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NCAA Championships: USC Steals Oregon Ducks Thunder To Take Team Title

By Justin Phillips

EUGENE, OR - MAY 26: Celliphine Chepteek Chespol of Ethiopia jumps in the water pit during the 3000m Steeplechase during the 2017 Prefontaine Classic Diamond Leagueat Hayward Field on May 26, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OR - MAY 26: Celliphine Chepteek Chespol of Ethiopia jumps in the water pit during the 3000m Steeplechase during the 2017 Prefontaine Classic Diamond Leagueat Hayward Field on May 26, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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The rain came and went and the Oregon Ducks were not able to rise to the occasion as the USC Trojans took the team title in the final meet at Hayward Field.

The Oregon Ducks were lined up to have an epic evening in the final curtain call for Hayward Field which was due to undergo renovations following the NCAA Track and Field Championships. Entering Saturday, Oregon had nine of sixteen athletes advance to their respective events, including several that have multiple contenders in the 100 meter and 400-meter finals respectively.

The Women of Oregon started out well with a second place finish in the 4×100 and Jessica Hull winning the 1500 Meters, but bad starts plagued the home team in the 100 meter hurdles and the 100 meters with Alaysha Johnson finishing 9th and Ariana Washington after several false starts coming up short with a last-place finish in the 100 meter final after a start she could not recover from.

Following the 100 meters the first of two thunderstorms passed over Hayward Field dropping heavy rain showers as the competition continued on the track. The Oregon Ducks two finishers in the 400 meters came in 6th and 8th respectively with Briyahna Desrosiers and Makenzie Dunmore.

As the Team Title for the Oregon Ducks was clearly becoming out of reach, a Top Five finish on the season was still possible with an important run in the 4×400 Meter race to close out Historic Hayward Field in its current configuration.

Lilli Burdon came in third place in the Women’s 5000 Meter Final for the Oregon Ducks. At the end of the day, Oregon gave it their all in the 4×400 meter final, finishing in third place. The USC Trojans won the team title of the 2018 Outdoor Track and Field Championship. While the Ducks placed well in key positions, the track races let them down as they fell out of contention by the middle of the afternoon.

The NCAA Championships was the final event to be held at Hayward Field till 2020. While many in Eugene have fought for the East Grandstand over the last months, it is set to be razed in the coming month to make way for a new Hayward Field.

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The Oregon Ducks finished in 7th place with a total of 39 team points.