Prandini Runs To Worlds
EUGENE, Ore – Two weeks after leading the Oregon women’s track and field team to its first championship in 30 years, Jenna Prandini brought the Hayward Field crowd of 10,746 to its feet again as she became only the second collegian to win a U.S. women’s 200-meter title, Sunday.
After a strong start, Prandini rounded the Bowerman Curve and showed her amazing top-end speed down the home stretch before raising both arms in joy as she crossed the finish line in 22.20, breaking her own school record. The performance added to an already remarkable year for the redshirt junior who won an NCAA Championship in the long jump indoors, the 100 outdoors and will now represent her country on the world stage for the first time.
“It hasn’t really hit me right now,” Prandini said after talking to media about a half hour after her race. “I’m thrilled. I couldn’t be any happier and I’m excited to go to Beijing.”
And while China may be uncharted territory for Prandini, who has never traveled outside the United States, she had the comfort of home and Historic Hayward Field on Sunday.
“I practice here every single day…so to do it with this Hayward crowd and at home is awesome,” she said.
“It was definitely exciting to have her go out and be the National Champion in the 200,” said Oregon head coach Robert Johnson. “I’m really thrilled for her and what it means for our program.”
Galen Rupp, already a 2015 U.S. Champion in the 10,000, qualified for his second event with a third-place finish in the men’s 5,000. The race was a tactical one, with Rupp making a move with 800 meters remaining as a small rain shower doused the competitors. In the end, Rupp finished third behind Ryan Hill and Ben True in 13:51.54.
“It was tough out there. this was one of the hardest 5,000s I’ve had to run because it was very tactical.” Rupp said after the race. “It’s going to be fun going to Beijing with a great group of guys who I think can all be very competitive.”
Rupp will double in the 5,000 and 10,000 at the World Championships for the third time in his career after doing so in 2011 and 2013.
A school record eight Oregon athletes will go to Beijing as members of the U.S. Team, Aug. 22-30, three of whom are current Ducks (Jasmine Todd, Prandini and Marcus Chambers).
“It’s great representation to have all those Ducks taking our Eugene family and community to the world stage,” Johnson said. “What they are doing for our program and themselves is unprecedented. It’s very rewarding on a number of levels.”
Newly minted professional Eric Jenkins took seventh in the 5,000 while making his U.S. Championships debut, finishing in 13:56.16.
“I definitely could have run a smarter race,” Jenkins said. “I hung out in the back too much and you can’t do that. You might be able to get away with that in an NCAA 10k but you can’t do that at this level.”
“I graduated from school but I’m still learning,” he said.
In the field events on Sunday, recent graduate Lauren Crockett placed seventh in the women’s high jump with a clearance of 5-10 while former Duck Becky Holliday took seventh in the women’s pole vault by clearing 14-5.25.
