Oregon - UCLA Meet Saturday for Historic Dual Meet

The Oregon-UCLA dual will feature a number of intriguing multi-event athletes.

Marcus Dillon could see action in four events during Saturday's dual meet with UCLA. Photo courtesy: goducks.com

EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon and UCLA men will go head-to-head for the first time in 23 years when the two storied track & field powers face off Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Historic Hayward Field.

34 = 82 - THE MAGIC NUMBER

The dual meet will be scored using the traditional 5-3-1 point system (5-0 relays), meaning that a total of 163 points are up for grabs; that in turn means that the team that reaches 82 points wins. Also, each team is limited to only 34 competitors, though there is no limit to the number of events each competitor may participate in.

DUAL HERITAGE

Saturday’s meet is a harkening back to the dual meet heritage upon which Oregon track & field was built. Track & Field News used to compile dual meet rankings, and 13 times the Ducks finished among the top three nationally between 1970 and 1995. Additionally, Oregon is one of just seven programs to attain T&F News’ No. 1 final dual meet ranking, a feat the University accomplished in 1979, 1989 and 1995. Though Oregon has since competed in three-way and quad-meets that were also scored as duals, Saturday will mark the Ducks’ first true dual meet since April 14, 2001, an 87-75 victory over Washington at Hayward Field.

TOP GUNS

Both Oregon and UCLA feature athletes ranked among the top in the nation and the Pac-10. In fact, Saturday’s meet will feature eight competitors who are ranked No. 1 in the Pac-10 and another 11 who are second or third. Oregon’s Phil Alexander is ranked No. 1 in the 200 meters and No. 2 in the 100 meters. The meet will feature five of the Pac-10’s top eight 5,000 meter runners, with Oregon’s A.J. Acosta ranked No. 1. In the field, the hammer bears watching with the league’s top three scheduled to throw in UCLA’s Boldizsar Kocsor and Oregon’s Colin Veldman and Jordan Stray.

RANKINGS

This week, Oregon is just outside the top 25 in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Rankings. UCLA checks in at No. 3. The Oregon women are ranked No. 14 in this week’s poll.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

With both teams limited to 34 competitors, the Oregon-UCLA dual will feature a number of intriguing multi-event athletes. A.J. Acosta’s attempt to double in the 1,500 and 5,000 should prove entertaining, while Phil Alexander, Marcus Dillon, Ashton Eaton and Jared Huske will likely be busy in four events.

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS

The Ducks already have qualified 27 different athletes (14 women, 13 men) and 22 entries (18 men, 16 women) for the NCAA West Region Championships (May 30-31 at Northridge, Calif.). The regional championships remain as the primary avenue for athletes to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field national meet in most events -- the exceptions being the men’s and women’s 10,000 meters, as well as the decathlon and heptathlon. Ashton Eaton (Bend, Ore.) could be considered among Oregon’s busiest competitors in the early going, qualifying for championship competition in the 400 meters and the 110 hurdles as well as the decathlon. Senior Phil Alexander (Keizer, Ore.) has bettered regional qualifying marks in the 100 and 200 meters. Both Eaton and Alexander could also pull duty on the relay teams. A.J. Acosta (Oceanside, Calif.) ran one of the best 5,000 times in the nation at the April 5 Pepsi meet (13:57.81) to break 14:00 for the first time in his career. Senior Colin Veldman (Ft. Collins, Colo.) leads a trio of Oregon qualifiers in the hammer.

OREGON NCAA QUALIFIERS

Oregon posted its first automatic NCAA qualifiers of the 2008 outdoor season when sophomore Ashton Eaton (Bend, Ore.) eclipsed the decathlon qualifying standard by 292 points with a personal-best 7,792 points March 27-28 at the Sacramento State Invitational. He was joined by freshman Brianne Theisen (Humboldt, Sask.), who earned her ticket to the national collegiate championships in the heptathlon with a personal-best of 5,575. Both marks head into this weekend among the top five nationally. In addition, Eaton placed himself sixth on Oregon’s all-time decathlon list with the school’s top showing since 2001, while Theisen already is second all-time on the Ducks’ women’s ledger. The only individual standing in her way of the school record is her coach -- Kelly Blair LaBounty -- who scored 6,038 points in the event 1993. Redshirt freshmen Daniel and Diego Mercado both ran NCAA provisional times in the 10,000 meters April 4 at Stanford. Daniel checked in at 29:04.24, while Diego ran 29:14.58.

2008 OUTDOOR DEBUTS

Just two Ducks -- and only one officially -- will open up at the Oregon-UCLA dual. Junior Jordan McNamara, a transfer from Lane Community College, will compete in the 1,500 meters for the first time as a Duck, while freshman Matt Centrowitz will run unattached in the invitational 1,200 meters. Centrowitz is redshirting this season.

OFF-TRACK ACTIVITIES

For the third year in a row, the Starting Block will take place and is geared to get kids moving and staying active. The concept features a high-energy, dynamic space for youth designed for fun and interactive activities that offers youth a chance to practice their athletic skills and learn more about the sport. I’m a Track Fan will introduce youth to the world of track & field and encourage them to support athletes competing in the Olympic Trials.

Source: goducks.com

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