After a week away, the Oregon athletes return home this weekend, and will kick off the Oregon Invitational with a distance carnival under the brand new Friday night lights at Hayward Field.
The Oregon Invitational marks the official unveiling of Hayward Field’s recently installed permanent lighting system.
“The University has put so much effort and time in getting these lights to work,” Oregon Director of Track and Field Vin Lananna said. “I do think it’s going to be a great thing for the athletes to compete and be under the lights. Hopefully the wind will be light, and we’ll be able to get some good performances.”
The two-day event will feature more than 1,000 athletes from 42 collegiate teams, and will include top-caliber competition such as the University of Wisconsin, this year’s NCAA men’s cross country runners-up.
Ryan Brandel and Brian Richotte, Oregon’s leading javelin and hammer throwers, are heading into this weekend after a productive outing at last week’s Mt. SAC relays in Walnut, Calif.
Last weekend, Brandel secured Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Week honors with a mighty 238-0 javelin throw that bumped him up to second on the collegiate national qualifying list and won him third place in Oregon history.
“I feel real good right now,” Brandel said. “I feel real healthy, especially coming off last week. I’m just looking forward to each meet… keep going, keep training, up until Pac-10s and regionals.”
Richotte’s 215-3 hammer throw last weekend gave him the twelfth-best mark in the nation, and seventh place in the Oregon record books. But despite his success, Richotte says he’s just getting started.
“Right now, I’m kind of taking (this weekend’s) meet as a qualifying round,” Richotte said. “I think I’m working on a lot of technical things that are going to improve me for later in the season. I think right now, it’s all about getting better.
“Obviously I’d like to see it marked a little further, but I know that it’s only April, and the real season is in May and June.”
Distance prodigy Galen Rupp is another Duck who’s raring to go.
“I’m excited. This is going to be the first chance this year that I’ve really had the opportunity – and (the first time) they’ve just let me loose – to go after a good time,” Rupp said.
Rupp, a junior, will compete in the 5,000m race on Friday. His season best is currently 14:00.27, but he’s hoping for a substantial improvement this weekend.
“I’m definitely ready to run in the 13:20s,” Rupp said. “Especially looking at what other guys have done, guys that I’ve been close to (time-wise) in the past. They’re running in the low 13:20s right now and there’s no reason I shouldn’t be running those times.
“My goal is to just get in there and compete, and the times will take care of itself.”
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