Ducks Host Oregon Relays

This Week: Oregon track and field will host collegiate, professional and high school competition this weekend at the Oregon Relays, beginning April 14 at Hayward Field. The meet will get underway with the decathlon on Thursday, beginning at 1:30 p.m., then at noon on Friday. High school events will start the action on Saturday at 9 a.m. with collegiate competition starting at noon.

While most of the Oregon team will be in Eugene, a group of Oregon women’s sprinters will compete at the Mt. SAC Relays in Norwalk, Calif. Friday and Saturday.

Coverage: The Oregon Relays will be streamed via Runnerspace with live results also available. The Mt. SAC Relays will be streamed via Flotrack with live results available here. Both streams require a subscription to view.

Rankings: The Men of Oregon are No. 3 in the USTFCCCA computer rankings, moving down one spot while the women are No. 4, moving up two spots.

Events To Watch:

Women’s 1,500:

The women’s 1,500 will include a very deep field with competitors of all ages. Current Ducks Ashley Maton, Frida Berge, Lilli Burdon and Emma Abrahamson are all entered alongside Olympians Geena Gall and Maggie Vessey. Oregon signee Katie Rainsberger is also in the field after being named the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year in January.

Men’s 200:

Devon Allen won’t have to contend with hurdles during the 200 where he is entered alongside teammate Marcus Chambers. Allen already ran the sixth-fastest time in school history (20.79) earlier this season at the Willie Williams Classic. Chambers, who owns the second fastest 400-meter time in school history, has a personal best of 20.96 which was bumped off the Oregon top 10 list by Allen.

Women’s Javelin:

Liz Brenner returns to Hayward Field for her season debut in the javelin after making a deep run with the women’s basketball team in the WNIT. The event should see competition between Brenner, Annie Whitfield and Oregon State’s McKenzie Byrd who has the fifth-best javelin mark in the Pac-12 this season.

Men’s 5,000:

Oregon’s Jake Leingang was an All-American at the distance last season and will compete alongside teammates Travis Neuman and Matthew Melancon, Friday evening. Also in the field is Oregon alum Jordan McNamara, Suguru Osako of the Nike Oregon Project, 2015 Pan-Am Games finalist Luc Bruchet and NAIA Champion Matthew Clowes.

Women’s 5,000:

Former Duck Alexi Pappas was recently granted Greek citizenship and now will set her sights on the 2016 Olympic Games. Pappas will be aiming for the Olympic Standard of 15:25 here in her first race representing Greece, running alongside another Oregon All-American, Megan Patrignelli. Also in the field is NCAA 1,500 meter champion Charlotte Browning and Oregon volunteer assistant coach Kimber Mattox.

Ducks in the Top 10: Devon Allen currently leads the NCAA in the 110 hurdles with a time of 13.40 recorded at the Willie Williams Classic. At the same meet, Cody Danielson put down the fifth best NCAA mark in the javelin (251-9/76.74m). The Ducks have two top 10 marks in the men’s 5,000 with Jeramy Elkaim currently at No. 5 and Edward Cheserek at No. 10.

The Ducks have nine top-10 performances on the women’s side in seven different events. Raevyn Rogers and Annie Leblanc are No. 6 and No. 10 in the 800, respectively while Alaysha Johnson and Sasha Wallace are No. 5 and No. 9 in the 100 hurdles.  Rogers is also currently ninth in the women’s 400 with a time of 52.30. A trio of Ducks rank in the top 10 in the distance events with Alli Cash (5,000), Molly Grabill (10,000) and Frida Berge (Steeple). The Ducks 4x100 team set a school record at the Pepsi Invitational of 42.88 which is second in the nation.

Pac-12 Athlete of the Week: (3/22) Devon Allen, Annie Leblanc and Cody Danielson were each named Pac-12 Athletes of the week during the first week of the outdoor season. At the Willie Williams Classic, Allen picked up three wins (100/200/110 hurdles) while Leblanc won both the women’s 800 and 1,500. Danielson won the javelin with the No. 4 mark on the NCAA list.

NCAA Indoor Sweep: Oregon swept the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships, marking the 27th and 28th championships by Oregon track and field and cross country teams. The team sweep has only happened four times in NCAA history, and now twice by the Ducks (2013/2016).

Bowerman Watch: Jenna Prandini became the second-consecutive Oregon woman to win the Bowerman Trophy, following Laura Roesler last December. In the opening watch lists of 2016, the USTFCCCA named Devon Allen and Edward Cheserek on the men’s side and Raevyn Rogers on the women’s side.

Casey Johnson

University of Oregon Athletic Communications – Assistant Director (Track and Field, Volleyball)

C: 360-713-8770

O: 541-346-5532