By Linden Moore
The Oregon women’s track team ended the first day of the Pac 12 Track and Field championships in fifth place, tied with USC. Even though they’re not in first, the Ducks are still favored to win the meet.
Colorado led after Saturday’s events with 44 points, but the Buffalo are not expected to be as strong Sunday. That’s where the Ducks will be strong.
The Ducks will look to the women’s 100- and 200-meter races as they attempt to win their ninth Pac-12 title in a row. Juniors Deajah Stevens, Hannah Cunliffe and sophomore Ariana Washington qualified for Sunday’s finals in the 100 and 200.
“We always strive to have a lot of people in the finals, and it’s awesome that it’s going to be me, Hannah and Ari,” Stevens said.
They will be accompanied by senior Elexis Guster and freshman Makenzie Dunmore in the 200-meter final.
“If we can do exactly what we did today we’ll be happy when it’s all said and done,” Oregon coach Robert Johnson said.
The Ducks will also face USC squad in the 4×100 relay. Oregon finished first in the prelims at 43.84 seconds with USC in a close second with a time of 43.85.
“Based on everything coming in, they have some good performances,” said Johnson. “It’s a matchup of the two titans there in the sprint races.”
While the women have some ground to cover before stepping on the podium, there’s still plenty of time for them to move up in the standings.
“We told ourselves, ‘We’re going to come out here and win like we’ve been doing for so many years,’” Stevens said. “And we just have to all come together and do our part.”
