The Mt. San Antonio College Relays, one of the biggest regular-season meets of 2003, began Thursday in Walnut, Calif. But the Oregon men’s and women’s track team did not begin with it.
Four of the Duck women and two men were scheduled to compete in the field events with one event on the oval. Through confusion on an itinerary sent out earlier this week, seniors Amanda Brown, Georgette Moyle, Mary Etter and junior Jill Hoxmeier did not compete Thursday.
Rather, some of the Ducks will compete at Mt. SAC and the Pomona Pitzer Invitational, which begins today at Robert Strehle Track in Claremont, Calif.
Etter and Hoxmeier will compete in the throwing events along with a group of other Ducks at Pomona. Other Oregon athletes will be competing at Mt. SAC.
Etter, an All-American, improved her season best by nearly seven feet at last weekend’s Pepsi Team Invitational to 176 feet in the discus. Hoxmeier has a season best of 143 feet thus far but is looking to change that today.
“I’m hoping to hit a Pac-10 and regional qualifying mark,” Hoxmeier said. “It’s going to be nice to finally have some warm weather and not be cold and wet.”
The Aloha native will have to throw 150 feet for a regional mark and 150-11 to qualify for the conference meet.
Senior Jordan Sauvage will join the other two Ducks in the hammer event. Sauvage owns Oregon’s best mark in the hammer at 191-4, about 20 feet more than the regional and Pac-10 qualifying marks.
Sophomore Hannah Moore will be Oregon’s only competitor at Pomona in today’s pole vault event and has a season best of 12 feet. Senior Carrie Zografos and junior Erinn Gulbrandsen will round out the women’s competition in the 1,500 meters at Pomona.
On the men’s side, freshman Travis Anderson will look to improve his time of 47.09 seconds in the first heat of the 400 meters. Oregon has a trio of competitors in the 800 in freshmen Tomas Finol and Ryan Flaherty, along with junior Adam Bailey.
Back on the mountain, Brown will compete in the women’s long jump, after hitting a new season best of 19 feet four and one quarter inches at last week’s Pepsi Team Invitational. Moyle will represent the Duck squad in the high jump.
Moyle jumped 12-5 1/2 in February and ranks fourth among Oregon’s national-caliber pole vaulting squad.
In the men’s competition, senior James March was scheduled to compete in the shot put, although he will not be competing until today. March has already earned a regional qualifying mark by throwing 55-7; he will be looking to improve his best so he can peak at regionals.
The track and field squads sent a total of 27 women athletes to Los Angeles and 14 from the men’s squad in throws, sprints, distance and middle distance groups. It is a busy weekend for the squads altogether with shuttling athletes between the Pomona Pitzer Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays.
Junior All-American Jason Hartmann was Oregon’s only competitor Thursday in the 10,000 meter race. But with the race beginning at 10:30 p.m., his result information was not available at press time.