The Oregon men’s track and field team overtook the Florida Gators to become the latest No. 1 team in the country, per the second edition of the NCAA track and field rankings.
The Ducks propelled themselves to the top spot behind the continued reign of Edward Cheserek, who set a world-leading time of 7:49.56 in the men’s 3,000 at the Rod McCravy Invitational on Saturday. John Gregorek finished right in his pocket with a second-place time of 7:54.85 and Jake Leingang finished fifth in 7:56.81.
Each of the top five finishers at the meet also set the top five times in NCAA this season, making the race the fastest 3,000 in the country to date.
Oregon’s Sasha Wallace won the women’s 60-meter hurdles in 8.16, the second-fastest time in NCAA this season, but the women of Oregon dropped to No. 4 nationally as No. 2 Georgia surpassed the Ducks and No. 3 Texas A&M.
The Bulldogs leapfrogged to second thanks to Keturah Orji’s record-shattering triple jump of 45-10 1/2 feet, good for second in the world this season.
The Gators were able to maintain the top spot with their gutty performances in the hurdles, sprints and jumps at the McCravy Invitational.
The full results can be accessed here.
Oregon will look to bolster its lead on the men’s side and make its move on the women’s in the Ducks’ next meet, the UW Invitational, beginning Friday, Jan. 30.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @kennyjacoby