English Gardner’s outdoor Oregon debut at the Pepsi Team Invitational Saturday went as well as she could have envisioned.
“I was a little nervous going into all these races, but I came through and completed all these races,” she said. “I’m pretty pleased with myself.”
The uniquely named freshman from Voorhees, N.J., won the 100-meter dash (11.62) and 200-meter dash (24.06) and anchored the winning 4x100m relay for Oregon (44.59). Her 100-meter time was the fifth-fastest in school history.
“I’m always my worst critic. I’m OK with the times, but the (better) times will come,” Garner said.
For her performance, the Pacific-10 Conference named her the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week for the first week of the 2011 outdoor season.
Another Pepsi Team Invitational participant, James Alaka of Washington, was named Men’s Track Athlete of the Week. Alaka swept the 100m and 200m and also anchored the Huskies to victory in the 4x100m relay.
Men’s and women’s field event honors went to Cal decathlete Mike Morrison and Arizona shot putter Julie Labonte.
Senior transfers shine
Under NCAA rules, student-athletes who receive a degree after four years of college with remaining eligibility may transfer to a school with a Master’s program that does not exist at the former college. The student-athlete is exempted from sitting out a year.
Two Oregon men who exercised this rule came up big in the Pepsi Invitational when it counted.
Redshirt senior Justin Frick is a four-time NCAA qualifier in the high jump who transferred from Princeton. The Freehold, N.J., native cleared 7 feet, 1/4 inches, claiming the win over Paul Hamilton of Nebraska by virtue of fewer misses.
“I didn’t feel like I was at my best necessarily, but I wanted to gut it out,” Frick said.
Redshirt senior Steve Finley, a native of Palatine, Ill., who competed at Virginia, won the 3,000m steeplechase going away in 8:52.04, winning by more than 10 seconds. Finley earned All-America honors for the Cavaliers in the event in 2010.
“I wanted to see how good of shape I was in,” Finley said. “I kind of wanted to lose the pack as fast as possible. I didn’t want to get tied up jumping (the barriers).”
Finley’s mark is the third-best among collegians this season.
“It’s nice to be here,” he said. “Eugene has been great to me, the last three or four months I’ve been here. It’s been a heck of a journey.”
Ducks to compete at Mt. SAC, UCLA
The Oregon track and field teams will endure a busy week, beginning today with the Mt. SAC Relays, held in Azusa, Calif.
The four-day event includes two days of multi-events competition. Senior Brianne Theisen will attempt her first outdoor heptathlon of the outdoor season, while senior David Klech makes his decathlon debut.
Beginning tomorrow, a group of about 20 Duck women will compete in individual events at Mt. SAC.
On Sunday, the Duck men will head to UCLA’s Drake Stadium for a dual meet against the Bruins, beginning at noon.
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English Gardner named Pac-10 Women’s Track Athlete of the Week; Oregon team travels to meets in Cali
Daily Emerald
April 11, 2011
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