It’s do-or-die time for Oregon’s 18 athletes who have reached the postseason. They’re on the docket for today’s NCAA West Regional in Provo, Utah, hoping to qualify for the NCAA outdoor finals in June.
The top five finishers in each event plus the top three teams in each relay will earn invites to the NCAAs. Both of Oregon coach Vin Lananna’s relay teams will compete at the regional.
“This meet is all about advancement, and the athletes and coaches have laid out the season to be at their best at this time of year,” Lananna said.
The Ducks had last week off following their second-place finish at the Pacific-10 Conference Championships. Lananna said some of his top athletes, such as junior pole-vaulter Tommy Skipper, used the rest to be in top form for this weekend’s meet.
“We have a lot of athletes that are coming on at the end of the season who should continue to peak off this meet,” Lananna said. “Tommy’s hamstring is doing well, and he’s looking more and more confident.”
Skipper’s outdoor season has been limited because of injury. He still holds the nation’s top mark in the pole vault at 19 feet. That height made Skipper the favorite at the conference finals where he won his second outdoor conference title in the event.
Teammates Andy Young and Jonathan Derby also qualified for this weekend’s regional.
Oregon’s Richard Del Rincon, Galen Rupp and Jordan Kent have also had to deal with injuries or soreness this season. All three will compete at the regional.
Del Rincon and Kent are tentatively scheduled to run legs of the 4×100-meter relay. They are also scheduled for the 100 and 200 meters, respectively.
“Jordan is coming into his own as he gets more training under his belt,” Lananna said. “And Richard Del Rincon is looking sharp after he was slowed earlier in the season by a groin injury. Galen’s also getting his strength back and is looking forward to giving it his best for the team.”
Rupp’s 2006 outdoor season has had its ups and downs with injury and sickness. Rupp struggled to an 11th-place time of 4 minutes, 15.63 seconds at the Oregon Invitational in late April but rebounded with top-five finishes in three different races at the Oregon Twilight and Pac-10 finals. Rupp is slated to run the 5,000 this weekend.
In other distance events, Ducks Michael McGrath and Blake Flanders will run the 1,500. Freshman Chris Winter is entered in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Winter took fourth in this event at the Pac-10 Championships.
In high performance events, senior sprinter A.K. Ikwuakor is reserved for the 400 hurdles and possibly the 4×400 relay. In the 110 hurdles Ikwuakor will join teammate Eric Mitchum, who enters this meet fresh off of winning his third-straight conference crown in this event.
Fellow senior Matt Scherer took first at the Pac-10s in the 400 with a time of 45.19. He will compete in that event this weekend.
“I was a little surprised at the time at Pac-10s, but we had been training hard and building all season long,” he said. “Going in, I thought a time maybe mid-45 was possible, but I’ll take it.”
Scherer attributes his success to the intense competition in the race.
“One of the keys was the level of talent in the field,” he said. “Lionel Larry from USC and Craig Everhart of UCLA are great sprinters, and they ran strong and took it out. They helped create a great opportunity to run fast, and hopefully they’re out there again this week.”
Everhart and Larry took second and third, respectively, at the Pac-10s. Both will compete at the regional in both sprints and relays.
On the apron, Oregon’s Alexey Shkuratov will compete in the high jump. Teammates Ryan Brandel and Matthew Maloney with throw in the javelin.
Redshirt junior Colin Veldman will be in the ring for the hammer, shot put and discus. Fellow Duck Mark Lewis will join him for the shot put.
This meet, hosted by BYU, is one of four regionals being held this weekend across the country. Men’s competition in Provo begins today with the hammer at 11 a.m.