166

2009 REVIEW

Scott Wall

Chris Winter

A Season for the AgesThe 2009 men’s track and fi eld season ranks among the best in school history. After winning the 2008 NCAA Cross Country title, winning the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field title and fi nishing tied for second at the NCAA Outdoor meet, the Ducks were named the national John McDonnell Program of the Year. Along the way, Oregon won their third straight Pac-10 track crown and set a high standard for all future track and fi eld teams at Historic Hayward Field.

The year saw senior Galen Rupp compile the most impressive distance running season in NCAA history. He was a six-time NCAA champion in 2008-09, winning the individual cross country crown before leading Oregon the NCAA Indoor title with victories at 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, in addition to running the anchor leg of the Ducks’ champion distance medley relay team. He followed that by winning the NCAA Outdoor titles at both 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Along the way Rupp set the American record in the indoor 5,000 meters (13:18.12), the U.S. collegiate record in the indoor 3,000 meters (7:44.69) and anchored Oregon’s collegiate record run in the 4xMile relay (16:03.24). He also added the school indoor mile (3:57.86) to his list of records.

Rupp collected nearly every award imaginable, including the Bowerman, awarded to track & fi eld’s national athlete of the year, and he was also named the NCAA Division I Academic All-American of the Year, an award encompassing all 400,000 NCAA Division I athletes. He was also the USTFCCCA cross country, indoor and outdoor track athlete of the year, and was the Pac-10’s cross country and track athlete of the year.

But it was far from a solo act in 2009 with Ashton Eaton and Andrew Wheating claiming national titles, and joining Chris Winter, Cyrus Hostetler, Matthew Centrowitz and Rupp as Pac-10 champions. Eaton’s national title in the heptathlon, along with a fi rst place fi nish in the distance medley relay (A.J. Acosta, Chad Barlow, Wheating, Rupp) and Wheating’s runner-up fi nish in the 800 meters were critical as the Ducks’ captured their fi rst-ever NCAA Indoor title at College Station, Texas. Matthew Centrowitz (mile) and Luke Puskedra (5,000 meters) also scored points for the NCAA champs.

That set the stage for an exciting spring season. Hostetler got things rolling with a school and Pac-10 record throw of 272-10 at the Pepsi Meet, which was the fourth-best throw in NCAA history. Then the Ducks defeated UCLA in their annual dual, 84-79, with the meet coming down to the 4x400 meter relay. Centrowitz followed that by recording the nation’s fastest time in the 1,500 (3:36.92) at Stanford in May, a time that was just half a second off the school record. The fi nal highlight of the regular season was Oregon’s record setting run in the 4xMile relay. The Ducks broke the collegiate record in the event by running 16:03.24. Centrowitz led off in 3:59.53. Wheating took the baton for a 3:59.60 second leg. Shadrack Biwott clocked a 4:05.21 third leg and Rupp, who brought the record home with a 3:58.93 fi nal mile.

Those performances set the stage for the Pac-10 Championships, where Oregon thrilled the home crowd by scoring a school-record 158 points en route to its third straight title. Points came in bunches with wins by Eaton in the heptathlon, Rupp in the 10,000 meters, Hostetler in the javelin, Winter in the steeplechase, Centrowitz in the 1,500 meters and Wheating in the 800. Biwott pulled off an impressive feat with second-place fi nishes in both the 5,000 and 10,000, while Rupp added a runner-up showing in the 1,500. Eaton was the athlete of the meet, scoring points in the 400 meters (third), long jump (second) and on both relay teams. Wheating also added a third place fi nish at 1,500 meters. Other top four fi nishes for the Ducks included Marshall Ackley (second, decathlon), Luke Puskedra (fourth, 10,000), Vernell Warren (fourth, high jump and long jump) and Alex Wolff (third, javelin).

A large contingent of Ducks advanced to the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., where Oregon would fi nish second and post its best showing in 25 years. In addition to Rupp’s two NCAA titles, the Ducks also claimed wins at 800 meters (Wheating) and in the decathlon, where Eaton scored a wind-aided 8,241 points, which would have easily set the school record. The Ducks also got points from Hostetler (fourth, javelin) and Biwott (eighth, 5,000 meters) and saw additional All-America awards go to Wolff (10th, javelin), Puskedra (11th, 10,000 meters) and Ackley (12th, decathlon).

Perhaps overshadowed by his teammate Rupp, Eaton was also a Bowerman fi nalist as he set the school record in the indoor heptathlon 6,174 points and established top 10 marks in the 400 meters, 110 hurdles and long jump. He was named the USTFCCCA indoor and outdoor fi eld athlete of the year, and the Pac-10 fi eld athlete of the year.

Galen Rupp

167

2009 REVIEW

Steven Johnson

James Withers

Shadrack Biwott

OUTDOOR100 meters

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 10.35w 6-10200 meters

Chad Barlow, Jr. 21.82w 4/4 Matt Butcher, Fr. 21.82w 4/18400 meters

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 46.34 5/17 Chad Barlow, Jr. 46.69 5/16800 meters

Andrew Wheating, So. 1:46.21 6/11, 6/13 Travis Thompson, So. 1:49.11 5/29 Galen Rupp, Sr. 1:50.00 5/21,500 meters

Matthew Centrowitz, Fr. 3:36.92 5/2 Galen Rupp, Sr. 3:39.14 5/30 Andrew Wheating, Jr. 3:40.92 4/24 Jordan McNamara, Jr. 3:41.15 6/25 James Withers, Sr. 3:47.75 5/16 Shadrack Biwott 3:47.76 4/18 Vincent D’Onofrio, Sr. 3:47.83 5/9Mile (4:06.00)

u-Jordan McNamara, Jr. 3:59.87 7/16 Scott Wall, Sr. 4:03.90 4/25 James Withers, Sr. 4:04.03 4/255,000 meters

Shadrack Biwott, Sr. 13:36.25 4/24 Galen Rupp, Sr. 13:46.41 5/29 Matthew Centrowitz, Fr. 13:49.15 4/24 Scott Wall, Sr. 13:49.40 3/27 Luke Puskedra, Fr. 14:03.45 4/18 Danny Mercado, So. 14:09.75 4/18 Diego Mercado, So. 14:12.21 4/2410,000 meters

Galen Rupp, Sr. 27:52.53 6/25 Shadrack Biwott, Sr. 28:28.83 3/27 Luke Puskedra, Fr. 28:34.17 4/24 Diego Mercado, So. 28:48.54 3/27 Danny Mercado, So. 28:53.02 3/273,000 meter Steeplechase

Chris Winter, Sr. 8:42.03 5/2110-meter Hurdles

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 13.85 6/12 Eric Hersey, Fr. 14:21 5/29 David Klech, So. 14:37 4/18 Justin Cross, So. 14.69 4/18400-meter Hurdles

David Klech, So. 50.75 3/27 Marshall Ackley, Jr. 51.94 5/17 Justin Cross, So. 53.47 5/94x100-meter Relay

Warren, Eaton, Butcher Barlow 40.65 5/164x400-meter Relay

Eaton, Ackley, Thompson, Barlow 3:08.95 5/174xMile Relay

Centrowitz, Wheating, Biwott, Rupp 16:03.24 (CR) 5/9High Jump

Vernell Warren, So. 2.10m 6-10.75 4/18, 5/17 A.J. O’Connell, Sr. 2.07m 6-9.5 4/18 Ashton Eaton, Jr. 2.05m 6-8.75 4/23, 6/25Pole Vault

u-Ashton Eaton, Jr. 5.10m 16-9 7/30 Colin Witter-Tilton, Jr. 5.06m 16-7.25 5/30Long Jump

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 7.85m 25-9.25 8/19 Vernell Warren, So. 7.62m 25-0w 5/29Triple Jump

Brian Schaudt, Fr. 14.69m 48-2.5 4/18 Bret Johnson, Sr. 14.68m 48-2w 4/4Shot Put

Randall Horn, Fr. 15.41m 50-6.75 3/21Discus

Randall Horn, Fr. 47.60m 156-2 5/9

Hammer Throw

Jordan Stray, So. 61.46m 201-8 5/30 Steven Johnson, Sr. 60.16m 197-4 5/9 Scott Penny, So. 55.11m 180-10 4/24Javelin

Cyrus Hostetler, Jr. 83.16m 272-10 4/4 Alex Wolff , Jr. 71.77m 235-5 5/16 Britton Nelson, So. 65.39m 214-6 4/24Decathlon

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 8,241w 6/10-11 Marshall Ackley, Jr. 7,470 6/10-11 Aaron McVein, Jr. 6,664 5/9-10

INDOOR60 meters

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 6.84 1/30200 meters

Matt Butcher, Fr. 22.16 2/27 Chad Barlow, Jr. 22.27 1/31400 meters

Chad Barlow, Jr. 47.34 2/14 Ashton Eaton, Jr. 47.80 2/6 Travis Thompson, So. 48.62 2/28 Matt Butcher, Fr. 48.69 2/14800 meters

Andrew Wheating, So. 1:47.03 2/14 Galen Rupp, Sr. 1:49.87 2/28Mile

Galen Rupp, Sr. 3:57.86 3/7 Matthew Centrowitz, So. 3:57.92 2/14 Andrew Wheating, Jr. 3:59.11 2/7 A.J. Acosta, Jr. 4:00.11 3/7 James Withers, Sr. 4:03.24 2/143,000 Meters

Galen Rupp, Sr. 7:44.69 (ACR) 2/7 Shadrack Biwott, Sr. 7:55.27 2/7 Matthew Centrowitz, So. 7:55.90 2/28 Luke Puskedra, Fr. 7:58.42 2/28 Scott Wall, Jr. 7:59.27 2/285,000 meters

Galen Rupp, Sr. 13:18.12 (AR) 2/13 Shadrack Biwott, Sr. 13:41.66 2/14 Luke Puskedra, Fr. 13:46.52 2/14 Scott Wall, Jr. 13:54.20 2/14 Diego Mercado, So. 13:57.79 2/14 Danny Mercado, So. 14:03.28 2/2760-meter Hurdles

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 7.90 3/13 Eric Hersey, So. 8.17 2/274x400-meter Relay

Klech, Eaton, Butcher, Barlow 3:09.33 3/7Distance Medley Relay

McNamara, Barlow, Wheating, Rupp 9:29.39 1/31 Acosta, Barlow, Wheating, Rupp 9:29.59 3/13High Jump

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 2.09m 6-10.25 1/30 Danny Staats, Fr. 2.08m 6-9.75 2/6Pole Vault

Colin Witter-Tilton, Jr. 5.17m 16-11.5 2/28 Ashton Eaton, Jr. 5.10m 16-8.75 3/14 Brian McGinty, Jr. 5.06m 16-7.25 2/14Long Jump

Ashton Eaton, So. 7.59m 24-11.0 1/30 Vernell Warren, So. 7.50m 24-7.25 2/27Triple Jump

Brian Schaudt, Fr. 14.68m 48-2.0 2/7 Vernell Warren, So. 14.50m 47-7.0 1/1735-Pound Weight Throw

Jordan Stray, So. 18.42m 60-5.25 2/7Heptathlon

Ashton Eaton, Jr. 6,174 1/30-31 Marshall Ackley, Jr. 5,209 2/27-28

Oregon Indoor Records Underlinedu-competed unattached

2009 Men’s Featured Performances

168

2009 REVIEW

Lucy Cridland

Megan Maloney

A Title of Their OwnThe slow and steady rise of the Women of Oregon in the past few years jumped to warp speed in 2009 as the Ducks won the Pacifi c-10 Conference title for the fi rst time since 1992, had their best showing at the NCAA Indoor Championships ever, and posted their highest fi nish at the NCAA Outdoor meet in 24 years. At the end of it all, the Ducks were named the national Terry Crawford Program of the Year.

After a national runner-up fi nish in cross country jump started the year, the women broke nine school indoor records on the way to a tie for ninth at the NCAA Indoor meet, which marked Oregon’s highest ever placing indoors. Freshman Amber Purvis set school records at 60 (7.34) and 200 (24.15) meters, junior Keshia Baker set the mark at 400 meters (53.27), senior Brianne Theisen set school marks in both the heptathlon (4,321 points) and 60 meter hurdles (8.54) and sophomore Jamesha Youngblood established the school standard in the long jump (21-1.25). Both relay marks also feel indoors, with the 4x400 team of Youngblood, Purvis, senior Leah Worthen and Keshia Baker running 3:36.52 and the distance medley relay squad of Blood, Purvis, sophomore Zoe Buckman and sophomore Alexandra Kosinski running 11:02.81.

The indoor championships saw All-America performances by Theisen in the pentathlon (third), Youngblood in the long jump (fi fth), Baker in the 400 meters (sixth), Blood at 3,000 meters (sixth) and in the mile (12th), the distance medley relay (sixth), sophomore Melissa Gergel in the pole vault (tie-sixth) and senior Kalindra McFadden in the pentathlon (ninth).

That performance set the stage for an outdoor season for the ages.

At the Pac-10 Championships, Oregon rolled up seven individual victories to score a school record 165.5 points and win the league title for the fi rst time in 17 years. The Ducks crowned champions in the 400 meters (Baker), 800 meters (Buckman), pole vault (Gergel), long jump (Youngblood), triple jump (Youngblood), javelin (senior Rachel Yurkovich) and heptathlon (Theisen). Yurkovich became just the second woman to win four consecutive Pac-10 javelin titles, while Youngblood became just the second ever to sweep the long and triple jumps. Baker won the 400 for the second straight year and also took third in the 200. In addition to her heptathlon win, Theisen also scored in the long jump (sixth) and high jump (seventh).

Among the other numerous scorers for the Ducks were senior Lucy Cridland (second, discus), McFadden (second, heptathlon), Blood (second, 5,000 meters and fourth 1,500 meters), senior Ashley McCrea (third, javelin), Kosinski (third, 1,500 meters) and sophomore Jasmine Kelly (fourth, high jump). Both relay teams also placed third.

At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Yurkovich and Theisen led the way with national championships. Yurkovich won the javelin for the second straight year with an impressive school and Pac-10 record throw of 195-7. Theisen became just the second Duck to win the heptathlon, scoring a school-record 6,086 points.

Others to earn All-America status included national 5,000 meter runner-up Blood, Youngblood in the long jump (third), Baker at 400 meters (fi fth), McFadden in the heptathlon (sixth) and junior Mattie Bridgmon in the 10,000 meters (seventh).

The team’s second place showing was its best since winning the national title in 1985.

During the spring season, 10 school records fell, with Purvis claiming a stake in three of them.

The rookie sensation broke 20 year-old school marks at 100 (11.38) and 200 (23.09) meters and also joined sophomore Mandy White, Baker and Youngblood on the record-setting 4x100 meter relay team (44.17). Baker’s 400 time in the NCAA Championships, 51.29, snapped a 14 year-old record. Youngblood also claimed a pair of records for herself, going 21-5.5 in the long jump and 43-2.25 in the triple jump.

Not only did Theisen nab the heptathlon mark, but she also set the school’s 100 yard hurdles record (13.56). Sophomore Claire Michel broke her own record in the steeplechase, running 10:13.56 to qualify for the fi nals at the NCAA Championships.

After the NCAA Championships, Theisen went on to become the Canadian national heptathlon champion and represented Team Canada at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin. At the U.S. Track & Field Championships, Yurkovich fi nished second to become a member of Team USA and made the fi nals in Berlin, a fi rst for an American women in 26 years. Blood also closed the season on a high note at the USA meet, running a personal-best 15:38.61 in the 5,000 meters.

Rachel Yurkovich

169

2009 REVIEW

Leah Worthen

Ashley McCrea

Kalindra McFadden

OUTDOOR100 meters

Amber Purvis, Fr. 11.32w 7/31 Mandy White, So. 11.70w 5/29200 meters

Amber Purvis, Fr. 23.09 4/4 Keshia Baker, Jr. 23.53w 5/16 Brianne Theisen, So. 24.02w 5/9 Jamesha Youngblood, So. 24.34w 4/25 Mandy White, So. 24.26 5/16 Kalindra McFadden, Sr. 24.44 6/27400 meters

Keshia Baker, Jr. 51.29 6/13 Amber Purvis, Fr. 54.27 3/21 Brianne Theisen, So. 55.33 4/17800 meters

Zoe Buckman, Jr. 2:04.68 6/11 Alexandra Kosinksi, So. 2:07.45 5/171,500 meters

Zoe Buckman, Jr. 4:15.66 5/9 Nicole Blood, Jr. 4:17.55 5/9 Alexandra Kosinski, So. 4:18.43 4/4 Dana Buchanan, Sr. 4:24.42 4/17 Mattie Bridgmon, Jr. 4:27.12 3/215,000 meters

Nicole Blood, Jr. 15:38.61 6/26 Mattie Bridgmon, Jr. 16:26.21 4/4 Lindsey Scherf, Sr. 16:28.62 4/4 Zoe Nelson, Sr. 16:47.01 5/9 Elizabeth Bies, So. 16:50.89 3/27 Bronwyn Crossman, Fr. 16:55.65 5/910,000 meters

Mattie Bridgmon, Jr. 33:37.73 3/37 Bria Wetsch, So. 35:39.86 5/163,000 meter Steeplechase

Claire Michel, So. 10:13.56 6/10 Dana Buchanan, Sr. 10:28.53 3/27 Brooke Giuff re, Jr. 10:36.26 5/16100-meter Hurdles

Brianne Theisen, So. 13.47w 5/30 Kalindra McFadden, Sr. 13.95w 5/9 Lindsay Pearson, Fr. 14:00w 5/16 Rebecca Rhodes, Fr. 14:47 3/21400-meter Hurdles

Lindsay Pearson, Fr. 1:00.36 5/16 Leah Worthen, Sr. 1:00.98 5/174x100 meter Relay

White, Purvis, Baker, Youngblood 44.17 5/29 Theisen, Purvis, Baker, Youngblood 44.74 4/254x400 meter Relay

Theisen, Purvis, Youngblood, Baker 3:37.10 5/17 Baker, Purvis, Worthen, Youngblood 3:39.23 4/25High Jump

Brianne Theisen, So. 1.79m 5-10.5 3/25 Jasmine Kelly, So. 1.75m 5-8.75 5/9, 5/16 Kalindra McFadden, Jr. 1.69m 5-6.5 4/23, 6/27Pole Vault

Melissa Gergel, So. 4.32m 14-2.0 5/17 Jordan Roskelley, So. 4.01m 13-1.75 5/29Long Jump

Jamesha Youngblood, So. 6.54m 21-5.5 6/11 Brianne Theisen, So. 6.19m 20-3.75w 4/24 Kalindra McFadden, Sr. 5.89m 19-4 6/28Triple Jump

Jamesha Youngblood, So. 13.16m 43-2.25 5/17 Ashley Potter, Fr. 12.02m 39-5.25 5/9Shot Put

Rita Santibanez, Jr. 14.90m 48-10.75 3/21Discus

Lucy Cridland, Sr. 51.92m 170-4 5/17

2009 Women’s Featured PerformancesHammer Throw

Megan Maloney, Sr. 55.56m 182-3 5/17Javelin

Rachel Yurkovich, Sr. 59.62m 195-7 6/12 Ashley McCrea, Sr. 52.49m 172-2 3/21 Brianne Theisen, So. 45.11m 148-0 6/12Heptathlon

Brianne Theisen, So. 6,086 6/11-12 Kalindra McFadden, Sr. 5,821 6/27-28 Erin Funkhouser, Jr. 4,881 5/9-10

INDOOR60 meters

Amber Purvis, Fr. 7.34 2/6 Mandy White, So. 7.57 2/27 Jamesha Youngblood, So. 7.63 1/31200 meters

Amber Purvis, Fr. 24.15 1/31 Keshia Baker, Jr. 24.44 2/27 Mandy White, So. 24.62 2/27 Jamesha Youngblood, So. 24.81 1/17400 meters

Keshia Baker, Jr. 53.27 3/13800 meters

Zoe Buckman, So. 2:09.17 2/7Mile

Nicole Blood, Jr. 4:39.61 3/7 Alexandra Kosinski, So. 4:41.69 2/73,000 meters

Alexandra Kosinski, So. 9:11.24 2/28 Nicole Blood, Jr. 9:15.84 3/14 Mattie Bridgmon, Jr. 9:17.49 1/31 Lindsey Scherf, Sr. 9:19.25 2/14 Claire Michel, So. 9:35.69 2/285,000 meters

Lindsey Scherf, Sr. 15:55.67 1/31 Mattie Bridgmon, Jr. 16:09.29 2/14 Bria Wetsch, So. 16:38.64 2/2760-meter Hurdles

Brianne Theisen, Fr. 8.54 3/13 Lindsay Pearson, Fr. 8.79 2/6, 2/28 Kalindra McFadden, Sr. 8.83 3/134x400 meter Relay

Youngblood, Purvis, Worthen, Baker 3:36.52 2/28 Baker, Worthen, Purvis, Youngblood 3:37.08 3/14Distance Medley Relay

Blood, Purvis, Buckman, Kosinski 11:02.81 3/13 Blood, Baker, Buckman, Kosinski 11:05.08 2/6High Jump

Brianne Theisen, Fr. 1.81m 5-11.25 1/30, 3/13 Jasmine Kelly, So. 1.69m 5-6.5 2/14 Kalindra McFadden, Jr. 1.69m 5-6.5 3/13Pole Vault

Melissa Gergel, So. 4.21m 13-9.75 2/14 Jordan Roskelley, So. 3.81m 12-6 2/14Long Jump

Jamesha Youngblood, So. 6.43m 21-1.25 3/13 Brianne Theisen, Fr. 6.02m 19-9 3/13Triple Jump

Jamesha Youngblood, So. 12.35m 40-6.25 1/17Shot Put

Rita Santibanez, Jr. 13.72m 45-0.25 2/2720-Pound Weight Throw

Megan Maloney, Sr. 17.19m 56-4.75 2/7Pentathlon

Brianne Theisen, Fr. 4,321 3/13 Kalindra McFadden, Sr. 4,088 3/13 Erin Funkhouser, Jr. 3,396 1/30

Oregon Records Underlined

170

2009 REVIEW

Trophy TownOvercoming the graduation of national runner of the year Galen Rupp and fellow senior Shadrack Biwott, the men’s cross country team showed much resilience in fi nishing second at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country championships. The women also added to their program’s legacy with another top-10 fi nish.

It was a season where Oregon struggled at times to fi nd a new identity without Rupp, but in the end, the men came through with a trophy for the third straight season. The women also worked hard, blending a team of veterans and newcomers that eventually posted a Pac-10 champion in Nicole Blood and the University’s third straight top-10 fi nish at the national championships.

NCAA Championships

The Men of Oregon placed four runners in the top 31 to rally for a runner-up fi nish at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course.

For the Ducks, who entered the race as the two-time defending NCAA champions, but only ranked eighth in the national polls, the race marked the school’s third straight NCAA trophy. That’s Oregon’s best stretch at the NCAA Championships since fi nishing in the top two for four consecutive years between 1976-79.

Sophomore Luke Puskedra led the men with a 21st-place fi nish in 30:01.9. Junior Matthew Centrowitz ran 27th in 30:09.5, senior Kenny Klotz was 29th in 30:13.9 and junior Danny Mercado was 29th in 30:15.4. Senior Diego Mercado’s 61st-place showing in 30:34.4 rounded out the scoring for the Ducks, who fi nished just 16 points behind No. 2 Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys won with 127 points, followed by Oregon with 143 points. No. 3 Alabama was third with 173 points, with No. 13 Northern Arizona (190) and No. 7 William & Mary (226) rounding out the top fi ve.

Liberty’s Sam Chelanga, runner-up to Galen Rupp a year ago, won the individual title in a course-record 28:41.3.

Oregon steadily worked its way up the scoreboard. On the fi rst loop, Puskedra opened the race near the lead pack, with Klotz about 40th and Centrowitz and the Mercado twins in the middle of the fi eld. The Ducks made their move just before the midpoint, with Puskedra near the top 10 and Klotz, Danny Mercado and Centrowitz climbing into the top 40. With 2,000 meters remaining, Puskedra was 20th, with Centrowitz, Klotz and Danny Mercado all around 25th, before the four Oregon runners fi nished within :14 of each other.

It was the best career NCAA fi nish for Centrowitz, Klotz and Danny Mercado, who joined Puskedra in earning All-America honors. Oregon was the only school with four All-America runners.

Meanwhile, Jordan Hasay’s 18th-place fi nish in 20:23.1 led the Women of Oregon to their third straight top-10 fi nish. The Ducks, ninth in 2009, were the national runners-up each of the last two seasons. Hasay, a freshman from Arroyo Grande, Calif., won the fi rst All-America award of her young career.

No. 2 Villanova won the race with 86 points, with No. 8 Florida State taking second with 133 points. Top-ranked Washington was third with 188 points, followed by No. 9 Texas Tech (191) and No. 3 Princeton (251). Angela Bizzarri of Illinois was the individual winner in 19:46.8.

In addition to Hasay, the Ducks, who had fi ve of seven runners making their NCAA Championships debuts, counted a 48th-place fi nish from senior Nicole Blood (20:54.6), an 81st-place fi nish from junior Alexandra Kosinski (21:10.5), an 87th-place fi nish from sophomore Claire Michel (21:12.6) and a 103rd-place showing from senior Lauren Zaludek (21:19.2) for their 276 total.

Kenny Klotz

Jordan McNamara

Luke Puskedra

171

2009 REVIEW

Pac-10 Championships

Nicole Blood overtook Kendra Schaaf of Washington with just over 1,000 meters remaining and raced to victory at the 2009 Pacifi c-10 cross country championships at Sky Links Golf Course. Blood’s victory ended a drought of 17 years for the Oregon women.

Both the Duck men and women fi nished second to the nation’s top ranked teams at the Pac-10 meet.

Blood, a senior from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., put on a burst of speed with half a lap remaining to catch Schaaf, who had sprinted out to a large lead, much like she did in winning the 2008 championship at Springfi eld Country Club. But Blood, working with teammate Jordan Hasay, chased down Schaff to become the fi rst Pac-10 champion from Oregon since Nicole Woodward in 1992. Blood fi nished the 6,000-meter race in 19:41.71, with Schaaf next at 19:46.17.

The Ducks also counted an impressive third-place fi nish from Hasay (19:48.97), and a ninth-place fi nish from junior Alex Kosinski (20:09.86) as No. 2 Oregon came within seven points of upsetting top-ranked Washington. Hasay was named the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year.

The Huskies fi nished with 35 points, followed by the Ducks’ 42. It was Oregon’s third straight second-place Pac-10 fi nish. Arizona State took third with 110 points, edging No. 12 Stanford (111). California was fi fth with 128 points, followed by No. 17 Arizona (130), UCLA (207), Oregon State (239), USC (250) and Washington State (251).

Oregon also counted a 12th-place fi nish from sophomore Claire Michel (20:22.39) and a 17th-place showing from sophomore Bronwyn Crossman (20:32.30). Freshman Anne Kesselring ran 22nd in 20:39.42, while senior Lauren Zaludek was 29th in 20:49.80.

With three runners in the top eight, the men took second with 48 points. Sophomore Luke Puskedra ran fourth in 23:05.04, junior Matthew Centrowitz was fi fth in 23:09.35 and senior Jordan McNamara, in his Pac-10 debut, was eighth in 23:21.14.

The second-place showing marked the 11th time in the last 15 years that Oregon has fi nished fi rst or second at the Pac-10 championships. The Ducks had won three straight league titles coming into the 2009 meet.

Chris Derrick won the individual title in 22:35.41 to lead top-ranked Stanford to the team title with 25 points. After No. 2 Oregon, No. 16 Arizona State was third with 88 points, No. 13 Washington was fourth with 119 points, UCLA took fi fth with 122 points, No. 26 Washington State was sixth with 163 points, California was seventh (180) and Arizona placed eighth (193).

From the outset, it was a race between Stanford and Oregon. At the halfway mark of the 8,000 meter race, Stanford was running fi rst, second and third, with Puskedra fi fth and Danny Mercado seventh. Puskedra and Derrick were 1-2 over the next 2,000 meters, while Centrowitz moved up to third. On the last lap, Derrick and Brandon Bethke of Arizona State began to pull away from the pack, while Elliott Heath of Stanford moved ahead of Puskedra. Bethke fi nished second in 22:41.43, with Heath third in 22:52.01.

McNamara, from Auburn, Wash., made his late charge to ensure a second-place fi nish for the Ducks. Puskedra, from Ogden Utah, recorded his second-straight top four fi nish at the conference meet; he was second as a freshman a year ago. Centrowitz, from Arnold, Md., posted his best fi nish at the Pac-10 meet; he fi nished 11th in 2008.

Jordan Hasay

Alex Kosinski

Nicole Blood