Oregon Track and Field Take NCAA Sweep

Perhaps it’s a universal truth that one success can power a domino effect of many. It first started with the Oregon men’s track and field team claiming the NCAA outdoor championships on Friday. The momentum carried over, 24 hours later, when the women also claimed the title giving Oregon a clean sweep.  

"We saw them go out there and win and saw how pumped up they were," Oregon's Jenna Prandini said. "We didn't want the men to outshine us so we went on the track and did our thing."

The day got off to a rough start for the lady Ducks a their the 4x100 relay team was disqualified during a bad second exchange. But they kept their heads up and followed up with impressive performances. Pradini ran strong in the 100 meter finishing in an incredible 10.96 seconds. Half and hour later, freshman, Raevyn Rogers, took the 800 meter victory. Showcasing maturity beyond her years, Rogers became only the second freshman ever to win the NCAA 800 meter and ran the fastest time in collegiate history by a freshman clocking in 1:59.17.

The wins gave the Ducks 59 points, nine ahead of runner-up Kentucky. Pradini couldn’t have been more proud of her team saying,  “I've been here four years — I redshirted my freshman year — and we've never been able to get it. To come out here and do it in front of this crazy crowd, it's incredible. I don't even know how to explain it."

The last time Oregon claimed the title was in 1985. Since then, the Ducks have had to take second place home for four straight years (2009-12) before finally breaking through Saturday.

Before being drenched with ice water, Coach Robert Johnson called the sweep a “crown jewel”. In the last two years, Johnson has earned five national titles, between both the indoor and outdoor track and field championships and will be moving these wins to the top of his resume.

Some of the athletes will return to Hayward field in two weeks for the USTAF outdoor championships as professionals, but for now the crowns have been placed and the dominos will keep falling for these champions.