Martin Smith said his Ducks will be wearing many hats at Hayward Field on Saturday.
No, don’t go to the Oregon Invitational looking for a broad ensemble of fashionable headwear — that’s not what Smith meant.
What he was saying is that unlike the ‘team vs. team’ mentality of last weekend’s Oregon-Washington Dual, the Oregon Invitational itself will “wear a lot of different hats.”
It’s getting late in the season, and it’s time for athletes to begin putting the finishing touches on their Pacific-10 Conference and NCAA-qualifying marks. For those who have strong enough marks, it’s time to get experience in tough competition. Ducks who aren’t going anywhere this season need to build momentum to carry over to next year.
But if Oregon’s head coach had to choose just one hat from the many, he said he’d wear the one marked “competition.”
“If we can compete, everything else takes care of itself as a by-product of competition and racing,” Smith said. “This meet is a good opportunity to get in some good competition and good races.”
Some may think the Oregon Invitational is wearing not just a hat, but a costume as well, disguising itself as another Oregon Twilight.
The famed Twilight meet, scheduled for May 13, is designed to take advantage of dusk’s superb, light-breeze running conditions.
Qualifying rounds start early in the day, but the main events don’t happen until late afternoon. The earliest finals for a running event is the 4×100 relay, starting at 5:20 p.m.
Unfortunately for Tracktown fans, the Ducks will be without five key athletes. Nat Johnson, Colin McArthur, John Bello, Jason Boness and Cody Howell head to the Drake Relays in Drake, Iowa.
Other Ducks will be exchanging their hats for helmets. Sprinters Jermaine Hanspard, Samie Parker and Ricky Cottengim are playing in Saturday’s spring football game at Autzen Stadium.
But Howard Moore will be there, and so will Ross Krempley. Both are coming off of strong performances in Oregon’s loss to Washington last weekend.
Krempley provided one of the most thrilling finishes of that meet, winning by a mere .05 seconds in the 800 meters.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good kick like that,” Krempley said. “For some reason, it hasn’t been there since I pulled my hamstring freshman year.
“I’m ready to hit a good mark and get a good time.”
Moore, who wore hats in four events last Saturday, has set the goal of moving up from No. 8 of Oregon’s all-time fastest runners.
“Wherever I run this weekend, I will PR,” Moore said. “I know my body now like I did my sophomore year. I want to move up on the list this weekend — that’s my goal.”
Steve Fein remains on the hat rack and won’t compete this weekend. Smith said he’s returned to track workouts, but he’s still getting into competition shape.