Bringing in new freshmen who can pick up where the University of Oregon’s track and field team has famously left off from previous seasons is an important step in keeping the program on the right track.

This year’s freshmen crop includes 37 freshmen, 10 women and 27 men. Twenty-one of the 37 freshmen between the men’s and women’s teams are distance runners, making up the majority of the freshmen class.

Some of these athletes have made an immediate impact on this season already for the Ducks. For the men’s team, Osawese Agbonkonkon has the highest mark on the team in the high jump this season, Benjamin Balazs recorded the best mark on the team for the 3000m steeplechase and Austin Milton had the best mark on the team in the javelin throw this season, according to the Track and Field Results Reporting System. 

In the relay events, Rodrick Pleasant was a part of the 4×100 group with the best time and James Harding and Rheinhardt Harrison were a part of the groups with the best times in both the 4×800 and Distance Medley Relay.

On the women’s team, the freshmen have made less of an immediate impact on the top end. Katie Clute holds the best time for the 3000m steeplechase, but no other freshman recorded a top time on the team or as part of a relay group. Eight freshmen competed in individual events for Oregon this season, but many of the events were still dominated by juniors and seniors on the team.

The Ducks have been led all season by a host of impressive upperclassmen, but the freshmen’s ability to come in and compete right away for both the men’s and women’s teams is a promising sign for the future of the programs. Although the women’s team was led by juniors and seniors in almost every event, that is not meant to detract from the performance of the freshmen, but rather a testament to the strength of the team as a whole.

With a lot of the top finishers in events this season coming from upperclassmen, and specifically seniors – the strength of this freshmen class will be on full display next season. With the talent currently on the team, the development of younger athletes was able to be the focus over immediate production, which allowed any production to be a welcome surprise. 

This permitted the freshmen class to shine this season with little to no expectations of them.

With the Pac-12 Championships happening recently, there were many standout performances from the Ducks as a team. Some of these performances came from the freshmen; one of the most notable came from Clute, who finished second in the women’s 3000m steeplechase on May 11.

A strong showing from the field portion of the women’s team this season was spearheaded by the upperclassmen, as the freshmen on the team have only competed in track events this season. That means there will be a large hole to fill when many of those seniors graduate, whether or not any of the current freshmen will help fill in or if that duty will be left to some of the older members of the team.

However, what has been clearly shown is that both teams are in good hands with the next generation of Oregon track and field athletes. While some events will take more of a hit than others after graduation, the prestige of the Ducks in the sport will continue to be known as they make their move to the Big Ten Conference.