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‘Preparing for the Best’ with Ryan Whiting

(March 8, 2012 - Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe)

In an event that the USA has dominated for several years now, one would think it would be difficult for a young newcomer to crack into the rankings.  Ryan Whiting proved it could be done.  Against the likes of fellow Americans Adam Nelson, Reese Hoffa, and Christian Cantwell, Whiting has risen the bar amidst a world-class field. Competing for Arizona State, he graduated with two NCAA Indoor Shot Put titles and one NCAA Outdoor victory.  He was an All-American eight times in the shot-put and discus and set a collegiate indoor shot put record (21.73 meters / 71 feet, 3 ½ inches).  Since graduating from college with a degree in engineering, Whiting has gotten married and moved back to Pennsylvania, where he grew up.  He resides near Penn State University in order to attend grad school and continue to train.  His most recent accomplishment has been winning the IAAF World Indoor title with a best mark of 22.00 meters (72-2 ½).  He is no stranger to the rings of Hayward Field and, like so many other athletes, is looking forward to coming back to TrackTown USA for the Olympic Trials this summer.

 

What is your best track memory from past meets at Hayward Field and Eugene or your highest finish here?

I would say my fondest memory of Hayward Field was making my first outdoor World Championship Team last year.  My highest finish in Eugene was at the 2010 NCAA Championships, where I topped off my collegiate career by winning my first discus title and my fifth shot put title — coming 3 centimeters from the collegiate record.

What most impressed you about the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2008?

It is always amazing to me how welcoming the people of Eugene are for track meets.  At the Trials the locals were wonderful and managed to fill the stadium every day!

Are there any changes from previous meets at Hayward that you hope to see for the Trials?

The only thing I want to change from my last Trials experience at Hayward is to be one of the three who leave after the competition with a ticket to the Olympics.

As an athlete, what do you foresee to be the biggest challenge in your experience in Eugene this summer?

In U.S. shot putting, there is no sure thing. We easily have the most competitive field of any event to be contested this summer.  It will be a challenge, but right now my ONLY goal is to make the 2012 Olympic team.

Aside from your competition, what are you looking forward to most about the Trials this summer?

Track Town Pizza.

Being that the Shot Put gets a lot of attention at meets all over the world, how does competing at Hayward compare to other places in terms of fan support/enthusiasm?

Shot put is definitely one of the up and coming events in track and field.  I have always loved competing at Hayward, it is easily one of the most supportive crowds I have encountered!

Are you planning on getting here early or staying after your event to watch the meet and hang out at the festival?

I am planning on getting to Eugene about 4-5 days before the meet to train and get used to the small time change.  Unfortunately right when I am done competing I will be leaving and (hopefully) going home to begin my preparation for London.

Do you have anything specific you like to do when you come to Eugene for meets (favorite restaurants/bars, etc.)

I love Track Town Pizza. That all-you-can-eat pizza for lunch is a tough deal to beat for a shot putter.  I also used to always go to Villard St. Pub, but last time I was there it was gone.

Have you heard anything about the London Pub, the SuperBlock exhibits/vendors, the live performances, etc. being planned for the meet?

As of yet I have not heard of any of that.  It is my fault as I am pretty single-minded in my goal of making the team at this point.

 

 

March 8, 2012 - Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe

By bridget on March 29, 2012
This entry is filed under 2012 Olympic Trials, Athlete Profiles, future of track & field, IAAF World Championships, NCAA Championships, News, Preparing for the Best, Team USA, TrackTown Thursday.

TrackTown Thursday | 12 Days of TrackTown

On the 12th Day of TrackTown, My True Love Gave to Me:

12 Olympic Medals – (Well actually 13) By 10 former Oregon Track and Field Athletes. Watch the video of Joaquim Cruz’s gold medal 800-meter race in the 1984 Olympics.

11 NCAA Championships – Hosted at Hayward Field (’62, ’64, ’72, ’78, ’84, ’88, ’91, ’96, 2001, 2010 & scheduled to host in 2013).

10 Dec Events – 2012 will be the 100th year of the modern decathlon. The two-day contest will also kick-off the Olympic Trials.

9 Days of Running…………and Jumping……….and Throwing at TrackTown12. Starting with Hammer time on June 21st and ending July 1 with the Men’s 200m Final.

8 Lanes on the Track.

7 -9 and 1/4 – Oregon Track Club Elite Athlete Jesse Williams’ Personal Best and Hayward Field Record. Set at the 2011 USA Championships in TrackTown.

6 Outdoor Titles -  The UO Men have five and the UO Women have one.  Also, the men have one indoor and six cross country titles,  while the women have two of each.

5 OLYMPIC RINGS – And the number of Olympic Trials hosted in TrackTown (1972, 1976, 1980, 2008, 2012).

 

 

 

 

Sub 4 Minute Miles – The Pre Classic has seen more Sub 4 minute Miles than any other American invitational track meet. Click Here to see the full list.

3 Coach Bills (Hayward, Bowerman, Dellinger).

 

2 Bowerman Winners (Galen Rupp ’09 & Ashton Eaton ’10).

And a Historic Hayward Field.

 

Happy Holidays from TrackTown USA. See you in 2012!


By Nathan on December 22, 2011
This entry is filed under 2012 Olympic Trials, Athlete Profiles, NCAA Championships, News, Team USA, TrackTown Thursday, U.S. National Championships and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

TrackTown Thursday — Bowerman Award winners announced in San Antonio

Wednesday evening at the USTFCCCA conference in San Antonio, Florida State’s Ngoni Makusha and Texas A&M’s Jessica Beard were crowned 2011 winners of the Bowerman Award.

The night’s emcee Lewis Johnson invoked the spirit of the award’s namesake — legendary University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman — and Hayward Field in his closing comments: “Back in his day, Bowerman coached many great collegiate athletes, and over 30 athletes to the Olympic stage; and it’s only fitting that his likeness will be there at Hayward Field in June of 2012 to watch over the Olympic Trials, and approve America’s team that will head to London for the summer Games. … Congratulations to our six finalists and the winners Jessica Beard and Ngoni Makusha, Bowerman would have been proud of all of you tonight.”

Watch the full replay here.

Watch more video of Bowerman Awards & USTFCCCA Convention on flotrack.org

The Bowerman Award is in its third year of existence. Past winners were Ashton Eaton and Queen Harrison in 2010, and Galen Rupp and Jenny Simpson in 2009.

In other news, the excitement is continuing to build for the U.S. Marathon Trials, which will take place in Houston on January 14, 2012.

Ryan Hall and Desiree Davila have predicted record-breaking times.

By Becky on December 15, 2011
This entry is filed under Athlete Profiles, future of track & field, NCAA Championships, News, Team USA, TrackTown Thursday.

Hasay Paces Oregon Women to a Fifth Place Finish at NCAA XC Championships

We at TrackTown USA want to congratulate Jordan Hasay and the rest of the Oregon Women’s Cross Country team for their top-five finish at today’s NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.  Hasay matched a school-best result with her second place finish, in what was one of the closest finishes in NCAA DI history.

She ran the entire race neck-to-neck with Villanova senior Sheila Reid, but Reid was able to clip Hasay at the end – finishing with a time of 19:41.2, while Hasay ran a 19:41.8.

“I gave it all I had,” Hasay said after the race. “I told myself the only person I would be OK losing to was Sheila, and I almost got her, but she had another gear.

“She’s such a great competitor,” the UO junior continued. “Obviously I would have been happier with the win, but it’s hard to be too disappointed with second place.

The Oregon team got help from the running pack of Claire Michel, Bronwyn Crossman and Lanie Thompson – who each placed 51th, 55th and 59th, respectively.

“Jordan looked great today,” said Oregon Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna. “And our 2-3-4 runners did a wonderful job the whole race. I think (fifth place) is probably as high as the women could have finished today, so I’m overall pretty pleased. The women’s team race was won by Georgetown followed by Washington, Villanova and Florida St. Oregon wrapped up the top five.

On the men’s side, Oregon senior Luke Puskedra was able to cap of his collegiate cross country career with his fourth All-American award for his sixth-place finish.

“That had to be one of the strongest fields I’ve been in,” said Puskedra. “I’m certainly not unhappy to get sixth today.” The men of Wisconsin captured the crown on the men’s side followed by the top five of Oklahoma St., Colorado, BYU and Stanford.  The Portland Pilots came in eighth as a team.

Full Meet Results: Men’s Team | Individual Women’s Team | Individual

By Nathan on November 21, 2011
This entry is filed under cross country, future of track & field, Monday Matters, NCAA Championships, News and tagged , , .

Monday Matters June 13, 2011

 

UO Ducks Bring Home Three NCAA National Champions and a 2nd Place Trophy

In TrackTown USA, we love our Ducks.  And we especially love when they win.  This past weekend, three University of Oregon athletes became National Champions, and the women’s team finished as the NCAA team runner up for the third time in a row.  Melissa Gergel captured an NCAA crown in the pole vault in her final meet as a Duck.

She tied the NCAA meet record by clearing 14-7.25/4.45m to win. “After I made 4.40 meters, I told myself, ‘I’m going to win’,” said the Glenwood, Ill., native. “It’s really just the perfect ending.  “Thinking of those team points was huge. I’m so happy I could deliver when it counted.” More at GoDucks.com.

Anne Kesselring took the 800 meter crown over Oklahoma State’s Natalja Piliusina.

Kesselring was in third place with 100 meters to go, but she added a burst of speed to get past  Tennessee’s Chanelle Price and hold off Piliusina at the line. Her winning time of 2:02.15 was a personal best and the fifth fastest in school history.

“I’m just so happy,” said Kesselring. “Coming off the turn, I was a little boxed in, but I knew I had to make a move and it worked out.”

Kesselring joins Rebekah Noble as the only 800 meter NCAA champions in UO school history.

As Ron Bellamy reported last week, UO Junior Matthew Centrowitz went to Des Moines with one simple goal:  win the 1500 meter race.  He was third in  Oregon’s 1-2-3 sweep last year and told Bellamy: “It’s something I’ve been wanting to accomplish since my redshirt freshman year. I came up a little short last year, but I couldn’t be too down. This year, obviously being the second returner, that’s my goal.”

On Saturday, Matthew Centrowitz met his goal. After taking the lead on and off through the whole race, he crossed the tape alone in 3:42.54 to give Oregon back-to-back NCAA titles in the 1,500 meters. Andrew Wheating won for the Ducks in 2010.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I figured I would be up in the front this time,” said Centrowitz. “I was kind of weird being in the lead on the first lap, but I was just staying as relaxed as possible.

“I’m really excited to get my first NCAA title,” said Centrowitz. “That’s been a goal of mine for a long time.”

The final “Tuesdays in TrackTown” will be held tomorrow, June 14th at 7 p.m. at the Oregon Electric Station in downtown Eugene.  Coach Vin Lananna will be on hand to discuss the UO’s season along with NCAA Champions Matthew Centrowitz and Melissa Gergel.

Now that college season is over, all eyes turn toward the USA Outdoor Championships — which are coming to TrackTown USA in a mere 10 days!  Tickets are still available to watch the best athletes in the United States compete for a chance to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

Now onto the Diamond League circuit, where Bridget Franek led the OTC Elite contingent in New York — clocking an American-leading time of 9:38.92 to place sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Franek’s time was well under the IAAF World Championships ‘A’ Standard of 9:43.00 and is the 11th-fastest in the world this year.

Closer to TrackTown, at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OTC’s Lauren Fleshman won the 1,500 meters in her first race back this spring. She clocked a 4:14.75. Also in Portland, OTC’s Ian Dobson placed second in the men’s 5,000 with a mark of 13:48.60.

By Rita on June 13, 2011
This entry is filed under Monday Matters, NCAA Championships and tagged , , , , .

TrackTown Thursday News

UO Ducks - Walker's BlogLots going on in the track world this week – the NCAA Championship meet in Des Moines, a Diamond League event in New York on Saturday, and final preparations at Hayward Field in preparation for the 2011 USA National Championships.

Here in TrackTown USA, we’re thrilled that the University of Oregon women have a chance at the National title: Jordan Hasay will double at NCAA’s inorder to giveUO women an opportunity to score more points in the team standings. Love her team spirit!

If you want to check out the meet on television, the broadcast schedule is here. The Oregonian’s Ken Goe is doing live updates on his blog, and UO’s Associate Director of Media Services Greg Walker also has live updates on his blog, Walker’s Pace.

We agree with Ron Bellamy at the Register Guard: Bernard Lagat is one of the classiest athletes out there.

Our hearts go out to the Nebraska track team and assistant coach Mark Colligan’s family. Coach Colligan passed away in his sleep yesterday while at the NCAA meet in Des Moines.

photos of Matt SchererNike athlete Matt Scherer – known in Eugene for his blazing speed and his excellence as a rabbit – will be pacing the men’s 800m at the Diamond League meet in New York. Tyson Gay is supposed to compete in the 100 meters – wonder if he’ll be a no-show like he was at Pre? And maybe Jenn Suhr will show up this time (she also failed to appear at Pre…) The schedule with the entry list is on the meet website.

By Rita on June 9, 2011
This entry is filed under NCAA Championships, News and tagged , , , .