Oregon track and field’s Sasha Wallace has always loved running indoors. Her junior and senior year of high school she competed in Fresno two hours away from her home of Castro Valley, California. It was a chance to shake off the rust and get back into the swing of things — something that she still feels as a collegiate athlete.
“It’s the first season we run and it’s a good segue to go back into outdoors,” Wallace said.
So far, the transition has been a good one for the junior hurdler, as Wallace has been dominant for the Ducks.
“She is really coming into her own,” Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said. “She has always been someone who was really talented.”
Every meet this year, the three-time All-American has continued to improve, shattering records while also thrusting herself onto the national stage. At five-foot-nine, Wallace has the length to easily stride over the hurdles and uses a good burst out of the blocks at the gun to pick up early leads.
It all started at the Washington Preview, where she opened her season by running a 7.24 in the 60-meter hurdles. That debuting mark was at the time the third fastest in the NCAA.
“I’ve always had a pretty good start,” Wallace said. “I’ve gotten a lot more confident with it over the years.”
She continued to impress against some of the toughest competition of the season. At the Razorback Invitational, Wallace surpassed her own school record in the hurdles. Her time of 8.05 in the finals topped her previous record of 8.08 that she set as a freshman. It also moved her up into the second-best time in the NCAA this season.
“I like the fact that if you are able to get your mark sooner rather than later, it takes the edge off things,” Wallace said.
Not content, Wallace set two more personal bests at the Don Kirby Invitational. She started by crushing her school record in the hurdles with a time of 7.96. Then she moved to the triple jump where her first attempt gave her a mark of 42-8, topping her record from 2014.
This past weekend, Wallace snagged her third straight win in the 60 hurdles at the MPSF Championships, crossing the line in first place with a relatively slow 8.07. Her performance helped the Duck women claim the championship with a total of 108 points.
Now, all the attention turns towards the Indoor National Championships.
“I am looking forward to Nationals,” Wallace said.
Last year, she finished fifth with a time of 8.23, but as her marks have been showing this season, she has been much faster.
Wallace has a real chance to win the event and pick up key team points for the Duck women who will be battling for the trophy.
The NCAA Indoor Championships will be held March 11-12 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur