If you were looking for junior Sarah Malone on the javelin runway at Saturday’s Pepsi Invitational, she was there.
But she wasn’t in uniform, didn’t have a javelin in hand and was there only as a spectator to support her teammates.
After rumors regarding whether Malone would compete this year, throws coach Sally Harmon said it’s official: Malone will redshirt.
“It was a medical issue that, by continuing the level of training to get her competitive at the conference level, would theoretically cause more damage than good,” Harmon said.
Malone has been suffering from a herniated disc in the sacral region of her lower back, which has caused her to not compete thus far.
The Newberg, Ore., native was an All-American in 2001 and is the school record-holder in the javelin with a mark of 179 feet, 2 inches.
“I’m suffering from injury and will be having an elective surgery,” Malone said. “It’s really difficult, especially when the girls travel, and it’s difficult to sit at Hayward Field to see everyone compete.”
Junior Rachael Kriz, a high jumper and recent addition to the throws, has also opted to redshirt this season.
“I’m redshirting because I don’t know if I’m as experienced as I could be in the javelin,” Kriz said.
Kriz, who has focused on high jump in her first two years, picked up a javelin for the first time last season and found she was a natural.
The Toledo, Ore., native, who has a personal best of 5-7 1/4 in the high jump, has set marks in the javelin which qualify her for Pacific-10 Championships and regionals, but still feels she needs to learn more.
“Right now I’m concentrating on learning as much as I can about the javelin while still learning about the high jump,” she said.
Besides Kriz and Malone, seven other Duck women are redshirting or are absent from this year’s team. Annette Mosey is the biggest loss of that group; the junior and former Pac-10 qualifier in the 800-meters and 1,500 suffered an injury in the fall and will not compete in the outdoor season. Throws standout Jamie Burk left the team after experiencing success on the MTV reality wrestling series “Tough Enough,” and three freshmen will sit out their first seasons as Ducks.
On the men’s side, a group of freshmen will be redshirting this season. David Moore, a prep All-American in the pole vault, is one of a handful of Ducks who will sit out their first seasons to mature.

For Kriz, no big deal
When redshirt senior Adam Kriz hit 217-10 in the hammer throw Saturday, a personal best by almost seven feet, he was more disappointed than excited.
“I knew the entire throw it was going to be a good throw,” Kriz said. “I threw that one on my third throw, and I wanted to do it on my first one, so I was little pissed off that I didn’t do it on my first one.”

And for Kriz, who received the first edition of the Pac-10 Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor in the men’s field category, it’s nothing worth jumping for joy about.
“I’m trying not to let it go to my head or anything,” Kriz said. “Someone must have a really good sense of humor, that’s what I’m guessing. I’d like to think that there are other people who are throwing farther.”

Girls just want

to have fun
Senior Jenny Brogdon jumped 5-7 at the Pepsi Invitational on Saturday.
That mark is more than two inches shorter than her personal best, four inches short of where she feels she should be and six inches short of her ultimate goal.
But to Brogdon, it’s just about having a good time.
“I had the most fun I have ever had at a meet ever this last weekend,” Brogdon said. “Instead of going away from the meet saying ‘I could have’ or ‘I should have,’ I had so much fun, and that’s all that matters in the long run.”