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Monday Matters | Records Fall all across the country

In an exciting weekend of  indoor track and field, not one but THREE American Records were freshly set!  In Fayetteville, Arkansas, the USATF Classic brought together a number of great athletes, and among them was Oregonian Galen Rupp. Running in the men’s two-mile, Rupp broke Bernard Lagat’s previous record of 8:10.07, with a time of 8:09.72. Stephan Pifer, also of the Oregon Track Club, placed fourth in the same race.  In the men’s mile, OTC’s Russell Brown also took fourth place, crossing the line in 3:54.08 as the top American.  Jill Camarena- Williams broke her own American Record in the women’s shot put with a throw of 19.89m/65-3.75. Peruse the full results here!

While in its 105th year, the historic Millrose Games saw a change in venue from Madison Square Garden to the Armory. The event still attracted the same caliber of athletes and produced many spectacular results.  In the men’s 5k, the American Record (Bernard Lagat- 13:07.13), Collegiate Record (Lawi Lalang- 13:08.28), AND the High School Record (Edward Cheserek- 13:57.04) were all reset!  Highlights from TrackTown athletes included former Oregon Runner Matthew Centrowitz cruising to a win the infamous Wanamaker Mile in 3:53.92 and OTC member Jesse Williams bringing back yet another victory in the high jump (2.32m/7-07.25). Of course, many other races were worth looking more into as well- 2012 Millrose Games results!

Back out west at the University of Washington, the annual Husky Invitational served up a new set of stadium records, world-leading times, and other great performances.  Sally Kipyego won the 5k on Friday night in 15:15.41 and returned to the track Saturday to claim the mile victory as well in 4:28.41, which was a facility record, a meet record and a world-leading time. OTC teammates Chris Thompson and Kevin Chelimo helped push each other and placed one-two in the mens 5k, running  13.29.94 and 13: 30.25. Geena Gall won the 800 meters in 2:03.12, while OTC Portland athlete, Lopez Lomong won in the men’s race (1:47.87).

The University of Oregon (click here for more UO highlights from the meet) women’s mile record was broken at the same meet by Anne Kesselring in a time of 4:32.61.  Many other Oregon resident athletes were in attendance, including Ashton Eaton, who competed in the shot-put, high jump, and pole vault.  To see the complete results and fun interviews, check out FloTrack.org.

Friday night provided some sprinting action down at the  Don Kirby Elite Indoor in Albuquerque, NM by U of O’s sprint group.  Sophomore English Gardner turned in a NCAA leading 60m dash performance of 7.17 seconds and later won the 200m with a personal best 23.34.  Other victories came from Phyllis Francis (400m, 53.07) and both the Men’s and Women’s 4x400m relays. The men ran a season-best 3:09.38 with a lineup of Bryan Harper, Arthur Delaney, Jack Galpin and Mike Berry, while the women also ran a season-best 3:37.05 with Francis, Chizoba Okodogbe, Amber Purvis and Laura Roesler.  Complete Results of the Don Kirby Elite Indoor.

Things will continue to get exciting as we approach indoor college conference meets in the upcoming weeks and the last few opportunities for individuals to qualify for 2012 Indoor NCAA’s.  Make sure your favorite college athlete will make the cut by checking out the 2012 Indoor descending order lists and see where your team stacks up in the National rankings.  The USA National Indoor Championships are also coming up soon on February 25 and 26th and will be the next in the VISA Championship Series for professionals.  STAY TUNED!!!!!

By bridget on February 13, 2012
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TrackTown Thursday – 10 Things to Be Thankful For in TrackTown USA

As we embark on the final seven months until the U.S. Olympic Trials begin here in Eugene — and with the Thanksgiving holiday upon us — we thought it was a perfect day to dedicate the TrackTown Thursday blog to what we’re most thankful for here in TrackTown:

1. The Trails – From Pre’s Trail to the Ridgeline and beyond (the city limits that is), there are just too many great running trails in TrackTown to count – which is why we’ll let this link give you all the great details.

 

2. Hayward Field – It is hallowed ground in the sport of track and field. Just one meet at Hayward has converted many a non-believer into a die-hard track and field fan. Here’s a little glimpse at some recent “good times” at Hayward.

3. The University of Oregon Track and Field Team – What can we say, in TrackTown USA, we love our Ducks!

4. Record-Breakers – From the legendary Prefontaine, to those who came before him, and those who have come since — at events like the annual Prefontaine Classic — record-breakers tend to be as prolific as the rain here in TrackTown USA.

5. The Oregon Track Club – Attend a week-night run, compete in one of the OTC’s summertime All-Comers meets, run the Butte to Butte, or volunteer to work at a Hayward Field meet, and you’ll see just how valuable the OTC is to TrackTown USA.

6. OTC Elite – This group of elite athletes deserves its own number. Eight of them competed at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu. Five were finalists, two were silver medalists (Sally Kipyego and Ashton Eaton), and one (the high-flying Jesse Williams) brought home gold.

 

7. The Starting Block – This is a fun and popular interactive Kids Zone at Hayward Field, which gives kids of all ages an opportunity to high jump, long jump, shot put, etc. Building track athletes (or fans), one kid at a time.

 

 

 

 

 

8. Future Events – Speaking of kids, in July of 2014, the world’s best junior athletes (under 20) will arrive in TrackTown for the IAAF World Junior Championships, bringing an IAAF event to the U.S. for the first time since 1992.

9. Team USA Athletes – Without them, and all the hard work they put into becoming the best in the world, Hayward Field would be a ghost town every June. Get to know Andrew Wheating, Angelo Taylor, Ashton Eaton and Allyson Felix in our TrackTown Spotlight video series.

 

10. The Olympic Trials – The biggest team trials in the world will take place at Hayward Field, June 22-July 1. It sold out in 2008 and it’s on its way to doing so in 2012! And what better holiday gift to buy that track fan in your life than a pair of tickets to the Trials.

Happy Thanksgiving from TrackTown USA! We hope to see you here in June!

By Becky on November 23, 2011
This entry is filed under 2012 Olympic Trials, Athlete Profiles, Butte to Butte, future of track & field, IAAF World Championships, News, Prefontaine Classic, Team USA, TrackTown Spotlight, TrackTown Thursday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Monday Matters

Ending Track and Beginning Cross Country

Sally KipyegoThis is the time of year when track & field athletes are winding down their seasons — and cross country runners are gearing up for fall.

Here in TrackTown USA, we’re thrilled with the results posted this past week both on the track and on the trails.

OTC Elite athletes and recent World Championship medalists Sally Kipyego and Jesse Williams completed two more landmark performances at the Samsung Diamond League meet in Zurich on Thursday.

Kipyego, who earned a silver medal in the 10,000 meters at the World Championships, grabbed second place to fellow Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot in the Zurich 5,000 – setting a huge personal best of 14 minutes, 30.42 seconds. Her previous best of 14:38.64 was set last summer.

“I knew she was in good shape from Worlds, but you’re never sure how people are going to travel,” OTC Elite head coach Mark Rowland said. “I knew she was capable of running a PB, and it’s impressive that she did, but I wasn’t expecting her to take such a big chunk out of it.”

Kipyego will return to the States and compete in the 5th Avenue Mile in New York City on September 24 to close out her 2011 season.

In the men’s high jump, Williams became the first OTC athlete to win a Diamond League series championship on Thursday. Only a week away from his gold-medal performance in Daegu, Williams finished fourth in Zurich, but performed well enough to beat Russian Andrey Silnov in a head-to-head duel for the overall title.

“Clearly it’s nice to win a Diamond League title, but the focus is on winning championships,” Rowland commented on Williams’ achievement. “What an outstanding job he and Cliff (Rovelto, Williams’ personal coach) did in Daegu – to nail it on that day was impressive and exciting. That’s the highlight. Now he’s gone on and won the Diamond League series, but that’s just a bonus.”

University of OrgonAnd in cross country news, University of Oregon senior Claire Michel led the Duck women’s cross country team to a season-opening victory over Gonzaga, while sophmore Ben DeJarnette was the winner of the men’s race as Oregon kicked off the 2011 season Friday at the Meadows Course at Sunriver Resort.  He also writes about the experience on a GoDucks.com blog.

“Tonight was a fabulous way to start the season,” said Oregon Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna. “Great weather, great crowd and pretty good races.”  It was an especially great start for the women who filled the top 6 places for a total score of 15 to top Gonzaga’s score of 50.  The men did not dominate like the woman — and were edged out by Gonzaga with a score of Gonzaga 26, Oregon 33.

Other highlights for the men included sophomore Mitchell Hunt in fourth at 20:06.9 and freshman Cole Watson fifth in 20:08.6.

The Ducks will continue training in Sunriver for two more weeks before returning to home to host the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 1.

In other Duck news, incoming freshman distance runner Lukas Verzbicas  won the World Junior Triathlon title in Beijing.  He made a commitment to race it after his best friend (Kevin McDowell) was diagnosed with cancer. He said he wanted to win gold for Kevin…and he did.  His story garnered great attention – including a feature in the Sunday New York Times.

 

By Rita on September 12, 2011
This entry is filed under cross country, IAAF Diamond League, News and tagged , , .

TrackTown Thursday News

OTC Elite Runner Sally Kipyego gets ready for Worlds

OTC Elite’s Sally Kipyego is scheduled to compete in the 10,000 meters in the Kenya Trials tomorrow.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Sally placed second in the 10,000 meter race!  Congratulations!  We’ll see you in Daegu!

Sally Kipyego

Let's Run talks with Sally Kipyego

Tomorrow, in Nairobi Kenya, OTC Elite’s Sally Kipyego will run against her countrywomen for the opportunity to run the 10,000meters at the IAAF World Championship meet in Daegu, South Korea.  She told Register Guard reporter Curtis Anderson that the choice of “the 10K over the 5K was actually tougher than we thought.” said Kipyego.  “It was primarily because of my chances of making the team. After talking with coach Rowland, we both decided that the 10K just looked a little better. In addition, I felt really good and strong when I ran the 10K at Stanford.”  She spoke with Let’sRun.com about her experience being back in Kenya after living for so long in the United States.

In other TrackTown USA news — OTC Elite Cyrus Hostetler won second place at the Toronto International Track and Field Games.  Unfortunately his throw of 77.72m did not meet the IAAF “A” standard.  Hostetler has until mid-August to make the standard in order to secure his spot on Team USA.

Finalists for the Bowerman Award were announced today.  For the first time since its creation, no Oregon athlete was selected as a finalist.  The men’s finalists are: Washington State senior Jeshua Anderson, Florida State junior Ngoni Makusha and Florida junior Christian Taylor.  The women’s finalists are: Texas A&M senior Jessica Beard, LSU sophomore Kimberlyn Duncan, and Arkansas junior Tina Sutej.  The Award ceremony will take place at the USTFCCCA Convention on December 14 at the JW Marriott Hill Country, San Antonio, Texas.

By Rita on July 14, 2011
This entry is filed under Athlete Profiles, News and tagged , .

TrackTown Thursday News

Pre Classic website

This weekend in TrackTown some of the best track and field athletes in the world will compete at Hayward Field.  The Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier meets in the country — perhaps even in the world –  and  today’s news is all about “the Pre.”  There will be a special Friday “Distance Night in Eugene” that includes the seldom run 25K and 30K races.  But the raison d’être is world record attempts in the men’s 10,000 meters and the women’s 5K.

 

According to the Pre Classic meet director, American Record holder Chris Solinsky and former Oregon Duck Galen Rupp will join a stellar field of Ethiopians (including Imane Merga who  won the Rome 5k last week in a world-leading time of 12:54.21) and Kenyan Micah Kogo the 10,000m Olympic Bronze Medalist in Beijing.  You can find the entire list of entrants on the Pre Classic website.

 

The women’s 5,000 meters also looks to be an incredible match up as World record holder Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia competes against Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya who is the reigning World Champion, with the fastest time in the world last year.  Local favorites include OTC Elite’s Sally Kipyego and Nike star Shalane Flanagan.

 

Curtis Anderson focuses on the men’s 800 meters:  “This year’s men’s 800 at the Pre Classic has a hometown flavor.  Besides Symmonds, three of his OTC Elite teammates are expected to compete: Andrew Wheating, Tyler Mulder and Australian Lachlan Renshaw.”  But it is not only the locals competing: “The 800 features three international stars in Sudan’s Abubaker Kaki (1:42.23), Kenya’s Boaz Lalang (1:42.95) and Kenya’s Jackson Kivuna (1:43.72).”

 

Ron Bellamy remembers veteran meet announcer Scott Davis, who died last August at age 66.  “He was everything you’d want in a meet announcer — he had a great voice, he did his homework, he had a wonderful sense of timing, and a flair for the dramatic. You listened to him, and you knew he loved the sport and knew the sport and didn’t want you to miss the smallest detail.”  There will be a formal remembrance honoring Davis at the meet on Saturday.

 

Although many fans focus solely on the track, the throwing events at Pre are known for outstanding performances.  This year should be no different:   Each of the four throwing events  features the number 1 ranked athlete in the world, and 3 of the 4 include the reigning Olympic or World Champion.  Competition will include men’s shot put, men’s and women’s discus and women’s javelin.

 

The jumping events should also be full of highlights, with the world’s top-ranked competitors in the men’s high jump, men’s long jump (Dwight Phillips) and women’s pole vault (Fabiana Murer) coming to Eugene. The men’s high jump field boasts the top two jumpers in the world: Russia’s Ivan Ukhov and TrackTown’s own Jesse Williams. Ukhov has a best of 2.38 indoors this season, but has not competed outdoors yet; while Williams has equaled his outdoor-PR of 2.34 and is undefeated in two outdoor meets this spring.

 

Friday night racing starts with the 25K/30K at 6:30 p.m. followed by the women’s 5K (8:25 p.m.) and men’s 10K (8:50 p.m.)  Saturday’s meet tips off at 10:00 a.m. and will include the following events:

Men: 100, 200, 400, 800, International Mile, Bowerman Mile, 2-Mile, Steeplechase, 10000, 110 Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump, Shot Put, Discus Throw
Women: 100, 400, 800, 1500, 5000, 400 Hurdles, Pole Vault, Triple Jump, Shot Put, Javelin Throw

By Rita on June 2, 2011
This entry is filed under News, Prefontaine Classic and tagged , , , , , .