Oregon Duck Men, Women Settle for Silver Lining

As the headline suggests, it was not a "blue sky" ending for the University of Oregon track and field team. Indeed, it was amid thunderstorms and rain delays that the just-completed NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were contested.

Of course, every competitor had to deal with those conditions, but only the Oregon contingent was left searching for that silver lining after coming ever so close to gold. Both the men's and women's teams came home with second-place trophies in the prestigious national meet in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was track powerhouse Texas A&M that won both titles.

On the men's side, A&M eked out a narrow two-point victory, scoring 26 of their 48 points in the final two events. Oregon, Florida, and Florida State tied for second with 46 points apiece.

For the women, Oregon won second place outright with 43 points while A&M took the title with a score of 50. Arizona State and Florida State were right behind Oregon with 41 and 40 points, respectively.

After the initial let-down when the final points were tallied, it was not difficult for Oregon to find that silver lining. Several outstanding individual efforts gave the young Ducks something to savor, both in the present and looking toward the future.

The most dramatic performance for the Ducks (and possibly for the meet) was the double-win of the boyish Galen Rupp in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Rupp nearly lost his shoe on the first lap of the 5,000, dropped to the back of the pack after making an "equipment adjustment," and fought his way back to eventually take the lead with just over a lap left.

Incredibly, it was Rupp's sixth national championship of the school year. He had earlier won the NCAA Cross Country Championship and three titles in the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Multiple personal records and several Oregon school records were set during the four-day meet. The U of O had six individual champions—four by the men and two by the women.

Men's champions were Rupp in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, Ashton Eaton in the decathlon, and Andrew Wheating, who gutted out a .06-second win in the 800 meters.

Champions for the women were Rachel Yurkovich, who unleashed three monstrous final throws in the javelin, and Brianne Theisen, who stepped up to win the heptathlon.

The Duck men were hoping for a triple-crown sweep after taking the national titles in Cross Country and the NCAA Indoor earlier in the year. Both the men and women won the Pac-10 Conference Championship as well.

With so many underclassmen gaining team points, the future for Oregon track and field looks promising. The refurbished state-of-the-art facilities and excellent coaching at Eugene have also attracted top high school talent.

Perhaps soon the athletes and fans will no longer have to grasp at silver linings. Blue sky is a much better alternative.

But then, this is after all, rainy Oregon. And they are called the Ducks...

Calendar Note

The USA National Track and Field Championships will be held June 25-28, 2009 at Eugene's Hayward Field, home of the Oregon Ducks. The meet will feature the USA's top professional and college athletes, with a sprinkling of some of the best high school prospects. No team scores will be kept as it is a competition to determine the nation's best individual performers.