,” Oregon head coach Martin Smith said after last year’s Washington Dual, which the Ducks won 87-75. “It encourages every kid to be a part of the team and to contribute to the chance of the team doing well. It helps bring a team together.”
Little did Smith know that a year later, his team would need that sense of team more than ever. With Stiegeler and Lorenzo not competing, and NCAA qualifier Simon Kimata limited by a minor injury, the Ducks will need to scramble for points this weekend and in future meets.
“I definitely feel like the team is pulling together, not just for this meet but for the meets coming up,” Krempeley said.
This weekend, Hayward Field will be all green, yellow, purple and gold. Washington finished eighth at last season’s Pac-10 Championships and lost star sprinter Ja’Warren Hooker to graduation.
Most events have clear-cut favorites this weekend, and only the pole vault will feature two NCAA qualifiers. Washington junior vaulter Brad Walker is currently fifth in the nation with his best jump of 17 feet, 8 1/4 inches. Oregon’s Trevor Woods has a best height of 17-6 1/2, which was good enough to land him on the NCAA provisional list.
The pole vault competition is slated to start at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
On the track, Washington NCAA-qualifier Mike Hill will square off with Oregon’s Pac-10 qualifier, Brett Holts, in the steeplechase at 1:15 p.m. to kick off the running events.
Kimata will test his injured left Achilles’ tendon in the 800 at 2:55 p.m.
The first event is scheduled for 12 p.m. Saturday. The last men’s field event, the discus, is scheduled for 3:20 p.m. The last track event, the 4×400 relay, is scheduled to begin at 3:50 p.m.