Oregon Track & Field: Freshman Recruits Ensure Future NCAA Title Contention
University of Oregon track fans have grown accustomed to excellence.
Being right there—year after year—in title contention at the highest levels of collegiate competition will have that effect. The Oregon women in fact, are the current reigning 2011 NCAA indoor champions.
But excellence has one flaw.
It is such a rare commodity in the whole of sport, only a relative few may directly taste of its sweetness. Thankfully, it flows from a fountain which does not run dry.
As champions move on, through graduation or retirement, excellence replenishes itself through the young.
Still, it takes wisdom and discernment to locate and tap that fountain. Those charged with the task of maintaining a continuous flow of excellence at the University of Oregon have done their job well.
Here's a sampling of their work.
Mike Berry: Long Sprints, Seattle, Wa
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Berry's style appears to be "run to win". He doesn't seem to be particularly interested in the stopwatch, but if a fast time is needed for a win, so be it.
Primarily a quarter-miler, Berry already has a hand (or foot) in a new school record in the distance medley relay. He recently produced a 44.9 split on his leg of the DMR in the Oregon Twilight meet.
Already demonstrating the maturity to patiently wait for his moment in a race, this young fellow has a tremendous upside.
Update - May 15, 2011 - Berry, exhibiting what is becoming a trademark wait-and-see style, made his move on the final curve to slingshot into the lead in the 400m final of the Pac-10 Championships. What resulted was a huge win and a new school record of 44.91.
Any sub-45 runner must be regarded as a serious contender in any 400m race, at any level.
Personal bests -
200-meters: 21.10
400-meters: 44.91
English Gardner: Sprints, Voorhies, NJ
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Ahhh...English Gardner.
Such a tranquil and serene state of mind her name evokes...
Such a choking and blinding cloud of dust she'll leave you in, if you succumb to that ploy.
It didn't take long for this freshman to write her name in the Oregon record books (100m, 11.30). She's just the latest installment in a powerful sprint program being developed to compete with the speed merchants of the Big 12 Conference.
Gardner's true strength is the 60m, 100m and 4x100 relay but she can stretch it out to 200m and even 400m.if needed.
Update May 15, 2011 - At the Pac-10 Championships, Gardner gave fans a glimpse of things to come. She "only" lowered her own school record and Gail Devers' meet record by winning the 100m final in a stunning 11.03.
A third-place finish in the 200m final brought her PB down to 23.02. She didn't even get the baton in the 4x100m relay, as a bad exchange at the far turn disqualified the favored Ducks. Oh, what might have been...
Personal bests -
60-meters: 7.29
100-meters: 11.03
200-meters: 23.02
Sam Crouser: Throws, Gresham, Oregon
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Due to injury, Crouser has yet to throw in an Oregon uniform.
Too bad. The men's team could really use him this year in the absence of multiple-national champions Ashton Eaton (multis) and Andrew Wheating (mid-distance), both of whom graduated.
But, as a redshirt freshman next year, Crouser's enhanced physical and mental maturity will only be a plus.
The guy is the epitome of excellence. In 2010, he was Track and Field News' and Gatorade's Male High School Athlete of the Year. He established a new high school national record in the javelin (255-4) and was a triple winner (javelin, discus and shot put) at the Oregon High School State Championships.
Oh...did I mention his father (Dean - shot put and discus) and uncle (Brian - javelin) were multiple national champions for Oregon in the mid-1980s?
Special, special things in store for Oregon fans here.
Personal bests (high school implements) -
Shot put: 64-5.5
Discus: 205-10
Javelin: 255-4
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Chizoba Okodogbe: Long Sprints, Antioch, CA
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A native of Nigeria, Okodogbe adds depth to an exciting Oregon women's sprint program.
Already she has ably filled a huge gap in the 4x400m relay, created when super-athlete Brianne Theisen was sidelined by injury.
Okodogbe, an outstanding high school runner, has the distinction of having tasted international competition as well. Representing Nigeria, she participated in the 2009 World Youth Championships in Italy.
Update May 15, 2011 - In a title race where every point was critical, Okodogbe came up huge in the Pac-10 final of the 400m. She placed third, lowering her PB to 52.71.
She also ran the lead-off leg of the victorious 4x400m relay. The win (3:29.63), a new meet record, sealed the conference crown for the Lady Ducks.
Personal bests -
200-meters: 23.89
400-meters: 52.71
Boru Guyota: Mid-DIstance, Portland, Oregon
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He moves around the track with the efficiency of motion so typical of the East African runners. And why not? He took his first steps in the dry, hill country of southern Ethiopia.
At 16, Guyota came to the States along with his father and settled in Portland.
Under the heavy hand of fatherly discipline, he became adept at academics. Quite by accident, he discovered running.
By the end of his senior year at Jefferson High, Guyota was co-valedictorian and the State 800m Champion.
And , like Berry, his potential seems almost unlimited.
Update May 15, 2011 - Guyota contributed a nice points-producing fifth-place finish in the men's 800m (1:49.34). The Duck men were able to go on and take the Pac-10 title.
Personal bests -
800-meters: 1:47.75
1500-meters: 3:47.47
Laura Roesler: Mid-Distance, Fargo, ND
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It's pronounced RACE-ler.
And yes, the name is very fitting.
In collecting 22 State Championship trophies in her high school career, Roesler demonstrated her unbelievable range. She dominated every distance from 100m to 800m.
And to extend that range even further, she was the two-time state cross country champion.
What a future (and present) asset under a coach (Vin Lananna) who is willing to mix-and-match his athletes in the big meets for the benefit of the team.
Need a sprinter...or a miler in a pinch, coach?
Her name is RACE-ler.
Update May 15, 2011 - Well, coach did need her to run the 800m and the final leg of the 4x400m relay at the Pac-10 Championships. She did not disappoint. Roesler got a critical third-place finish in the 800m (2:04.24) and brought the stick home in the relay for a title-clinching victory (3:29.63).
Personal bests -
100-meters: 11.90
200-meters: 24.01
400-meters: 53.25
800-meters: 2:03.08
Dakotah Keys: Multi Events, Sweet Home, Oregon
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In the uncanny tradition of elite decathletes springing forth from the small towns of Oregon, Keys appears to be next in line.
Hailing from the foothills of the Cascades, where he almost single-handedly won the state track and field title for Sweet Home High as a senior, Keys fits the mold of versatility required for success in the multis.
Apparently though, the greatest barrier Keys has faced as a freshman is injury. After a couple competitions in the early 2011 outdoor season, he was moth-balled with nagging physical distractions.
Hopefully, Keys can redshirt and, like Crouser, come back next year healed and hungry.
Personal bests -
Decathlon: 7204 pts.
Heptathlon: 5332 pts.
110 Hurdles: 14.54
Pole vault: 15-7
Long jump: 22-10
High jump: 6-7
Kortney Ross: Pole Vault, San Diego, CA
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With the impending graduation of senior vaulters Melissa Gergel and Jordan Roskelley, Ross must take on the role of consistent points-producer.
This weekend's Pac-10 Championships might be a good place to hone that skill.
Ross, at 5-11, is also a talented 100m hurdler and has been known to run the 200m on occasion.
While Eugene may not always offer the perfect vaulting conditions of her native San Diego, the event will be hers to rule as a Duck in 2012.
Update May 15, 2011 - Stepping up big at the Pac-10 Championships, Ross vaulted 13-4.5 , gaining valuable points (and a third-place finish!) for the Lady Ducks. As it turned out, the women needed those points to secure the eventual conference title.
Good things to come.
Personal best -
Pole vault: 13-6
Parker Stinson: Distance, Austin, TX
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While most of this year's crop of recruits are of the "mid-distance" variety, Stinson, a 10,000-meter specialist, will help cover the outer reaches of the men's distance program.
After having a remarkable high school career, Stinson has made drastic improvement in his 10k times at the collegiate level. At the Stanford Invitational, for example, he ran a very impressive 29:14.35.
Oregon, long noted as a hotbed of distance supremacy, has been heavy of late in the 800m through 5000m range. It will be good to have Stinson's presence in the longer races in the coming years.
Update May 15, 2011 - In the hot, dry conditions of the Arizona desert, Stinson finished (14:22.01) just out of the points (ninth) in the 5000m at the Pac-10 Championships.
Great future here.
Personal bests -
1500-meters: 3:53.67
5000-meters: 14:10.91
10000-meters: 29:14.35
Lanie Thompson: Distance, High Bridge, NJ
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Lanie is enjoying that magical season which Crouser and Keys can only dream about this year - redshirt freshman.
And if Thompson's results are any indicator of having that extra time to simmer and mature, good things are on the horizon for the Ducks.
Thompson, chomping at the bit to get back into battle, was a huge points contributor in the lady Duck's 2010 cross country post-season.
Then, in the outdoor season at the Pepsi Team Invite, she won the 3000-meter steeplechase, posting the second-fastest time in school history (10:12.09). It was her very first steeplechase.
Expect Thompson to step up at the Pac-10s.
Update May 15, 2011 - And step up she did!
Thompson established herself as a future force with a gutsy third-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase final (10:33.35). Her six points were like gold to the Lady Ducks who squeaked out the conference championship title over Arizona.
Personal bests -
Mile: 4:47.94
3000-meters: 9:29.54
3000m steeplechase: 10:12.09
Cole Watson: Mid-Distance, Rogue River, Oregon
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Watson is one of those low-maintenance runners who fits right into the program without the need of a lot of pampering or de-programing.
No need for a special diet to put meat on the bones. He's already sturdy and tough.
No homesickness. He lives 150 miles from school.
Don't even have to change the uniform really. His old high school uni fits right in.
About the only thing Watson needs is experience at the collegiate level. And he'll get plenty of that.
Personal bests -
800-meters: 1:51.78
1500-meters: 3:48.25
Mile: 4:06.42
Lukas Verzbicas: Distance, Chicago, IL
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Verzbicas is not a freshman.
He's still in the oven (high school).But he's signed with Oregon.
Just wanted to showcase him here, for all those who are fearful the Oregon men's team might be on a downhill slide.
He's already a top-level triathlete.
He's already running unattached, with the pros.
He's at the edge of the 4-minute mile barrier.
You'll get a chance to watch him run June 4 in the Prefontaine Classic. He'll be attempting to break German Fernandez' two-mile national record.
The following week, June 11, Verzbicas will run in the Dream Mile at the New York Grand Prix. He'll be looking to dip below the 4:00 mark.
With Verzbicas and the rest of these examples of the next generation of excellence, you can count on the Oregon Ducks contending for the highest prize for years to come.
Hope you enjoyed the slide show. We're into the championship portion of the collegiate season. Now get out there and take in some of the action.
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