By Linden Moore
Oregon sophomore Alaysha Johnson entered Sunday’s final of the 100-meter hurdles at the Pac-12 championships as the sole competitor wearing green and yellow. But before she got to the starting line, she was putting herself down.
“There’s this big cloud over my head saying, ‘I can’t do it at the big meets,’” Johnson said. “Every time I get on the track, I feel like I have something to prove.”
She cleared the negative thoughts from her head as she finished with a time of 12.90, earning the conference title over USC’s Anna Cockrell by 0.16 seconds.
“USC got out on both sides of me, so I was pretty nervous but I went with it and felt like I finished really strong,” Johnson said. “I haven’t had that many races that were clean, so I knew I had to clear the last few hurdles to grab it.”
Oregon coach Robert Johnson noted Johnson’s poise while she was in the homestretch of the race.
“You can see her poise there in the hurdles as far as her not panicking because she was behind halfway through the race,” the coach said. “For her to run the bottom half of those hurdles the way she did definitely shows poise and maturity as she gets older.”
Johnson raced without fellow teammate Sasha Wallace, who was scratched Friday due to health reasons.
“It’s definitely not the same getting on the track without Sasha,” Johnson said. “We talked, and she reassured me last night that I can do anything and that I have this ability, that she believes in me just like everyone else does.”
After ending her indoor season in fifth place in the 60-meter hurdles at the MPSF championships, she’s worked on regaining her confidence to get to her current level.
“It reassured me that no matter what happens coming off a rough indoor season, outdoor is me, the 100 hurdles is me and this is what I’m here for,” Johnson said. “I needed that to let others know that I might not have done it in the indoor season, but I’m going to do it in the outdoor.”
In the other women’s hurdles event, Arizona senior Sage Watson won the 400 final with a time of 55.01 in her last Pac-12 championships.
“I felt strong coming home and I couldn’t feel anyone around me,” said Watson. “It’s not a PR. Honestly, I would’ve liked to run faster, but it’s progression. I’ve gotten faster each week. The goal is to qualify for NCAAs and go for that personal best.”
