Sports

The University of Oregon men's track and field team ended a 30-year dry spell by earning the national title at Hayward Field Saturday. The Oregon women took third in the NCAA Championships held in Eugene.

More than 11,000 fans packed the stands at Hayward Field on the final day of competition. The crowd finally saw the sun break through the thick clouds in the men's 1500 meter; Oregon senior Mac Fleet won his last collegiate race.

The wind whipped and the sun never really broke through on day three of the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene.   Still more than 10-thousand fan flocked to Hayward field Friday to see who would be crowned collegiate champions in fifteen events.  

The only thing faster than the runners on the track were the black storm clouds speeding over, high above Hayward field.  But the rain held off.  Fans filed in, programs were sold, coaches coached from the sidelines, and the crowd cheered, loudest for the Ducks.

It was a windy second day at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Many athletes have superstitions or rituals before they compete, and track is no different. KLCC’s Desmond O’Boyle went out in search of some of those stories and has this audio postcard.

copyright, 2014 KLCC

Eugene is used to hosting big track and field events. But what does coming to Track Town mean to the thousands of visitors here for the NCAA Championships?

The first day of competition was sunny and warm. Most newcomers to Track Town USA complemented Oregon's natural beauty:

Mareno: "Lavonne Mareno, I'm from Corpus Christie Texas. We love the trees. Eugene is awesome."

Hamilton: "Fisher Hamilton from Lake Charles Louisiana. It's beautiful. I didn't know it was going to be this pretty I knew it was going to be awesome but it's unreal, it really is."

The best collegiate track and field athletes in the country are traveling to Eugene this week to compete in the NCAA Championships.  The 4-day meet opens Wednesday at Hayward Field. 

The University of Oregon Men’s track and field team got some big news last week.  The national rankings were released and the Ducks were on top for the first time since April.  Senior Trevor Dunbar is one of 21 U of O entries who hope to score points for the team.  Dunbar will be running the 5000 and 10,000 meters.   

The Prefontaine Classic just wrapped up at Hayward Field and there's more to come in Eugene for Track & Field fans.

Track town USA will live up to its nickname this summer.

The World Junior Championships is the marquee event in late July. It's the first time this competition has been held in the United States. The World Juniors coincides with the Eugene Marathon on July 27th.  

Kari Westlund, President and CEO of Travel Lane County says she thinks visitors will be able to find lodging in and around Eugene.

One of the most storied professional track and field meets in the world turned 40 this weekend.  The best US and international athletes traveled to Eugene for the Prefontaine Classic.

Two American records fell at the 2014 Pre.  Shannon Rowbury set the record in the 2 mile distance.  And to the joy of his former home crowd, Galen Rupp broke his own national record in the 10,000 meters.

They scheduled the best for last at “distance night” of the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene: the 10,000 meter race.

The crowd stayed until after 9 pm to cheer for Galen Rupp, a native of Oregon and former U of O star. Rupp reportedly asked for a fast 10K race.

The Nike Oregon Project runner hoped to break his own American record, set in 2011. As the laps ticked by, he remained in the lead group of four to six runners, holding a pace almost equal to his record time. But with two laps to go, he took the lead.

The University of Oregon softball team is on its way to the College World Series.  The Ducks defeated Minnesota in two games in this weekend’s Super Regional tournament in Eugene. Last year at this time, Oregon’s dreams of making the World Series were dashed in the Super Regional.  But things are different this time around.  The Ducks went into the post season the number one team in the country.  And on Sunday, they finished off the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.

Next month, Boeing I-T analyst Bruce Stobie  is going to attempt an incredible feat. He aims to get to the top of North America’s tallest peak – Denali. That alone is impressive, but Stobie  faces an additional challenge. He’s blind.

Everything changed for Bruce Stobie on Nov. 5, 1983. He was one of nine college kids, packed into a truck, driving through the Cascades, when the driver lost control. The last thing Stobie ever saw was the truck flying into the air. He thought he was going to die. Stobie smashed face-first into the roll bar of the vehicle before being tossed out.

Update at 5:00pm (5-5-14)

Oregon State University has fired Men's Head Basketball Coach Craig Robinson.  

Just two months ago OSU Athletic Director Bob de Carolis announced Robinson would remain in his position.  He addressed the recent change of heart at a press conference Monday afternoon.  

Saturday at 11, the Duck football team will win its first game of 2014. It will be Duck versus Duck for the annual spring game.

For the fifth straight year, the Duck’s Spring Scrimmage will honor the military. U of O spokesman Andy McNamara says players will wear specially-designed jerseys:

McNamara: “It’s a one-time only uniform that will be donated after the game. The players will give their uniforms to some service men and women that are down on the field.”

The high-tech uniforms are wolf grey with yellow highlights and olive green.

The University of Oregon softball team hit a milestone this week.  For the first time in school history, they are the number one team in the country.

The top ranking comes after the Ducks won two in a three-game series against then-number-one UCLA.  After the final game Sunday, senior utility player Kailee Cuico told Oregon Sports Network the series showed what the team could do.

Fans of both the U of O women's and men's basketball teams have something to celebrate. The women's team has a new coach.  Kelly Graves, 51, led the Gonzaga women Bulldogs for 14 years.  He took them to seven NCAA tournaments and three straight Sweet Sixteens:

"I'm absolutely thrilled and privileged to be here," Graves told reporters Tuesday.  He was asked about how he planned to work with Jillian Alleyne, the Ducks' honorable mention All-American:

The University of Oregon Men's Basketball team has won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. But, the University of Wisconsin Badgers ended the Ducks' season Saturday 85 to 77 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Ducks had a great first half despite Wisconsin's five offensive rebounds. Oregon went into the locker room with a 12-point lead and a lot of momentum.

The University of Oregon women's basketball team opened the first round of the National Invitational Tournament with a 27 point win Thursday night in Eugene.

The Stockton, CA-based University of the Pacific had a nice season in the West Coast Conference going 12 and 6.  It was the exact opposite of the Ducks in the PAC-12. In fact, Oregon just barely had enough overall wins to even qualify for the NIT.