Oregon will send a record-breaking 25 track and field athletes to Fayetville, Arkansas for the NCAA Championships, March 13-14, according to GoDucks.com.
The NCAA released a list Tuesday night that includes 13 men from and 12 women from Oregon out of 540 total athletes. The Ducks will look to repeat as national champions in both the men’s and women’s divisions after sending 23 to nationals last season.
Oregon will have 11 entries in the mile, 3,ooom and 5,000m. Eric Jenkins will lead the distance group as the No. 1 seed in the 3,000m and 5,oom, followed by two-time NCAA cross country champion Edward Cheserek, Will Geoghegan and Parker Stinson.
Greg Skipper who broke a school record earlier in the season, will compete in the weight throw.
Jenna Prandini and Jasmine Todd will headline the women’s side. Prandini will compete and is ranked in the top five of the 60m, 200m and long jump, while Todd will participate in the 60m and long jump.
The Oregon women will look to capture their sixth title in a row, an record.
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Former Oregon track and field athletes Ashton and Brianne-Theisan- Eaton, among others, spoke at TrackTown USA’s TrackTown Tuesday at the Downtown Athletic Club in Eugene Tuesday night.
Track Town USA president Vin Lananna and CSN Northwest’s Jordan Kent hosted the event, which resembled a town hall meeting and filled the third-floor event room. The theme of the night was multi-event athletes.
Lananna began the night by detailing the schedule of major events for the next 2016, which includes the NCAA outdoor championships and U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward, as well as the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland next March.
Kent’s first interviews included Keys and Oregon assistant coach Jamie Cook.
Afterwards, Harry Marra, who coaches both of the Eatons, sat with Kent before the two eventually joined him.
The Eatons spoke about their day-to-day activities, such as practice schedule, eating habits and relationship with Marra. They also told stories from their past season in competition.
Lananna said that the next TrackTown Tuesday on April 7 would include “exciting news,” though he did not provide specifics.
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