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After eight events, seven victories and six victory laps over the last eight days, Devon Allen is finally getting some rest.
No one deserves it more.
The Oregon redshirt sophomore had another impressive day in front of 7,442 at Hayward Field on Saturday, winning all three of his events during the Oregon Relays track and field meet.
Allen opened with a leg on the Ducks’ 4x100-meter relay win, then followed with a victory in the 110 hurdles and ended his day with a win in the 400 hurdles.
“I’m in pretty good shape,” Allen said. “Doing a lot of races takes a lot out of you and I feel good.”
Allen, who has returned to track after missing all of 2015 recovering from a knee injury, won’t compete again until the Oregon Twilight at Hayward Field on May 6 at the earliest. He could possibly be out until the Pac-12 championships May 14-15 in Seattle.
“Devon’s in uncharted territory,” Oregon coach Robert Johnson said. “Everything that he does is special. … We got to get some things in, get a little bit of the rust off. Now we’ll sit him down for the next couple weeks.”
Allen was back at Hayward Field last Saturday for the first time since winning the 2014 NCAA title in the 110 hurdles. He won three of his four events during the Pepsi Team Invitational and set the NCAA lead in the 110 hurdles at 13.40 seconds.
During Friday’s portion of the Oregon Relays, he won the 200 with a PR of 20.68.
“I wanted to get these races in just because I don’t get to train as long as most of the guys in the season so I have to catch up with volume,” Allen said. “I’m happy with my conditioning and I’m happy with my performances, they’ve been pretty consistent.”
Saturday he set the meet record in the 110 hurdles at 13.48 and then ran 51.32 in the 400, clipping the final hurdle to slow his progress at the end.
Allen also ran the opening leg of the 4x100, though the race wasn’t won until Marcus Chambers ran down former Oregon teammate Russell Hornsby on the anchor leg to secure the win.
Hornsby, who was a middle distance runner for the Ducks, was on a team with professional sprinters Ryan Bailey, Joe Morris and Arthur Delaney. He was given a large lead to work with but Chambers blew past him down the home straight.
“The 4x100 was fun,” Chambers said. “He died because he hasn’t been training like we have, but it was fun.”
Chambers later won the 400 in 46.95, which is two seconds slower than his PR, though the 2015 NCAA runnerup admits he’s just starting to round into shape.
“Time’s are not a big thing for me (right now),” Chambers said. “I’m just trying to focus on my race plan.”
Redshirt junior Cole Walsh had a big breakthrough in the pole vault after a disappointing sophomore season in 2015.
Walsh cleared a PR 17 feet, 9 inches to move into ninth all-time at Oregon. His mark was the best by a Duck since Tommy Skipper set the school record of 19- 1/4 in 2007.
“You can never be mad with a PR,” said Walsh, who missed on his three attempts at 18-1.
Walsh won the USATF Junior title in 2014 with a mark of 17-6 1/2 to get him into the World Junior Championships. But he didn’t come close to that height in 2015, clearing a season-best 17-2 3/4.
“Last year I was really inconsistent in my approach,” said Walsh, who is now tied for fifth in the NCAA this season. “That’s something I worked really hard on.”
Other wins for Oregon on Saturday included redshirt sophomore Chance Whitehurst in the triple jump. His mark of 49-9-1/4 upped his PR for the second week in a row. Junior Ashante Horsley won the women’s 400 in 54.89.
In the men’s 100, Portland area sprinter Joe Morris set a meet record with his win in 10.22. Oregon record-holder Britney Henry returned to win the hammer throw with a toss of 216-1, and Tyler Mulder of Oregon Track Club Elite held off Oregon’s Grant Grosvenor in the 800 to win in 1:50.50 to 1:50.70.
EUGENE, Ore – Oregon track and field piled on the wins during the final day of the Oregon Relays, Saturday at Hayward Field, finishing with a total of eight victories.
None may have been bigger than Cole Walsh who carried over momentum from a solid indoor season, clearing a personal best of 17-9 (5.41m) to win the pole vault. The height is two and a half inches better than his previous best and moves him in a tie for ninth in Oregon history, the best since Tommy Skipper set the school record in 2007.
“I know he’s been close to a lot of things in practice so to see him put it together in a meet is really exciting,” said Oregon head coach Robert Johnsonabout his sophomore vaulter.
Walsh was animated as the crowd responded to his achievements on the east runway at Hayward Field, likely securing a spot at the NCAA West Regional.
“Every time the grandstands get loud, it’s really fun to jump,” Walsh said.
The Hayward crowd has come to expect Devon Allen to win every time he steps on the track – mainly because it has come to fruition over the last two weeks. The dual-sport star has earned seven wins between the Pepsi Team Invitational and the Oregon Relays.
Allen added three more victories on Saturday, winning both the 110 (13.48) and 400 hurdles (51.32). He also teamed up with Kirk Merritt, Tony Brooks-Jamesand Marcus Chambers in the 4x100, the latter of which chased down former teammate Russell Hornsby on the home stretch to cross the finish line in 40.18.
Chambers won the open 400 later in the day, finishing in 46.95 while Ashante Horsley ran away from the women’s field to mark her second victory in two day after winning the 200 on Friday.
Oregon cleaned up in the field events on Friday and Chance Whitehurstcontinued the trend by winning the men’s triple jump on Saturday. The Portland, Ore., native topped his previous best by 18 inches with a wind-legal mark of 49-9.25 (15.17m).
In the final event of the day, Jack Galpin, Grant Grosvenor, Cameron Stone andBradley Laubacher won the 4x400 in 3:14.46.
Grosvenor was also in action for the 800, along with Ashley Maton on the women’s side. Grosvenor crossed the finish line in 1:50.70 while Maton set a personal best of 2:09.08, each taking second.
It has been an action packed two weeks for the Ducks with two home meets and a lot of competition in the books. Johnson said now the attention turns to training as the Ducks have a week off before a group travels to the Penn Relays then eventually returning for the Oregon Twilight on May 6.
EUGENE -- Ducks and former Ducks scored wins at the Oregon Relays on Saturday at Historic Hayward Field.
Ducks redshirt sophomore Devon Allen blazed to a new Oregon Relays record in the men's 110-meter hurdles, posting a 13.48 to better the previous mark by two-tenths of a second, capturing the race by nearly one full second in front of Cerritos' Dario Robinson. Allen still owns Oregon's all-time 110-meter record at 13.16, which he set in 2014.
Allen also claimed a victory in the men's 400-meter hurdles, recording a 51.32. Had he not clipped his final hurdle, he may have been able to surpass his personal record of 51.19 (set in 2014).
Oregon junior Marcus Chambers earned a victory lap in the men's 400 meters, racing to a time of 46.95. Ducks freshman Cameron Stone took third in the event in a time of 48.41.
Chambers and Allen along with Kirk Merritt and Tony James-Brooks grabbed a win in the men's 4x100 meter relay, finishing in a time of 40.18.
Oregon record holder Britney Henry, now a part of Oiselle, claimed the hammer throw with a heave of 213 feet, 7 inches.
EUGENE, Ore – Oregon track and field piled on the wins during the final day of the Oregon Relays, Saturday at Hayward Field, finishing with a total of eight victories.
None may have been bigger than Cole Walsh who carried over momentum from a solid indoor season, clearing a personal best of 17-9 (5.41m) to win the pole vault. The height is two and a half inches better than his previous best and moves him in a tie for ninth in Oregon history, the best since Tommy Skipper set the school record in 2007.
“I know he’s been close to a lot of things in practice so to see him put it together in a meet is really exciting,” said Oregon head coach Robert Johnsonabout his sophomore vaulter.
Walsh was animated as the crowd responded to his achievements on the east runway at Hayward Field, likely securing a spot at the NCAA West Regional.
“Every time the grandstands get loud, it’s really fun to jump,” Walsh said.
The Hayward crowd has come to expect Devon Allen to win every time he steps on the track – mainly because it has come to fruition over the last two weeks. The dual-sport star has earned seven wins between the Pepsi Team Invitational and the Oregon Relays.
Allen added three more victories on Saturday, winning both the 110 (13.48) and 400 hurdles (51.32). He also teamed up with Kirk Merritt, Tony Brooks-Jamesand Marcus Chambers in the 4x100, the latter of which chased down former teammate Russell Hornsby on the home stretch to cross the finish line in 40.18.
Chambers won the open 400 later in the day, finishing in 46.95 while Ashante Horsley ran away from the women’s field to mark her second victory in two day after winning the 200 on Friday.
Oregon cleaned up in the field events on Friday and Chance Whitehurstcontinued the trend by winning the men’s triple jump on Saturday. The Portland, Ore., native topped his previous best by 18 inches with a wind-legal mark of 49-9.25 (15.17m).
In the final event of the day, Jack Galpin, Grant Grosvenor, Cameron Stone andBradley Laubacher won the 4x400 in 3:14.46.
Grosvenor was also in action for the 800, along with Ashley Maton on the women’s side. Grosvenor crossed the finish line in 1:50.70 while Maton set a personal best of 2:09.08, each taking second.
It has been an action packed two weeks for the Ducks with two home meets and a lot of competition in the books. Johnson said now the attention turns to training as the Ducks have a week off before a group travels to the Penn Relays then eventually returning for the Oregon Twilight on May 6.
“If we can get over the little aches and pains and the normal mundane stuff that comes along with training really hard at this time of year,” Johnson said. “If we can get over that we’ll have a little lull over the next couple of weeks, then we’ll come back for the Twilight meet.”
this high school girl kicked Geena Galls ass
Prep star Katie Rainsberger makes a stylish introduction to fans at Hayward Field
Prep star Katie Rainsberger makes a stylish introduction to fans at Hayward Field
High school senior Katie Rainsberger, an incoming freshman for the Oregon Ducks, beat a field of elite and college athletes to win the 1500 meters at the Oregon Relays. (Pete Christopher/The Oregonian)
By Ken Goe | The Oregonian/OregonLive Email the author | Follow on Twitter on April 15, 2016 at 10:06 PM, updated April 15, 2016 at 10:18 P
EUGENE – Katie Rainsberger, the Colorado high school phenom who will run in college for the Oregon Ducks, introduced herself to Hayward Field in spectacular fashion Friday in the Oregon Relays.
Rainsberger made a slingshot move around Olympian Geena Gall on the back straight of the last lap and held off a late Gall move on the front straight to win the 1,500 meters.
Rainsberger, the Gatorade National Cross Country Runner of the year from Colorado Springs, finished in 4 minutes, 17.52 seconds, the best high school time in the country this season. Gall crossed second in 4:18.04.
Then Rainsberger donned an Oregon t-shirt to take a victory lap in front of the 6,944 fans.
"That was crazy," she said. "That was really cool. That was the first time I've ever done that. To have all of the fans and people support me and cheer for me. That's really exciting. I can't wait to be a part of the team."
There are fans who probably can't wait for that either, especially after watching her take Gall's measure and blow past her with 250 meters to go.
"I felt like I had really good momentum going," she said. "I just thought, 'It's now or never.' So I went for it."
Gall represented the U.S. in the 2012 Olympics, and still is an elite runner.
But Rainsberger looks like the future. She said she felt a little nervous warming up with Gall and Maggie Vessey, a member of the 2009 U.S. world championships team.
Then it was just racing.
In the men's 1,500, Eric Avila made a nice return from a 2015 season short-circuited by anemia, by kicking past Harun Abda of Oregon Track Club and the University of Oregon's Chris Brewer in the final 200 to win in 3:43.86.
Brewer was second, and Daniel Herrera of High Performance West was third. Abda faded to fourth.
"I didn't want to do the work, and I didn't have to," said Avila, who trains as part of Team Run Eugene and has just returned from extended altitude training in Flagstaff, Arizona.
"It felt fast the whole time. I was waiting for them. I thought with 200 to go they were going to just blast it. But they didn't pick it up. So I said, 'I guess I'll go around them.'"
Devon Allen, Oregon's you-name-it-he-can-do-it athlete, entered the 200 meters and won, holding off teammate Marcus Chambers to cross in 20.68. The time is a personal record. Chambers was second in 20.94.
The Nike Oregon Project's Suguru Osako returned from some nagging injuries to win the 5,000 meters by nearly five seconds in 13:45.39.
Oregon Project assistant Pete Julian said the goal was for Osako to shake loose and get used to competition again. So far, so good.
"It's just good to see him healthy," Julian said.
Alexi Pappas of OTC Elite won the women's 5,000 from in front in 15:33.78. It was shy of the Olympic qualifying standard of 15:25, but the first victory of her career at Hayward.
Oregon's Itohan Aikhionbare moved another step up the school's career best list in the shot with a winning throw of 54 feet, 4 ½ inches. She now is No. 2 in Oregon history, behind only teammate Brittany Mann.
Mann had a difficult time staying in the sector, and failed to advance from the three-throw preliminaries.
"It was OK," Aikhionbare said of her victory. "I definitely wanted more. But it's a step in the right direction."
Aikhionbare led for much of the discus competition, only to have Oregon State's Melissa Ausman uncork a throw of 171-5 on the fifth of her six attempts to take the lead.
Ausman's throw held up for the victory. Aikhionbare was second at 166-6.
"I've been wanting to hit a 170-foot throw for a while," Ausman said. "It came at a good time in the season. I think there is more to come."
Oregon's Greg Skipper won the men's hammer by nearly 30 feet with a best throw of 223-1.
Mitch Modin edged UO teammate Joe Delgado win the decathlon with 7,468 points. Delgado was second with 7,402.
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