Oregon women dominate en route to ninth straight Pac-12 title

By Gus Morris 

Another year, another Pac-12 track and field outdoor title for Oregon’s women.

The Oregon women’s track and field team secured its ninth Pac-12 Championship at Hayward Field on Sunday with a final score of 189. The Ducks entered the day tied for fifth with eventual runner-up USC  but scored 165 points on the final day to run away with the victory.

USC finished with 135 points.

“Super surprised by the margins,” Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said. “Under no circumstance did I think it would be 50, 60 points or anything like that.”

The matchup that supplied the most intrigue, Oregon and USC, looked primed to take center stage on the final day of competition. Both teams entered the day with 24 points and looked to be in great position to make a run at the title.

But the Ducks proved to be too much. They won six events and scored points in all but one event.

“Everyone went out there and competed,” said Raevyn Rogers, who won the 800 and helped Oregon place second in the 4×400. “We didn’t even think about the points, and that’s what our coaches wanted us to do.”

It was Oregon’s sprinters who dominated the day. Deajah Stevens, Arianna Washington and Hannah Cunliffe combined for 40 points in individual events and went 1-2-3 in the 100 meters. That trio, joined by Alaysha Johnson, also won the 4×100 in 42.81 seconds.

Saturday was the first time in over a month that Stevens, Washington and Cunliffe — the core three of the group — raced together in a month. The trio hasn’t been all healthy since the Mt. Sac Relays back in April.

Robert Johnson said that the group is progressing and should be ready for the NCAA Regionals in two weeks. “Probably a couple of weeks away,” he said.

Oregon’s long distance runners also got in on the scoring. Freshman Katie Rainsberger finished second in the 1,500 (4:23.07)  and third in the 5,000 (16:13.53). She was followed closely by Jessica Hull in the 1,500, and Samantha Nadel and Lilli Burdon in the 5,000.

Johnson praised the efforts of all the athletes who scored points, not just the winners.

“Those fifth, sixth and seventh in points, those definitely make a difference in these championship runs, and we’re going to definitely need those in the next month,” Johnson said.

After the men’s 100 and women’s 800, Johnson began to reevaluate his approach. Oregon’s lead in the men’s and women’s events had grown comfortable enough, so Johnson switched his plan of attack.

“Once you start to do the math, you start to look out for the health of the kids and not run them more than need be,” he said.

He pulled most of his top runners out of the 4×400 and let the B-team run in their place. The Ducks finished second in the women’s 4×400 and last in the men’s 4×400.

Still, Oregon did what it needed to do to get the win.

“I don’t think it ever gets old,” Johnson said. “To see the kids there and see their faces, for a lot of them, this is their first time running at Hayward Field. It’s just special. Special all around.”

Gus Morris

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