The Oregon women have enjoyed a stable indoor track and field season.
The Ducks were ranked No. 1 in the preseason by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and have not wavered from that ranking. Oregon is the prohibitive favorite entering the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas, today and Saturday.
“We have a good shot,” associate athletic director Vin Lananna. “We need pieces to fall into place.”
Host school Texas A&M, Arkansas and LSU are the most likely to unseat the Ducks, who seek their second consecutive indoor national championship. That possibility grew more likely with the withdrawal of senior distance runner Alex Kosinski Thursday.
Kosinski, entered in the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters and a possible participant for the distance medley relay, suffered what Lannana termed a “stress reaction,” the extent of which was not disclosed.
Her injury will test Oregon’s depth, but competitors in all manner of events have an opportunity to step up.
“Last year, I said that we had so much depth. This year, it seems like we have even more, which is kind of hard to fathom,” Brianne Theisen said. “When I go through the events in my head, it’s like we have somebody in every single event.”
Theisen, a senior from Humboldt, Sask., set the collegiate record in the pentathlon on Jan. 28 and is a heavy favorite in the event. She is also a possibility for the high jump (which she is automatically qualified in) and the mile relay for the Ducks.
“I kind of try not to think about it,” Theisen said. “Just wait until the meet and it all hits for me. I think that if I’m going to PR, I’m going to PR by a whole bunch.”
In total, Oregon has 14 women’s entries, spread throughout all events. Theisen will attract special attention, as will junior sprinter Amber Purvis, who could become the first Duck woman in history to make the final of the 60-meter dash.
“I think that I can do it,” said Purvis, the school record-holder in the event (7.23 seconds). “I try not to think about (my race) too much. If I think about it too much, something is going to happen.”
Florida won the men’s indoor national championship last season and is poised to claim the crown once again this weekend. LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M figure to be in the mix as well.
Oregon, ranked No. 7 in the nation entering this meet, fields just six entrants but figures to post a competitive score.
“If you score 30 points, you’ll win a trophy,” Lananna said. “That’ll be an outside shot for us, but we knew that the whole year.”
The Ducks figure to make their biggest impact on the meet in the distance medley relay. The quartet of Mac Fleet, Michael Berry, Elijah Greer and Matthew Centrowitz posted a time of 9:26.78 at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships on Feb. 25, a school record and the second-best time in NCAA history. A win would be the Ducks’ third straight national title in the event.
Without a strong showing — records need not apply — Oregon may not be able to make the podium.
“We have great individuals going — great teams, relays,” Centrowitz said. “Obviously, we have big expectations (in the DMR), but there are so many great teams in the field.”
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