Pac-12 track and field teams look to NCAA Championships
• Complete Release with 2016 Top Times (PDF)
SAN FRANCISCO -- Pac-12 men's and women's track and field student-athletes will compete at the 2016 NCAA Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., Thursday-Saturday, June 8-11. The Ducks are hosts of the national meet through the 2021 campaign. Participants in this year’s championships qualified through preliminary competitions held at the University of Kansas and the University of North Florida. All Pac-12 athletes qualified by competing at the West Regional in Lawrence, Kan.
Pac-12 teams qualified a combination of 62 men and 67 women and relay teams for the NCAA Championships. The defending champion Ducks lead the Conference in representatives at the event with 17 men’s entries and 14 on the women’s side. The third-ranked UO men are looking to bring home their third-straight NCAA title, while the women are looking for their second in a row after winning last year for the first time in 30 years. On the women’s side, the Pac-12 also has double-digit entries for this week’s competition from USC (14) and STANFORD (10). All three of those women’s teams look to be serious contenders for the NCAA title, the trip ranking in the top 10 in the country (Oregon - 6th, USC - 7th, Stanford - 8th). The WASHINGTON and UCLA men are also in the top-15 of the national coaches poll, the Huskies ranking 13th and Bruins 14th. Each have nine entries each for this week.
A pair of individual champions return to defend their titles, OREGON's Edward Cheserek won the 5,000 and 10,000-meter titles last year and will be competing again in both events this year at the national meet. Cheserek had the fastest qualifying time among the runners running this weekend. UO’s Raevyn Rogers is looking to defend her title at the 800-meter distance. A Duck has claimed the title in each of the last two years and in three of the last five years.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its regional honors on Monday and seven individuals were honored. WASHINGTON received nods on the men's side, with Izaic Yorks taking USTFCCCA West Region Track Athlete of the Year accolades and UW coach Greg Metcalfe was tabbed the West Region Coach of the Year. ARIZONA's Pau Tonnesen was selected the West Region Field Athlete of the Year and John Frazier from UCLA was honored as the West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
West Region honors for women’s programs were given to STANFORD’s Olivia Baker, the Region’s Track Athlete of the Year, and from OREGON Robert Johnson was voted the Coach of the Year and his assistant, Curtis Taylor, was named the Assistant Coach of the Year.
The television coverage of the NCAA Championships will continue with last year’s new format of splitting the men’s and women’s competitions. The men’s championship will be contested on June 8 and 10, with a team champion crowned on the 10th. The women will take their turn on June 9 and 11, with the competition ending with the champion holding up the trophy on the 11th. All the action will be televised or live streamed on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com.
ENTRIES AND RESULTS … A complete list of men’s and women’s competitors representing Pac-12 institutions at the NCAA Championships can be found on the NCAA’s official website at ncaa.com or by visiting the direct links to the start lists below. A complete list of participants and both regionals, and live results links can be found by clicking this link: http://www.rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor16/
Women’s start list: http://www.rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor16/women_perf.htm
Men’s start list: http://www.rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor16/men_perf.htm
On the men’s side, all 10 track & field programs will be represented at the championships with 10 of the 12 earning representation on the women’s side.
LIVE RESULTS & SCHEDULES... The live results link, daily heat sheets, daily results and additional meet information can be found on the NCAA’s website at http://www.rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor16/.
REGIONAL HONORS… The USTFCCCA announced its all region winners and the Pac-12 was well represented in the West with coaches and athletes taking home eight of the honors. OREGON was the most honored with five recipients.
USTFCCCA West Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year: Izaic Yorks, Washington
USTFCCCA West Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year: Olivia Baker, Stanford
USTFCCCA West Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year: Pau Tonnesen, Arizona
USTFCCCA West Region Men’s Coach of the Year: Greg Metcalf, Washington
USTFCCCA West Region Women’s Coach of the Year: Robert Johnson, Oregon
USTFCCCA West Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year: John Frazier, UCLA
USTFCCCA West Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year: Curtis Taylor, Oregon
SOCIAL MEDIA... Fans can also follow the NCAA Regional Championships via social media by following Pac-12 teams’ official twitter pages: @ArizonaTrack; @SunDevilTFXC; @Cal_Track; @cubuffstrack; @oregontf; @Beavers_Track; @Stanfordxctf; @UCLATrack_Field; @USC_Track_Field; @Utah_trackfield; @UW_Track; @WSUCougarsTF. The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will also have full live coverage on its official twitter handle at @USTFCCCA and the NCAA’s track and field account is @NCAATrackField. Also, hashtag #NCAATF to join the conversation.
PAC-12 HISTORY... The Pac-12 has claimed 47 men's NCAA titles in track and field and seven women’s crowns. Oregon is the defending two-time men’s champion, winning its first title in 2014 since 2014. It was the Ducks’ first back-to-back title win since 1964 and 1965. STANFORD won the men’s crown in 2000, snapping the Conference's 11-year drought. Six different men's Pac-12 programs have won the NCAA title.
Four different Pac-12 women’s programs have held up the NCAA trophy, Oregon winning last year for the first time in 30 years. ARIZONA STATE has been the Pac-12’s most recent team champion prior to last year, winning in 2007.
For a full list of team and individual outdoor national champions by Pac-12 teams, visit the Pac-12 Outdoor Track & Field Media Guide which can be found at http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/670600-2016-pac-12-track-field-media-guide/.
A LOOK BACK: 2015 PAC-12 NCAA CHAMPIONS… In addition to sweeping the men’s and women’s NCAA Track & Field titles, Pac-12 student-athletes won eight NCAA individual titles, in total. OREGON had two men athletes claim three individual titles to help the Ducks claim the national title. UO also had two women’s individual titles which were crucial in their nine-point win. Below is a list of the Pac-12’s individual champions in 2015.
MEN
100m - Andre De Grasse, USC (9.75w)
200m - Andre De Grasse, USC (19.58)
5000m - Edward Cheserek, ORE (13:48.67)
10000m - Edward Cheserek, ORE (25:58.92)
Javelin - Sam Crouser, ORE (79.19m/259-9)
Hammer - Conor McCullough, USC (76.91m/252-4)
WOMEN
100m - Jenna Prandini, ORE (10.96w)
800m - Raevyn Rogers, ORE (1:59.71)
De Grasse's 100 meter win was a wind-aided time of 9.75 (+2.7) which is the fastest all-conditions in Conference history. He is the first to sweep the 100m and 200m titles by a Conference sprinter since Ato Bolden (UCLA) in 1996 and 1995, respectively. McCullough’s hammer throw (76.91m/252-4) victory is the Conference’s first event win since 1997.
2017 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS... The University of Oregon will host next year’s NCAA Championships, June 7-10, 2017 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
2017 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS... Mark your calendar. The 2017 Pac-12 Championships will be held May 6-7 and 13-14, 2017.