The Oregon men’s relay teams will make their first appearance at the 112th annual Penn Relays this weekend in Philadelphia.
This is the last regular-season meet that both the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays will compete in before the conference championships May 13-14.
Leading the group is Matt Scherer, who on Monday became the third Duck in 2006 to be named the Pacific-10 Conference Athlete of the Week.
The senior from Sumner, Ill., was part of three first-place finishes last week at the Oregon Invitational. He ran the second leg in both relays and sprinted to a season-best time of 45.9 seconds in the 400.
Scherer has been a cornerstone for Oregon’s relay teams throughout his collegiate career. The six-time All-American helped both relay teams to top-6 finishes in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2005.
Scherer has taken first place in five different events this outdoor season. He owns Oregon’s season-best marks in the 200, 400 and 800. He’s ranked fourth all-time for the Ducks in the 400.
Joining Scherer at the Penn Relays this weekend are teammates Travis Anderson, Richard Del Rincon, Jared Huske, Akobundu Ikwuakor, Jordan Kent and Eric Mitchum. According to Oregon Media Services, each will compete in at least one event on either Friday or Saturday.
Del Rincon, Mitchum, Huske and Kent have the nation’s 39th-fastest time in the 4×100 this season. They finished with a time of 40.33 in the Pepsi Team Invitational on April 8.
Ikwuakor and Mitchum are entered to run the 110-meter hurdles at Penn as well. Both saw action last weekend at the Oregon Invitational. Ikwuakor ran to a ninth-place finish in the 400 hurdles and ran a leg of the 4×400. Mitchum missed first place in the 110 hurdles by three hundredths of a second. He took second place with a time of 13.48.
The University of Pennsylvania has invited several premier relay teams that will face the Ducks.
The biggest name is LSU. Coach Dennis Shaver’s Tigers have the nation’s top marks in both relay events this season. They set both times en route to first place-finishes at the Texas Relays earlier this month. LSU’s ‘B’ team also has the second-fastest time in the 4×400.
The Tigers return to the Penn Relays as defending champions in the 4×100. They won the event in 2005 with a time of 39.06. Later that year, they finished fourth at the NCAAs, two spots ahead of the Ducks.
LSU’s biggest competition in the 4×100 is Texas, whose ‘C’ team has clocked a season-best time of 39.41, second in Division I.
Coach Bubba Thornton looks to bring a first-place finish home for Texas, which has not won the 4×100 at the Penn Relays since 1957.
Other schools contending include Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and TCU.
Under coach Bill Webb, Tennessee took third last year in the 4×100 and third again at the NCAAs. Webb is proud to have his teams back at the Penn Relays where they have been a staple.
“It’s a huge meet steeped in tradition,” Webb said in a university press release. “The Tennessee flag is one of select few that flies over the stadium every year. I think we can win a relay or two this year.”
Tennessee has won 30 relay titles at Penn’s Franklin Field since 1966.
Fellow Southeastern Conference member Mississippi State recorded top-three finishes in both the 4×200 and 4×400 relays at last year’s meet.
This season, coach Al Schmidt’s Bulldogs are ranked in the top 50 in the 4×100 and 4×400. Like Webb, Schmidt is excited to have his relay teams compete at the storied Penn Relays.
“This is a big relay meet, a prestigious meet,” Schmidt said in a university press release. “It’s a good showcase for our athletes. We’ve won some big trophies there in years past.”
Texas Tech and senior Andrae Williams are No. 4 in the nation in the 4×400 this year. The Red Raiders were second in this event a year ago.
Aside from the schools mentioned, the field includes several nationally-ranked relay teams from all across the nation.
For the ‘Men of Oregon,’ competition at Penn starts Friday morning.
On this side of the country, several of the Ducks’ track and field athletes will see action at the Western Oregon Twilight.
Oregon foursomes will run in the 800 and 1,500. In the field, David Moore is slated for the pole vault, and Colin Veldman and Steven Johnson will throw the discus. Johnson is also scheduled for the hammer.
The Ducks return home next weekend for the Oregon Twilight. The meet is scheduled for May 5.

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