Curtis Anderson, the track and field beat reporter for The Register-Guard, is in his 13th year with the Eugene daily. He is the 2008 recipient of the Jesse Abramson Award, presented by the Track & Field Writers of America for general excellence in track and field coverage. His beat encompasses Oregon cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field, as well as special events (such as the Prefontaine Classic) and post-collegiate runners who reside in the Eugene area. Anderson sat down with the Daily Emerald to discuss the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Oregon Daily Emerald: How important is it for the University of Oregon and the city of Eugene to host the NCAA Championships?

Curtis Anderson: I think it’s a big deal. They haven’t had it since 2001. It is the premier collegiate track and field showcase, and it should be at Hayward Field on a more regular basis. The reason it’s a big deal this year is Oregon’s in the hunt. It’s unlikely, but they could sweep both sides. This is important for (Vin) Lananna, and to me, this is the best meet of the year. I like it better than the U.S. Championships; I like it better than the Pac-10 Championships. It’s not the (U.S. Olympic Track and Field) Trials, but with Oregon in the hunt, that makes it an important showcase for the entire community. 

ODE: How likely is that sweep of national titles?

CA: The sweep is not likely. However, having said that, there is a Hayward Field bump that the Ducks are going to get, and on the women’s side, it’s a toss-up between Oregon and (Texas) A&M. I think our form chart has a one-point difference, which to me says Oregon’s the team to beat. On the men’s side, Florida is loaded and A&M is right next to them, and Oregon is kind of a distant third.
However, with Andrew Wheating, Ashton Eaton, Matt Centrowitz — those guys are not going down without a fight. I think if Florida or A&M stumbles at all, Oregon will pounce. It could happen.

ODE: On the men’s side, what breaks would Oregon need to catch up to Florida and Texas A&M?

CA: I think Florida — they’ve got sprinters, they’ve got jumpers, they’ve got relays. Sometimes the baton drops. Sometimes you run out of the exchange zone. That’s why (A&M) got DQed last year. That opened the door for Oregon, but then Centrowitz got hurt, so that was kind of a wash. Florida has a sophomore kid named Christian Taylor who’s projected to win the long jump and triple jump, and I think that’s really hard to do. If he has a bad meet, they’re in trouble. By trouble, they come back to the pack, and it becomes wide open. (Texas) A&M is in the same boat. They are a pulled hamstring or a dropped baton away from being in trouble. 
ODE: What about the Oregon women? What sort of breaks do they need to catch?
CA: I really like the Oregon women. They scored 215 points at Pac-10s, they won NCAA indoors, they already won the mile relay indoors. This is a spectacular group of kids. Their Achilles’ heel, and I think it’s a small one, is in the pole vault.
Melissa Gergel was hurt (for much of the outdoor season), and you just don’t know about somebody who hasn’t vaulted. Pole vault’s a key event. Melissa’s a big piece to the puzzle. The relay is the real key event — both of them. If Oregon gets top four, top five in the 4x100m relay, they’re in good shape. They could win the 4×400-meter relay, and that might be the meet, right there. I think they want to get there before that. I’ll go out on a limb — I think Oregon will win it.
Even if (Texas) A&M has a good meet, and A&M is phenomenal. I think it’s just going to be a great battle between those two teams. I give Oregon the edge based on the Hayward Field crowd. I think they’ll raise their level of performance.
ODE: What are the events that you’re most looking forward to seeing?
CA: If you include the Oregon element. The men’s 1,500 (meters) is going to be amazing. On the women’s side, the 4x400m relay — the meet might come down to that race.