Oregon Ducks Set School Records Aplenty in Sweeping Pac-10 Track and Field Championships

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

The Oregon Ducks made school history at the 2009 Pac-10 Conference Track and Field Championships by sweeping both the men's and women's titles for the first time ever.

Oregon's women scored their most points ever (165.5) and left Stanford a distant runner-up with 138, and Oregon's men tallied their most points ever (158) to easily breeze past runner-up Southern California's 117 points. The men's victory marked their 3rd straight Pac-10 track title, also a school first.

Among Duck women who won individual titles were Keshia Baker in the 400 (51.74), Zoe Buckman in the 800 (2:05.39), Melissa Gergel in the pole vault (a personal best 14-02), Jamesha Youngblood in the long jump (a school-record 21-01.25) and triple jump (another school record in 43-02,25), and a 1-2 finish by Brianne Theisen (5986) and Kalindra McFadden (5780) in the heptathlon. Nicole Blood was also runner-up in the 5000 (16:16.56).

The Washington Husky women, the NCAA's defending national champions in cross-country, made their presence felt as well as Katie Follett won the 1500 (4:26.62), Anita Campbell took the 10,000 by more than a full minute (34:13.27), and Marie Lawrence won the 3000 steeplechase (9:54.13). Lawrence was also 4th and Campbell 5th in the 5000.

Charonda Williams of Arizona State doubled in the 100 and 200, and as defending champion in both events became the first woman ever to win the 100 and 200 in back-to-back years.

The Duck men were in no mood to fool around either. Andrew Wheating took the 800 in 1:49.83, winning by two-hundredths of a second. Freshman Matthew Centrowitz won the 1500 in 3:51.00, beating teammates Galen Rupp (3:51.18) and Wheating (3:51.27 as Oregon went 1-2-3.

Rupp won the 10,000 (29:01.73) over teammate and runner-up Shadrack Biwott (29:03.47) as teammates Danny Mercado and Diego Mercado were 7th and 8th. Biwott was also runner-up in the 5000 in 13:52.79, losing by six-hundredths of a second. Other winning Ducks included Chris Winter in the 3000 steeplechase (8:51.48), Cyrus Hostetler in the javelin (250-05), and Ashton Eaton in the decathlon (8091) as teammate Marshall Ackley (7337) was runner-up in a 1-2 sweep.

Ahmad Rashad of Southern California doubled in the 100 and 200, and Luis Rivera-Morales of Arizona doubled in the long jump and triple jump. Washington Husky men did show up for the meet as Jordan Boase won the 400 (45.64), and Scott Roth took the pole vault (18-04.50).

For Oregon coach Vin Lananna, the Pac-10 Conference championship was his 36th. Lananna secured his reputation as an exceptional coach while guiding Stanford to 5 NCAA titles and 17 Pac-10 Conference titles in cross-country and track and field from 1992 to 2003.

Lananna has continued his success since arriving at Oregon in 2005. His men's cross-country team won back-to-back national championships in 2007 and 2008, and his women's team was national runner-up to the University of Washington Huskies at last year's NCAA meet.