NCAA Championships Day 1: Edward Cheserek, Devon Allen Lead Oregon Ducks To Team Lead

Devon Allen prepares to run in the 110 Meter Hurdles in the NCAA Championships.Justin Phillips/KPNW Sports
Devon Allen prepares to run in the 110 Meter Hurdles in the NCAA Championships.Justin Phillips/KPNW Sports

The first day of competition saw Oregon successful in enough events to keep racing for a team title with Devon Allen and Edward Cheserek leading the charge for the Ducks.

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The Oregon Ducks saw 32 athletes ready to go over the four days of the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field, Greg Skipper made his presence felt in the Men’s Hammer Throw Final with a throw of 70.15 meters launching himself into the Top 3.  His second throw on the day was 71.39. H­­­e finished the day with a new Personal Record and picked up six points in the first team event for the home team.

The Oregon Ducks saw solid starts from both Joseph Delgado and Mitch Modin who started their day just after Noon with the first event of the Decathalon. Through three events both Oregon athletes sat just outside the Top 15 with two events remaining on Day One of the Competition.

The evening session would tell the tale for the Oregon Ducks with Devon Allen participating in three events, the 4×100 meter, 110 meter hurdles, and the 200 meter before the day was done.  Edward Cheserek would also be a name worth keeping an eye on before Day One of the NCAA Track and Field Championships came to a close.

In his first event Allen led Oregon to a 4th place finish in their respective heat, but they did not qualify for the final on time. He won the second heat of the 110 Meter Hurdles and was just off his best time of the year to easily qualify for the final on Friday. Allen ran out of gas in the 200 meters with a good start, but fell in the last 100 meters.

Marcus Chambers came through with a second place finish in his heat of the 800 Meter Semifinal to move on to Friday.

The final event of the night for Oregon was the 10,000 Meter Final with reigning NCAA Champion Edward Cheserek looking to do win it and he did for the third straight year. Cheserek will be on the track again on Friday in the 5000 meters looking to add more points to the Ducks team total.

Following the action on Wednesday, Oregon is in the lead by three points 19-16 over Arkansas.

We turn the page to Thursday and do it all again tomorrow for the conclusion of the Men’s Decathalon, and the start for the Women’s NCAA Championship. Coverage will begin at 10:30am Pacific Time from Hayward Field and on KPNW Radio in Eugene.

Schedule

Schedule