Oregon track and field hasn’t competed under the lights of Historic Hayward Field since last season’s NCAA Outdoor Championships 10 months ago. Come Saturday, Eugene will finally witness the team as it competes in the Pepsi Team Invitational.
A return to the home stadium means the Oregon athletes once again get to experience the Hayward Field crowd.
“That’s the best part about being here, running in front of all the fans,” Oregon redshirt sophomore Jasmine Todd said.
This Saturday, that crowd should have plenty to cheer about with several great athletes scheduled to compete. The Ducks invited both Kentucky and Washington to participate alongside them, which should set up some great events.
The Wildcats are one of the premier programs in track and field, and this year they have lots of individual talent. They have a strong sprinting core to go along with a deep squad of jumpers.
The Huskies bring both an impressive group of runners as well as the traditional rivalry against Oregon, which should create the tension of a dual meet. This will place more emphasis on claiming the team victory in a sport that sometimes focuses on the individual early in the season.
“At the end of the day, you are just coming out and trying to do your best, so I don’t really pay attention to the scoring aspect,” Todd said. “It’s just going out and putting the work in.”
As of now, Todd isn’t sure what events she will be competing in on Saturday, though she jokingly hoped it wouldn’t be the 800.
The Pepsi Invitational will be an opportunity for Oregon to get away from just chasing marks to qualify for the first round of the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas.
“For us this is a chance to put green in front of purple or blue,” Johnson said, “or whatever colors these schools are wearing these days — with us being the one who changes the most.”
The event that jumps out as the top one to see is the men’s 5000, which will feature the Oregon distance duo of Edward Cheserek and Eric Jenkins. The two have formed a habit of crossing finish lines stride-for-stride of late, so it will be interesting to see what they do in front of the home crowd.
The chance to watch Kentucky’s Kendra Harrison in the hurdles will also be exciting. Harrison opened the outdoor season by setting the world-leading 400-meter hurdles time for the second year in a row at the Florida Relays. She may not compete in the 400 hurdles in Eugene, though she is slated to participate in the 100-meter hurdles.
The 1500, long jump and javelin should all be tightly contested events as well.
“I’m really looking forward to compete here,” said freshman Nikolaus Franzmair.
The Pepsi Invitational is set to begin at 1:50 p.m.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur