04/15/2008 - GoDucks.com

Women Seek NCAA Marks at 50th Annual Mt. SAC Relays
Heptathletes Head to Azusa Pacific.

         EUGENE, Ore. – NCAA qualifiers Nicole Blood, Brianne Theisen and Zoe Buckman head a contingent of approximately 25 Duck women who will compete in Southern California this week, which will also see freshman Jamesha Youngblood run her first collegiate 400 meter hurdles. Most the Oregon squad will be in action at the 50th annual Mt. SAC Relays at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., while three heptathletes will compete at Azusa Pacific.

The multi-event trio of Theisen, Kalindra McFadden and Erin Funkhouser get the week underway Wednesday and Thursday at the Azusa Pacific heptathlon. Theisen, a freshman from Humboldt, Sask., already has an NCAA automatic qualifying mark this season, 5,575 points from the March 27-28 Sacramento State Invitational, which currently ranks fourth nationally. McFadden, a junior from Bozeman, Mont., holds an NCAA provisional mark of 5,318 points -- No. 12 nationally, which also came at Sacramento State.

The majority of the squad will seek NCAA marks Friday at Mt. SAC.

The Ducks will be well represented in the 5,000 meters, where Blood, a sophomore from Simi Valley, Calif., ranks third nationally with her 16:16.58 time from last week’s Pepsi Team Invitational. Blood will be joined by Elizabeth Bies, a freshman from Yankton, S.D., who’s season best of 16:57.47 is just :05.5 off an NCAA regional mark.

Buckman is entered in both the 800 and 1,500 as the sophomore from Australia looks to add a regional mark in the 1,500 to her 2:07.39 in the 800, which ranks 13th nationally. Freshman Alexandra Kosinski will also run the 800. The El Dorado Hills, Calif., native missed an NCAA time in that event by :00.01 at the Pepsi meet.

Freshman Jamesha Youngblood will make her season debut in the 400 hurdles. The San Pablo, Calif., native clocked a :56.66 as a senior at Hercules High School to rank among the top five prepsters nationally. She’ll be joined in that event by senior Kasey Harwood, junior Leah Worthen and McFadden.

Sophomore Keisha Baker will run the 400 meters. The Sacramento, Calif., native is ranked 13th nationally with a time of 53.62.

In limited field events, NCAA qualifiers Ashley McCrea (155-10) and Kara Meeuwsen (152-11) will throw the javelin. Junior Rachel Yurkovich, ranked second nationally with a throw of 183-11 at the Pepsi meet, will take the week off.

Junior Lucy Cridland is slated to compete in the discus, while senior Liddell Steele, with a regional qualifying clearance of 12-07.5, leads the pole vault contingent.

Oregon’s Tentative Entries -- Mt.SAC Relays
100 meters        Ashley Bridenbeck, Mandy White
200 meters        Mandy White, Keisha Baker, Ashley Bridenbeck
400 meters        Keisha Baker, Irie Searcy, Kavina Hall
800 meters        Zoe Buckman, Alexandra Kosinski
1,500 meters      Zoe Buckman
5,000 meters      Nicole Blood, Elizabeth Bies
100 hurdles        Brianne Theisen
400 hurdles        Kasey Harwood, Jamesha Youngblood, Leah Worthen, Kalindra McFadden
High Jump         Brianne Theisen, Kalindra McFadden
Pole Vault          Jordan Roskelley, Liddell Steele
Long Jump         Brianne Theisen
Discus               Lucy Cridland
Hammer            Megan Maloney
Javelin              Ashley McCrea, Kara Meeuwsen
4x100 Relay