Jenna Prandini walked off the track, adorned in championship gear. As she neared the edge, she looked up into the grandstands at Hayward Field. Before her stood a packed crowd, all on their feet as they acknowledged what the junior had just accomplished alongside.
Prandini raised her hand, waving to the 11,734 fans that had thundered for the Ducks throughout the meet. They’d had plenty of opportunities to cheer, as the Oregon women were able to complete the sweep by capturing the first NCAA Outdoor National Championship since 1985.
“The crowd is going nuts, my family is all here,” Prandini said, “couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
Oregon won the meet with 59 points, holding onto their lead from Thursday. The Ducks finished ahead of Kentucky (50) and Texas A&M (47).
“Woooo,” yelled Oregon head coach Robert Johnson as he stood in front of the media after the meet. “Don’t have to say anything else, great day for the Ducks.”
Johnson was operating on just a few hours of sleep, as the mix of the excitement of the men winning yesterday and the nerves of the women’s competition combined for the ultimate insomnia.
“One bad thing about this format is it will shorten a coach’s life expectancy for sure,” Johnson said.
Not helping the matter was Oregon’s rough start to the meet in the 4×100 relay. The timing was off on the second exchange between Jasmine Todd and Ashante Horsley, with the exchange appearing to happen outside the zone. The team was disqualified, erasing a sixth place finish and putting the home team in a hole early.
“Those girls practice a lot, and to have that mishap is definitely unfortunate,” Johnson said. “But that is what championships are, there is ebb and flow.”
It was Prandini who was able to right the ship and provide the spark for the rest of her team. She was qualified in four events, the most of any competitor at the meet.
First was the 100. Prandini was sluggish out of the blocks, but was able to power through. She moved up through the pack and got the win with a lean at the line, edging out second place finisher Morolake Akinosun by 0.01 seconds.
“My coach just said as long as you are within striking distance, trust that in the last 80 meters my top speed can catch them,” Prandini said.
She pumped her fist as the time came up — 10.96 wind aided.
The start was better in the 200, as Prandini was able to overcome tired legs to put together another solid performance. It was a close finish, with multiple runners hitting the line at the same time. She was able to take second, crossing in 22.21. That time is the fourth fastest in the world and broke Prandini’s school record.
By the end she was able to collect 26 points for her team, a total that would have tied for 11th in the team competition.
“She is phenomenal,” Johnson said. “To be able to take on the task that we ask her to do coming into this Championship is monumental — I wish we had 10 more like her.”
Oregon freshman Raevyn Rogers had a big day of as well, winning the 800 in 1:59.71. She was able to respond to an early kick from Natoya Goule of Clemson, staying relaxed and sticking to her game plan.
“I just had to focus on myself,” Rogers said. “With good competitors like that you just have to trust in your race.”
Her final time was the fourth fastest in school history.
Both Championships mean a lot to this program, and the sweep speaks a lot about the depth and poise of the team. For Johnson, the women’s win means a lot because they have been close the past couple of years.
“To be able to finally break through and get this one is really special,” Johnson said.
Now the Ducks can finally celebrate as a team, two National Championships in hand.
Click here for a complete list of results.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur
Oregon’s Jenna Prandini pushes women to NCAA Outdoor National Championship
Christopher Keizur
June 12, 2015
Jenna Prandini walked off the track, adorned in championship gear. As she neared the edge, she looked up into the grandstands at Hayward Field. Before her stood a packed crowd, all on their feet as they acknowledged what the junior had just accomplished alongside. Prandini raised her hand, waving to …
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