As the NCAA Championships get set to begin this Wednesday at the historic Hayward Field, Oregon runners such as English Gardner begin to feel the importance of winning an outdoor title in front of her home crowd. But in addition to preparing for the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4×100 relay, Gardner may be asked to run what is called the “quad,” in which she will run the 4×400 relay on top of her already settled events.
Traditionally, the “quad” has been more common among southern schools, but in regards to the UO women’s track and field program, it has only been done once.
Melanie Batiste is the lone Oregon runner who has completed the “quad” and it was back in 1979 at the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national meet in East Lansing, Mich., where she competed in the 100, 200, 440-yard relay and mile relay.
Gardner understands there is a tradeoff between sacrificing her individual energy for the betterment of her team, but does seem willing to take one for the team.
There is no guarantee that Gardner competes in the 4×400 relay, but one thing is for sure and that is the fact that she will be ready for any challenge thrown at her in the upcoming NCAA Championships.
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Despite a disappointing end to the 2013 season, the Oregon Ducks baseball team proved they belong with the best in the country. The Ducks have made the post-season the last two years, which is an impressive feat for a program that was reinstated in 2009.
But with the summer approaching, there will be some crucial decisions that will need to made that could potentially impact the future of the Oregon baseball in the upcoming years.
There was no doubt that Ryon Healy was the leader of the Ducks this season. Despite falling to Rice in the Eugene Regional title game, Healy led the Ducks to a No. 9 seed and proved himself not only as an individual player, but also as a heavy contributor to his team. But as Healy continues to impress as a player, the discussion of going pro has slowly crept up on the junior infielder.
Aubrey Wieber of the Emerald has the full story
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After getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs, Coach Lionel Hollins of the Memphis Grizzlies faces the potential of leaving a team that has had much success in the past few years.
Hollins claims that he love Memphis and being a part of the organization, but as every coach does, Hollins may be looking to weigh his options with other teams this upcoming offseason. On the list of teams that are interested: Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets.
Mike Tokito with the story.