Friends of Oregon Track and Field
NEWSLETTER WINTER 2013 VOLUME VI - ISSUE II
CHESEREK CROWNED NCAA Individual Champion!
Above: Oregon Freshman Edward Cheserek crosses the line in first at the 2013 NCAA Cross Country Championship.
MEN OF OREGON: CHESEREK WINS HISTORIC NCAA TITLE An outstanding season for the men’s cross country team was capped by an NCAA Individual Title from freshman Edward Cheserek. Cheserek became Oregon’s first-ever freshman to win an individual title and joins an elite group of Oregon men’s champions that includes Steve Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar and Galen Rupp. The previous best finish for a Duck freshman was held by Prefontaine, who finished third in 1969. Cheserek won four of the six races he competed in this year, including victories at the Pac-12 and West Region Championships. For his efforts, Cheserek earned an impressive trio of awards: the Pac-12 Athlete of the Year, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and the National Cross Country Athlete of the Year. For the team, the season began with a low-key runner-up effort at the PSU Viking Classic in early September. A trip cross country to Boston College’s “Battle in Beantown” set the stage for what was to be later in the season as freshmen Edward Cheserek and Jake Leingang led the Ducks to a dominating victory over nationally ranked Syracuse, Providence and Wisconsin teams. Returning home to the Dellinger Invitational eight days later, the team faced tough tests against Boise State and Pac12 rival Washington. The annual Pre-National Invitational allowed the team to preview the NCAA Championship course and pitted the Ducks against one of the most competitive fields of the season. The men finished second at the highly competitive Pac-12 Championships,
held this year at the University of Colorado. At the NCAA Championships, the Men of Oregon improved fifteen places from last year and concluded the 2013 season with a fifth place finish (274 points). Besides champion Cheserek, scorers for the Ducks included senior Parker Stinson who finished 54th, junior Tanguy Pepiot in 58th, senior Mac Fleet in 77th and freshman Jake Leingang who finished 149th. Despite rough weather conditions and a course that was nearly destroyed by rain, the Ducks ran tough and outperformed many of the early season challengers. Pac-12 Champion Colorado (149 points) took home the team title, followed by Northern Arizona (169 points), Oklahoma State (230 points) and Brigham Young (267 points). WOMEN OF OREGON: NCAA TOP 15 TEAM FINISH Coming off a 2012 dream season in which the Ducks won an NCAA Championship, the 2013 Women of Oregon found new leadership among its distance corps, as all but two runners from last year’s team graduated. An influx of new talent and the coming of age of emerging stars allowed the team to contend for a Pac-12 Championship and secure their seventh-consecutive top 15 team finish at the NCAA Championships. The group played to their strengths and made a goal as a team to finish in a pack as close together as they could, a very difficult accomplishment that very few teams are able to do. Continued on Page Three.
Friends of Oregon Track and Field Newsletter
Message from Coach Johnson Two weeks ago I returned from Terre Haute, Indiana with great optimism around our track and field and cross country program. For the first time in our history, we have concluded the cross country season with a freshman winning the NCAA Individual Championship. It was an amazing performance by Edward Cheserek who dominated the race against some very experienced competition. Although we did not come home with team trophies, our teams performed admirably throughout the season. Our sights are now set on a successful indoor season and preparing for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June. This week, students all across campus are preparing for their final exams. We too are in the final stages of our fall training and cannot wait to begin competition in January. As you look at results this winter and cheer for the team this spring at Hayward Field, you will see many new faces on our young team. We were fortunate to add 45 talented newcomers to our roster. The mantra for this group is to enjoy the process every day and so far they have done an outstanding job. As a result, both our men’s and women’s teams will be contenders once again for NCAA Championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons. After just over a year as your Head Coach, I am continually thankful for all of the support our staff and student-athletes receive from our alumni and friends. You make the University of Oregon and the track and field program here something special and truly unique. Your involvement through words of support and encouragement are invaluable to our program and continuing the great Oregon tradition. Go Ducks!
Robert Johnson Head Coach
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2014 Track & Field Indoor Season Preview The 2014 Indoor Track and Field season will be an exciting return to competition for a talented group of veterans and a coming out party for a slew of highly touted newcomers. Last year’s campaign saw a fourth straight NCAA Championship for the Women of Oregon led by a 4 x 400 meter relay victory from English Gardner, Chizoba Okodogbe, Laura Roesler and Phyllis Francis. NCAA 800 meter champion Elijah Greer and NCAA 400 meter runner-up Mike Berry led the men’s team to a return to the top ten at the indoor championships. This season will feature a collection of Ducks accustomed to success at the championship level. The 2012 NCAA 800 meter runner-up Laura Roesler will be joined by returning scorers Jenna Prandini, Phyllis Francis, Chizoba Okodogbe and Annie Leblanc as the team sets its sights on the history books. The cause will be bolstered by transfers Samantha Murphy, Lindsay Crevoiserat and Julia Zrinyi who will look to make an immediate impact on the middle distance and distance squads. An extraordinary class of freshmen is led by jumper/hurdler Sasha Wallace, sprinter Marybeth Sant and quarter-miler
Christian Brennan. The Men of Oregon will look towards a group of athletes with NCAA Championship experience as they aim for a return to the podium in 2014. Mike Berry will once again lead the team’s efforts but will be aided by a balanced attack from the track and the field. NCAA Qualifiers last year Boru Guyota, Mac Fleet, Brett Johnson, Johnathan Cabral and Dakotah Keys will look towards top scoring positions at the 2014 Championships. Distance experience will be provided by 2013 NCAA qualifiers Trevor Dunbar and Parker Stinson but will be bolstered by a pair of record-setting newcomers, transfer Eric Jenkins and freshman Edward Cheserek. The team will travel from coast to coast during January and February, from Seattle to New York with a new stop at the University of Kentucky, seeking performances that place among the top 16 individuals (12 relays) in the NCAA. The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the University of New Mexico for the first time ever on March 14-15, 2014, the closest the meet has ever been to Eugene.
Join Us in Welcoming Coach Taylor This fall the University of Oregon Track and Field Program was excited to add another talented assistant coach to the staff. Curtis Taylor has begun work with our sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. His knowledge and experience in coaching has already proved valuable to the group and his recruiting connections have also given the program great leads into future Ducks. Coach Taylor previously spent eight years as the Head Women’s Track and Field Coach at Laney College in Oakland, California. He took a program that finished 23rd at the 2006 California Community College State Track and Field Championships before his arrival and immediately helped them compete for state titles. The Eagles finished in the top three in the state during five of his seven years. In 2010, Taylor guided Laney to its first California State Junior College Championship and duplicated the effort in 2012. He was named the California State Junior College Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2008.
Taylor also has served as a camp clinician at the USA Track and Field Junior Women’s Elite Sprint and Hurdles Camp and was the USATF Western Region Junior Women’s Sprint Coordinator. He was also the Track and Field Coach at the East Oakland Youth Development Program for 17 years, a community-based organization that has produced numerous youth national champions.
Friends of Oregon Track and Field Newsletter
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Greetings from TrackTown USA!
Alumni, Duck Fans and Friends of Oregon Track & Field Save These Dates in 2014! NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships Wednesday, June 11 - Saturday, June 14 • Historic Hayward Field Oregon Track & Field Alumni Homecoming Friday, June 13 • Ballroom, Ford Alumni Center, UO
IAAF World Junior Championships and RunTrackTown Events Tuesday, July 22 - Sunday, July 27 • Historic Hayward Field We Look Forward to Seeing You!
Cross Country Women’s Season Recap Continued From Page One. The season began with a dominating performance at the PSU Viking Classic. The team, led by a first-ever collegiate victory from senior Megan Patrignelli, had a 1-2-4-5 finish to get the season started on the right foot. The long trip to Boston College in September pitted the Ducks against last year’s NCAA runner-up and top-ranked Providence College. The team picked up valuable inter-regional wins against Cornell, Boston College and Wisconsin. The return to Eugene for the Dellinger Invitational saw Patrignelli lead the group for the third-consecutive race while the Ducks finished second to a very talented and highly ranked Washington team. Patrignelli again led the team to a solid performance at the Pre-Nationals Invitational, where the women had a nineteen second spread between their first and fifth runners. The Pac-12 Championships, the most competitive conference meet in the country, had the Ducks face top-ranked Arizona, hometown favorite Colorado, and highly touted Washington and Stanford squads. A 25-second spread allowed the group to battle in the team score that found them in fourth place overall. At the NCAA Championship, sophomore Annie Leblanc (66th place) and senior Megan Patrignelli (70th place) paced the team to a 14th place finish. Other scorers for the Ducks were Eugene-native and freshman Maggie Schmaedick finishing 81st, followed by sophomores Molly Grabill (101st) and Abbey Leonardi (142nd). Providence took home the team title with 141 points followed by Pac-12 Champion Arizona (197), Butler (200) and Michigan (215).
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A very successful fall gave us many reasons to celebrate this holiday season and to look forward to 2014 and beyond with even more excitement for our teams and our sport. Congratulations to our Oregon coaches and athletes for great performances in the cross country post season, highlighted by an outstanding sweep of individual men’s titles by freshman Edward Cheserek at the Pac-12 Championships, NCAA West Regionals and the NCAA Championships. In early November a delegation from TrackTown USA traveled to the IAAF Council Meetings in Monaco to provide an update for the 2014 World Junior Championships and to bring the 2016 World Indoor Championships to Portland. They were successful in both endeavors! Hosting the World Indoor Championships puts us one step closer to our goal of bringing the World Championships to Hayward Field. And the news this week regarding Oregon’s bid to host future NCAA Outdoor Championships is another great win. We plan to keep dreaming big in our bold vision for the sport. Oregon Alumni, I hope to see you many times in 2014. Your presence at our home meets and the NCAA Championships honors our Oregon tradition of standing behind our current student athletes and propelling them to greatness on the track and in the field. Be sure to come back for the 2014 Homecoming on Friday, June 13. Don’t miss this opportunity to reconnect with friends and stay in touch with the program. Go Ducks!
Vin Lananna Oregon Track & Field Alum, Decathlete and World Record Holder, Ashton Eaton (left), celebrates our TrackTown USA winning bid for the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Ashton was part of the delegation that presented the bid to the IAAF Council in Monaco.
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Getting To Know Megan Patrignelli
Most memorable track and field moment... Freshman year at Oregon, outdoor track Pac10’s, scoring 6th in the 1500m when I almost didn’t even go to the meet. We ended up winning the team title by just 3 points! My first time contributing to the team score at a big meet.
Favorite quote… “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still” – Chinese Proverb
I chose UO because… I wanted to be a part of more than just a team, but a tradition and community. The support here is like nowhere else, and I wanted to be a part of the Oregon family.
Favorite athletes… Former teammate Alexi Pappas, who reminded me to always have fun and to smile even when the race gets hard.
Favorite musician… Gavin Degraw Favorite actor/actress… Jennifer Lawrence
A senior from Monroe, New York, Megan Patrignelli has been one of the leaders of the women’s cross country team this fall. She finished 17th at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships and 70th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships this season. She concluded last year as a semi-finalist in the steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Favorite movie… Elf (I know that’s lame, but I love it!) Favorite food… Sweet potatoes with cinnamon. Hero… Both of my parents. My dad, who has been to almost every single meet and never stopped believing in me, and my mom, who is like a best friend to me and is always there when I need her. Favorite T.V. show…Modern Family.
Best advice you’ve ever received… Fake it ‘til you make it!
Most prized possession … A small stuffed bear I got when I was in the hospital as a child – it is symbolic to me of things I’ve overcome and how lucky I am to have these opportunities to run every day for Oregon. If you could meet three people living or dead, who would they be... Hugh Laurie, Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Prefontaine. Something most people don’t know about you… I have a serious fear of all animals, and even ran away screaming from Mickey Mouse as a baby on my first trip to Disney. Even now I never run through neighborhoods alone, fearing I’ll get attacked by some wild animal