Jenna Prandini (Clovis HS 2011; Oregon 2016)
Seattle – The Oregon track and field team began the 2015 indoor season at the Washington Preview, Saturday. While it was the first meet of the season for the Ducks, that did not keep them from setting some of the best marks in the country.
The women’s team got off to a fast start in the 60 meter dash led by 2014 NCAA All-Americans Jasmine Todd and Jenna Prandini. Todd won the event in a time of 7.15, breaking her own Dempsey Indoor Facility record which makes her 10th in NCAA history. The performance is also the world and collegiate leader so far this year. Prandini finished third while tying her personal best of 7.24 which she set last season at the UW Preview.
The third Duck to make the finals of the event was freshman Ariana Washington, clocking a time of 7.41 for a sixth-place finish, in her Oregon debut.
“That group has been training well during the fall and to see the fruits of their labor pay off is phenomenal,” said head coach Robert Johnson.
The Oregon women dominated the straight-away, Saturday as sophomoreSasha Wallace picked up a win in the 60 hurdles. Wallace won her semifinal in 8.38 before running an 8.27 in the finals. She was joined by freshmanAshlee Moore who finished sixth with a time of 8.64. However that was not Moore’s top time of the day as she recorded an 8.54 by winning her semifinals heat, ranking fifth in Oregon history.
The Men of Oregon earned a win in the last individual event of the day thanks to a big move by Matt Jablonski in the 3,000. Jablonski pulled away in the final 100 meters to finish with a personal best of 8:03.73, edging out former NCAA Champion German Fernandez. The time makes the redshirt junior fourth on the national list in the early season.
Trevor Ferguson finished fifth in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.14 after setting a personal record of 8.02 during his qualification win earlier in the day.
The meet was a chance for many newcomers to make their Duck debut. In total, 15 student-athletes competed for the first time in an Oregon uniform.
Among that group was transfer Katie Porada who ran away from her heat in the 800, finishing in a time of 2:10.82 and winning by nearly seven seconds. That time held up for third overall, the best among collegiate athletes in the field.
Freshman Raevyn Rogers also started her Oregon career, Saturday, finishing third in the 600 (1:29.87). Fellow middle distance runner Nikki Hiltzcompeted in an Oregon uniform for the first time after redshirting her freshman season. She finished sixth in a very competitive 1,000-meter field, which included former Oregon star Jordan Hasay, with a time of 2:45.03.
The Ducks had three men finish in the top seven of the 200 led by Marcus Chambers who took fourth in 21.57. He was followed by Jordan Latt (22.07), who finished sixth in both the 200 and the 400, and Ben Thiel in seventh (22.08).
The duo of Lauren Crockett and Chancey Summers were the top two finishers for Oregon in field events. The pair jumped the same mark of 5-8.5 (1.74m), with Crocket finishing as the event runner-up based on fewer misses.
Representing the Oregon men in the field events was Josh Melu who finished second in the triple jump with a distance of 48-8.75 (14.85m). He was joined by freshman Chance Whitehurst in fifth (46-4.25/14.13m).
In the pole vault, last year’s U.S. Junior Champion Cole Walsh took fourth after clearing 16-8.75 (5.10m) while Matt Hidalgo cleared 16-2.75 (4.95m) for sixth place.
Multi-event athletes Joe Delgado, Alec Fellows, Blake Kemp and Mitch Modin posted solid marks in the 60 hurdles, 600 and pole vault as they prepare for their first heptathlon.
“This meet was designed to allow our Ducks to get out and compete with the “O” on their chest,” Johnson said. “It was a chance to break up the monotony and compete against someone other than ourselves in practice.”
Johnson said next week will be a little different as the Ducks make the cross-country trip to Lexington, Ky., for the Rod McCravy Invitational, Jan. 23-24. There they will meet some of the best competition in the country as five of the nation’s top 10 men’s teams will be competing along with seven of the top 10 women’s teams.
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