Oregon associate head coach Robert Johnson issued a succinct statement to freshman sprinter Mike Berry before the men’s mile relay at Saturday’s Pepsi Team Invitational.
“(Coach Johnson said) If we win the (4×400-meter relay), we win the meet,” Berry said.
David Klech, Bryan Harper, Elijah Greer and Berry did just that, winning the meet’s final event in 3:10.93 to give the No. 10 Ducks the men’s team title, with 194 points.
Nebraska used strong performances in the field events to take second in the men’s competition with 181 points. Washington (159 points) and Stanford (121) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the team scoring.
While Oregon’s men took the meet in dramatic fashion, the No. 3 Duck women dominated from start to finish.
Oregon scored 205 points, overtaking Nebraska (195.5), Stanford (143.5) and Washington (112). The Duck women won every race contested on the track, save for the two hurdles races, showcasing the overall depth and might of an NCAA title contender.
Berry delivered the biggest individual performance of the day on both sides, winning the 400 meters in 45.79 seconds. The personal-best performance was the fifth-fastest time in school history and the sixth-fastest run by a collegian all season.
“I wanted to PR, so that’s a pretty good start for my first 400 outdoors,” Berry said. “I felt like I could’ve got out faster.”
Of the women’s sprinters, freshman English Gardner enjoyed a breakout meet, dazzling the Hayward Field crowd with wins in the 100 meters (11.62) and 200 meters (24.06). Gardner, who briefly held the school record in the indoor 60 meters before succumbing to a shin injury during indoor season, also anchored the women’s 4×100-meter relay team to victory in 44.59.
“I came in here thinking I was going to run something unbelievable,” Gardner said.
Oregon’s freshmen consistently turned in unbelievable performances.
Redshirt freshman Melanie Thompson competed in her first-ever women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase event — and surprised the 5,501 in attendance at Hayward Field by winning, in 10:12.09. That time is second-fastest in school history behind current Duck Claire Michel, who finished third.
“I’m definitely pleased with it,” Thompson said. “Going into it, I wanted to kind of be conservative — I didn’t want to go out too fast and end up dying.”
Freshman middle distance runner Boru Guyota shook up the men’s 800m by coming on strong in the final 200 meters to win in a personal-best 1:48.65. Greer finished third (second collegian) in 1:48.87.
Guyota admitted to not having a plan for the race: “My plan was to get in and see what happened,” he said.
In the women’s 800 meters, freshman Laura Roesler and sophomore Anne Kesselring finished virtually side by side ahead of the pack — but it was the Fargo, N.D., native Roesler edging the German Kesselring out to win, 2:06.66 to 2:06.67.
Junior Amber Purvis ran the women’s 400m in place of her usual shorter sprints and delighted the Hayward Field crowd by winning handily, in 52.80 seconds — the fourth-fastest time in school history and a personal best. Freshman Chizoba Okodogbe came in second place for the Ducks (54.85).
“The 400 is like the death race for me. I’ve had to mature a lot these years to be able to come out and run the 400 (well),” Purvis said.
In the field, Oregon senior Jamesha Youngblood added extra points for the women with a long jump win (20 feet, 2 1/2 inches). The men, however, needed strong performances to keep hopes of a victory alive, and they got them.
Justin Frick, a senior transfer from Princeton, won the men’s high jump on clearances after hurtling over the bar at 7 feet, 1/4 inch. Senior Jordan Stray continued his strong season with a victory in the hammer throw (214 feet, 2 inches).
[email protected]