After a successful start to the 2017 season at the UW Indoor Preview, where the Ducks garnered seven event wins, the majority of the Oregon track and field team will travel to New York for the Columbia East-West Challenge on Friday and Saturday.
This clash between the Pac-12 and the Ivy League will feature Oregon and UCLA representing the west and Columbia, Cornell, Harvard and Penn State for the east.
The goal for the meet, according to Oregon head coach Robert Johnson, is to hit qualifying marks for the NCAA Championship.
“We’re looking to get those DMRs knocked out of the way,” Johnson said, “so those kids can go on throughout the season and focus on their individual events.”
Johnson said the men’s distance-medley relay team tentatively will include Edward Cheserek in the mile, Cameron Stone (400 meter), Mick Stanovsek (800) and Matthew Maton (1,200.)
For the women, the team will be Katie Rainsberger in the mile, Ashante Horsley (400) and Raevyn Rogers (800). The 1,200 meter leg hasn’t been decided.
A small group of Oregon men are also traveling up to Seattle to compete at the UW Invitational, including: high jumper Ben Milligan, pole vaulter Cole Walsh and heptathletes Joe Delgado and Mitch Modin.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Columbia East-West Challenge
Time: 2:30 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday (note: times are in eastern time zone.)
Where: Armory Track and Field Center, New York, New York
Online: RunnerSpace +Plus
UW Invitational
Time: 1 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday
Where: Dempsey Indoor Center, Seattle, Washington
Online: Flotrack.com with a premium subscription
Events to watch for:
Women’s events
In the 60-meter, Hannah Cunliffe, coming off a win in the event at the UW Preview, will race alongside 2016 Olympians Deajah Stevens and Ariana Washington. The three will also compete in the 200 alongside Oregon freshman freshmen Hannah Waller and Makenzie Dunmore.
The 60-meter hurdles features Sasha Wallace and Alaysha Johnson, both who beat the meet record at the UW Indoor Preview while going 1-2 in the event.
Rogers will make her season debut in the 800 meter as she looks to defend her title. Joining her will be Brooke Feldmeier.
“Indoor always goes pretty fast,” Feldmeier said. “We want to get out there and get some fast times, so we can get qualified for nationals early and not have to stress about it later.”
Rainsberger, coming off a successful debut cross country season which concluded with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the highest ever by an Oregon freshman, will make her indoor debut in the 1,000 meter.
A significant part of the Oregon NCAA champion cross country team will make an appearance in the mile, including Alli Cash and Emma Abrahamson.
Men’s events
After winning the event at the UW Indoor Preview, senior transfer Kyree King will race in 60 meter alongside Julius Shellmire and Damarcus Simpson. King and Shellmire will also compete in the 200 meter with four-time All-American Marcus Chambers.
Simpson is also set to compete in the long jump, an event in which he placed eighth during the U.S. Olympic trials this summer.
School record holder Blake Haney will led a team of four Oregon newcomers in the mile, including redshirt senior transfer Tim Gorman and freshmen Jackson Mestler, Austin Tamagno and Jack Yearian.
In addition to the DMR, Cheserek and Maton will make their indoor debuts in the 3,000 meter.
“I don’t think I’m entirely as fast as I will be by the end of the year, but I’ll be fit enough,” Maton said. “I think it’s going to hurt, for sure.”
In the shot put, freshman Sebastian Barajas will join two redshirt seniors Ryan Hunter-Simms and T.J. Brassil and redshirt junior Austin White.
Follow Hannah Bonnie on Twitter @hbonnie03
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