There’s no denying what Jimmie Sherfy meant to the Oregon bullpen.

When the Ducks’ closer made his way to the mound, he brought not only his 95 mph fastball and filthy slider but also a high degree of intensity. Sherfy is now with the South Bend Silverhawks — a part of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization — and Oregon is entering the season looking to revamp its bullpen.

“Jimmie — both talent and personality — is tough to replace,” reliever Darrell Hunter said. “We may have lost Jimmie, but we have plenty of guys at the back end of the bullpen that are going to throw well.”

One of those guys is Jake Reed, who head coach George Horton indicated is the frontrunner to succeed Sherfy as closer. Reed, a junior right-hander, finds himself in unfamiliar territory after spending his first two seasons in the starting rotation. But Horton seems confident that Reed will thrive in the role.

“Jake’s always wanted the ball in the tough situation and not shied from that,” Horton said. “You have to have that mentality if you’re coming in and the game’s on the line every time.”

Reed spent fall ball pitching out of the bullpen and worked with assistant coach Dean Stiles to tweak his mechanics, which Horton claims has “created a little more late life” in his fastball. Reed’s also seen an uptick in his fastball velocity, which he said consistently sits at 93-95 mph and has topped out at 96 after living between 89-92 when he was a starter.

“I feel like I could fill that role pretty well,” Reed said. “You get in there, you’re throwing one inning and you don’t have to conserve any energy. You just kind of go out there and get to pump. I feel like that’s something I’d really embrace and I think I’d do pretty well.”

Sophomore left-hander Garrett Cleavinger is coming off a campaign that was arguably as impressive as Sherfy’s, as he boasted a 1.24 ERA and led the NCAA with a .137 batting average against. Cleavinger is slated to once again assume setup duties.

Another key piece of the bullpen will be Hunter, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA in the fall. The right-hander had a 3.40 ERA in 28 appearances last year and serves as a veteran leader for the younger hurlers.

“We’ve always taken pride in (that) when we get to the sixth inning with a lead, we feel like we’re going to come out of it with a win. Darrell’s a big reason why we’re able to do that,” Reed said.

Despite losing Sherfy and reliever Christian Jones to the draft, the No. 6 Ducks still have the makings of a excellent bullpen, something Horton stressed should play a key role in a potential run at Omaha.

“Whoever is going to win those innings (seventh-eighth-ninth) probably has the best chance of winning the national championship or the conference championship,” Horton said. “You have to start with starting pitching to get there and have a lead, but the back end of the bullpen has become a very important part of college baseball.”

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– Baseball America and Perfect Game released their 2014 preseason college baseball rankings on Monday and Oregon received favorable ranks. Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt has the Ducks opening this season at No. 11, while Perfect Game’s Kendall Rogers slotted Oregon at No. 9. In-state rival Oregon State are ranked No. 2 by BA and No. 3 by PG. Both rankings have Virginia as the preseason No. 1. The Ducks open the season on Feb. 14 in Honolulu against the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

– Josh Huff sat out Saturday’s Reese’s Senior Bowl after generating buzz during practices earlier in the week. Optimum Scouting raved about Huff’s day 3 practice, dubbing Huff the “receiver of the day” from the North team. Fox Sports college football analyst Coy Wire was also impressed by Huff, saying that the Oregon wideout had the best agility of any of the athletes at the Senior Bowl. Huff tweeted shortly before the game that he wouldn’t play due to precautionary reasons. The NFL scouting combine will take place Feb. 22 to Feb. 25 and the NFL draft will begin on May 8.

– Former Duck Galen Rupp broke the American indoor two-mile record by running 8:07.41 at Saturday night’s Boston University’s Terrier Classic. Rupp regained the title of the fastest American two-miler, as he had set the record back in 2012 before Bernard Lagat lowered the mark to 8:09.49 last year. It was second American record Rupp had set in a 10-day period, as he shattered the American indoor 5,000-meter record on Jan. 16. Rupp came through 1,600 meters at an astonishing 4:01.6, just under world-record pace (the world record is 8:04.35, set by Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele in 2008) before lagging a bit over the second half of the race. Rupp took just 15 minutes of rest to sign autographs before cranking out a post-race workout of five one-mile repeats. He finished his final rep in 4:01.

– The Oregon men’s basketball team snapped its five-game losing streak on Sunday night with a 71-44 win over Washington State. After struggling on defense for the majority of conference play, the Ducks held the Cougars to just 10-of-40 from the floor. The 44 points was the lowest point total that Oregon allowed in a game this season. Leading the way offensively for the Ducks was Jason Calliste, who scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting off the bench. Oregon’s next game is at home against UCLA Thursday night at 6 p.m.

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The Oregon indoor track and field teams continued its early season success at the University of Kentucky’s Rod McCravy Invitational, picking up six event victories over a two-day span.

On Friday, the women’s team picked up three wins, capped off by a strong showing by the distance medley relay team. The team of Annie Leblanc, Chizoba Okodogbe, Laura Roesler and Megan Patrignelli finished in 10:56.77, shattering the McCravy meet record and Nutter Fieldhouse record. The mark set the bar as the best time in the country this season and is the fourth-fastest time in school history.

After going 1-2 in the 60 meter dash last week in Seattle, Jasmine Todd and Jenna Prandini were the top two finishers on Friday in the long jump. Todd jumped 21-0 (6.40m) in her first jump of the day, which is tops in the NCAA this season and the second-best indoor mark in school history. Prandini jumped 20-1.50 (6.13m) to secure second place. Also picking up a win for the Ducks on Friday was Lauren Crockett, who cleared 6-0 (1.83m) in the high jump – a personal best.

Day two of the event was highlighted by Roesler, who ran a blistering 2:01.32 in the 800 meter run. Roesler’s time was the fastest in the United States this year and is the second-fastest in NCAA indoor history. The NCAA indoor record is held by Nicole Cook, who ran 2:00.75 for Tennessee in 2005. Roesler finished runner-up in the 800 meter run at both the indoors and outdoors championships last year to LSU’s Natoya Goule (who has since transferred to Clemson and will sit out the 2013-2014 season under transfer rules) and appears to be the early favorite in the event this season. 

“Laura is training at a really high level and is reaping the benefits of the work she put in over the summer,” head coach Robert Johnson told GoDucks.com. “There are a few things we can still clean up but to come out and run the way she did is a real positive sign.”

Phyllis Francis also picked up a win for the Ducks by running an NCAA season best mark of 52.14 in the 400 meter dash. Francis came back later in the day to anchor the 4×400 meter team, which finished second with a time of 3:35.06.

After anchoring the distance medley team on Friday, Megan Patrignelli won the mile on Saturday in a time of 4:43.68.

Also impressing was freshman Sasha Wallace, who improved on her school record in the 60 meter hurdles in both the preliminaries (8.16) and finals (8.10). Wallace finished third in the finals.

On the men’s side, Mike Berry was edged out by Florida’s Arman Hall in the 400 meters but the senior’s time of 45.84 was the second-fastest time by an NCAA runner this season. Boru Guyota’s finished third in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:48.91 while Parker Stinson netted a fourth-place finish in the 3,000 meter run by finishing in a time of 8:09.36. You can find full results from the meet here.

The Ducks make their way back up to Seattle next weekend for the UW Invitational, which will run from Friday, Jan. 31 to Saturday Feb. 1.

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Former Oregon distance runner Galen Rupp was named the USA Track and Field Athlete of the Week on Wednesday after breaking the 5,000 meter American men’s indoor record last week.

Rupp, who competed collegiately from 2004-2009, ran 13:01.26 at the Boston University Multi-Team Meet on Thursday, Jan. 16, shattering the previous record of 13:07.00, set by Lopez Lomong last year. Rupp battled with former NCAA cross country champion Sam Chelanga for the majority of the race before breaking away with just over 400 meters to go. Chelanga also ran under the previous record, finishing in 13:04.35.

Cam Levins also broke the Canadian record during the race, running 13:19.16, which was good for third place. You can watch the full race here.

Rupp’s time ranks eighth all-time indoors, with Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele still topping the list with a time of 12:49.60. The next time Rupp is scheduled to compete is during the men’s two-mile run on Jan. 25 at the Boston University Terrier Invitational.

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Daley Stevens has been taught to accentuate the positives and it’s the philosophy that the 21-year-old youth coach brings to the soccer field.

Stevens, a University of Oregon senior, started working with kids when he was 13 years old by assisting at youth sports camps and then teaching six-year-old children the basics of soccer while in high school.

After graduating from South Eugene High School, Stevens became an assistant coach for the Eugene Metro Fútbol Club, a competitive youth soccer program, now the Eugene Timbers Fútbol Club.

“I was ready to say, ‘I get kids. I understand them.’ Then I just had to apply it to soccer, which was the easy part,” Stevens said.

He honed his craft during subsequent years under the tutelage of his former high school coach, Jürgen Ruckaberle, and other professionally certified coaches. This past spring, Stevens took over as head coach for a U-13 team and has been able to create a competitive and enjoyable atmosphere for his players.

“Part of it is making it age appropriate,” Stevens said. “Kids enjoy fun things and moving around.”

The often-political landscape of competitive youth sports can lead to coaches and parents butting heads, but Stevens is proactive when it comes to developing rapport with parents and being accountable as a coach. He actively emails parents and holds individual meetings with them to discuss their child’s progression.

Stevens is also knowledgeable when it comes to strategy. He holds a United State Soccer Federation coaching license and several of his teammates on the UO club soccer team (for which he’s also the head coach) indicated that he is one of the most skilled players and most knowledgeable soccer minds on the team.

The respect Stevens commands from both his players and their parents has halted any arguments about playing time or strategy.

“He really thrives in that environment,” said Ruckaberle, who serves as the ETFC director of coaching. “I’m convinced that if he wants to continue to make coaching a bigger part of his life, he has a big career in front of him.”

Stevens is set to graduate this spring with a psychology degree. He would like to eventually work as a technical director, perhaps with the Portland Timbers Academy, where he’d be able to continue working directly with players. Another field he’d like to explore is conflict in sports, where he could work as a consultant for player-coach and parent-coach issues.

“He sees sports as a vehicle,” said his mother, Flo Delaney. “It’s not just an end. It’s a means as a way to develop kids as people.”

Between Stevens’ psychology background, experience with kids and passion for soccer, he offers the perfect skill set to excel as a youth coach. Most importantly, he knows why he’s there. The purpose behind every training session is the most fundamental, yet often forgotten concept of youth sports.

“How do you put that all together for the betterment of the child?” Stevens said. “Because in the end, that’s why we’re there, is for the kids.”

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– Oregon defensive end Taylor Hart will reportedly miss the Reese’s Senior Bowl with a foot injury, according to DraftInsider.net’s Tony Pauline. Hart and wide receiver Josh Huff accepted bids to the game last month, with the game scheduled to be played Jan. 25 in Mobile, Ala. CBS Sports and NFLDraftScout.com draft analyst Dane Brugler also confirmed that Hart will miss the Senior Bowl and Pauline indicated that Hart is expected to be ready for the NFL Scouting Combine next month.

– The Oregon men’s basketball team unveiled its newest sneaker on Saturday night, which featured a spin-off of the famous Michael Jordan Jumpman logo. Introducing, “JumpDuck”:

It happened…..RT @Ducks_Equipment: Something pretty cool is about to happen… pic.twitter.com/WYB8xpXdt2

— Oregon Basketball (@OregonMBB) January 19, 2014

Everyone loves the “JumpDuck” #goducks pic.twitter.com/5PZQeJDEVv

— Oregon Basketball (@OregonMBB) January 19, 2014

– A few notable Oregon alumni were featured in Sunday’s NFL conference championship games, with Seattle Seahawks center Max Unger now set to make his first Super Bowl appearance on Feb. 2. Unger graduated from Oregon in 2009 and is a two-time Pro Bowl center. Bowing out of the playoffs were two former Oregon running backs, as LaMichael James’ San Francisco 49ers were defeated by Seattle, while LeGarrette Blount’s New England Patriots were downed by the Denver Broncos. 

– Oregon’s indoor track and field teams had solid showings this past Saturday, winning six different events at the Washington Indoor Preview. Redshirt freshman Jasmine Todd broke the Dempsey Indoor record in the women’s 60 meter dash, winning the event in 7.20 seconds, while junior Jonathan Cabral won the men’s 60 meter hurdles in 7.77 seconds, a meet record. Freshman Sasha Wallace set an Oregon record in the women’s 60 meter dash, finishing runner-up in the event with a time of 8.21 seconds.

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Oregon’s indoor track and field teams made their season debut on Saturday at the Washington Indoor Preview, with key pieces on each team kicking off the season in impressive fashion.

Many of the men’s top athletes were absent from the meet, but returning scorer Jonathan Cabral won the 60 meter hurdles in convincing fashion. The junior’s time of 7.77 seconds bested the time of the second-place finisher by over 0.2 seconds and broke the meet record, which had been set by Stanford’s Myles Bradley in 2010.

Jasmine Todd, a redshirt freshman from Chandler, Ariz. won the women’s 60 meter dash on in a time of 7.20 seconds, breaking the meet record of 7.29 seconds (set by Oregon’s English Gardner in 2011) and the Dempsey record of 7.21 seconds. Todd’s time would have netted a fourth-place finish at last year’s NCAA indoor championships.

Finishing closely behind Todd was teammate, Jenna Prandini, who also ran under the previous meet record in a time of 7.24 seconds. Prandini, a redshirt sophomore, set a personal best running 0.05 seconds faster than she did during the qualifying round of last year’s NCAA indoor championships.

Freshman Sasha Wallace had a terrific Oregon debut in the 60 meter hurdles, finishing runner-up to 2013 U.S. indoor champion Nia Ali (Nike). Wallace, who dominated the high school track and field scene her junior and senior years, finished with a time of 8.21 seconds.

Senior Laura Roesler, who finished second in the 800 meter run during both the indoor and outdoor seasons last year, won the women’s mile in 4:40.63. Redshirt freshman Brittany Mann won the women’s weight throw with a distance of 17.08m.

The results of all of Oregon’s athletes are below. You can find full results of the meet here.

Women 60 meter hurdles prelims:

2. Wallace, Sasha — Oregon 8.37

7. Munford, Jordie — Oregon 8.76

16. Crockett, Lauren — Oregon 9.15

24. Crouser, Haley — Oregon 9.34

25. Brown, Anetra — Oregon 9.34

Women 60 meter hurdles finals:

2. Wallace, Sasha — Oregon 8.21

Men 60 meter hurdles prelims:

2. Cabral, Johnathan — Oregon 7.88

6. Keys, Dakotah — Oregon 8.28q

12. Allen, Devon — Oregon 8.40

16. Fellows, Alec — Oregon 8.55

25. Kemp, Blake — Oregon 8.88

31. Modin, Mitch — Oregon 9.06

Men 60 meter hurdles finals:

1. Cabral, Johnathan — Oregon 7.77 (Meet Record)

8. Keys, Dakotah — Oregon 8.60

Women 60 meter dash prelims:

1. Prandini, Jenna — Oregon 7.34

2. Todd, Jasmine — Oregon 7.39

6. Francis, Phyllis — Oregon 7.44

11. Sant, Marybeth — Oregon 7.51

14. Brennan, Christian — Oregon 7.58

28. Horsley, Ashante — Oregon 7.84

— Varela, Madelayne — Oregon DQ

Women 60 meter dash finals:

1. Todd, Jasmine — Oregon 7.20 (Dempsey and meet record)

2. Prandini, Jenna — Oregon 7.24 (Meet record)

6. Francis, Phyllis — Oregon 7.41

Men 60 meter dash prelims:

4. Delaney, Arthur — Oregon 6.87q

10. Chambers, Marcus — Oregon 6.95

18. Allen, Devon — Oregon 7.04

29. Cabral, Johnathan — Oregon 7.11

31. Kruse, Caleb — Oregon 7.12

Men 60 meter dash finals:

4. Delaney, Arthur — Oregon 6.81

Men 1,000 meter run:

10. Prakel, Sam — Oregon 2:30.32

Women 1 mile run:

1. Roesler, Laura — Oregon 4:40.63

7. Evans, Skylar — Oregon 4:54.40

Men 1 mile run:

9. Guyota, Boru — Oregon 4:05.84

10. Mathabane, Nathan — Oregon 4:06.46

17. Willyard, Brett — Oregon 4:11.44

Men 400 meter dash:

9. Latt, Jordan — Oregon 49.94

12. Thiel, Ben — Oregon 50.40

Women 600 meter run:

22. Crouser, Haley — Oregon 1:45.02

24. Crockett, Lauren — Oregon 1:48.56

Men 600 meter run:

4. Hornsby, Russell — Oregon 1:19.01

Men 800 meter run:

4. Smith, Alec — Oregon 1:53.55

Women 200 meter dash:

5. Sant, Marybeth — Oregon 25.08

9. Horsley, Ashante — Oregon 25.58

52. Brown, Anetra — Oregon 27.19

Women high jump:

3. Crockett, Lauren — Oregon 1.75m 5-08.75

4. Summers, Chancey — Oregon 1.70m 5-07.00

13. Crouser, Haley — Oregon 1.55m 5-01.00

Men high jump:

4. Laubacher, Bradley — Oregon 2.09m 6-10.25

Women pole vault:

3. Clark, Sammie — Oregon 3.95m 12-11.50

Men pole vault:

6. Walsh, Cole — Oregon 5.00m 16-04.75

6. Hidalgo, Matt — Oregon 5.00m 16-04.75

11. Keys, Dakotah — Oregon 4.70m 15-05.00

14. Kemp, Blake — Oregon 4.40m 14-05.25

16. Modin, Mitch — Oregon 4.25m 13-11.25

19. Fellows, Alec — Oregon 4.10m 13-05.25

Women long jump:

2. Varela, Madelayne — Oregon 5.59m 18-04.25

Men triple jump:

2. Melu, Josh — Oregon 15.02m 49-03.50

4. Kruse, Caleb — Oregon 14.73m 48-04.00

Women weight throw:

1. Mann, Brittany — Oregon 17.08m 56-00.50

5. Sens, Lauren — Oregon 15.46m 50-08.75

Men 4×400 meter relay:

2. Oregon ‘A’ 3:17.07  1) Latt, Jordan 2) Smith, Alec 3) Thiel, Ben 4) Hornsby, Russell

Men 4×800 meter relay:

1 Oregon ‘A’ 7:33.14 1) Willyard, Brett 2) Mathabane, Nathan 3) Prakel, Sam 4) Guyota, Boru

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As Daley Stevens, Jesse Bodony and Jake Glicker reflected on the 2012 Oregon men’s club soccer season, they were dissatisfied. They saw a team that, despite a second-place league finish, had fallen short of its goals and lacked cohesiveness.

Together, the trio decided to shift the club in a completely new direction.

The soccer team is one of the approximately one-quarter of teams in the club sports department that adopts a system of primarily player-coaches. It was decided that during the fall, Stevens would take on the role of head coach, with Bodony serving as the assistant coach and Glicker assuming the title of club president.

“Because we don’t have a (traditional) coach, a lot of our success is contingent on composing ourselves and committing ourselves to working for the team,” Glicker said. “We hadn’t seen that happening in the two years that I’d been here and we were like, ‘How do we make that happen?’”

The answer?

Team chemistry.

It’s a rather simple concept but one that had been absent in previous years. Various cliques existed within the team and there was a shortage of enthusiasm among the group as a whole. Practice had become a chore and soccer simply wasn’t as enjoyable as it should be.

“There were days my first couple years playing where not only myself, but a lot of the other players, we just did not want to go to practice,” Bodony said. “It wasn’t fun. People would just yell at each other.”

But Bodony knew just the remedy. During his high school days, Bodony’s coach had built a team around a culture that discouraged individual agendas and instead focused on establishing trust among teammates and having fun both on and off the pitch.

The Oregon club team embraced the philosophy.

Teammates studied together during the week and went out on the weekends. Team dinners were held the night before big games and many of the best memories among the players were made on the van rides the following day. Soon enough, the club had fostered an inclusive family-like environment.

“We tried to make it a thing where it wasn’t just going to soccer practice and playing the games and that was it,” Bodony said.

With team energy and camaraderie at an all-time high, Stevens was determined to ensure that the team’s unity would translate into results on the field.

“You want the players to buy into the fact that yes, this is club soccer, but we want it to be at a high level,” Stevens said. “We’re having a lot of fun, but we want to win and be successful, otherwise why are we out there spending our time and money trying to do it?”

The success followed for Oregon, who went on to win its first Cascade Collegiate Soccer League championship in five years and took down perennial club powerhouse Weber State during the group stage of the Regional Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to Stevens, it was the first loss Weber State had been dealt outside of the National Championship tournament in approximately a decade.

Joe Jackson, a junior midfielder, admits that on talent alone, Weber State had the upper hand over the Ducks at nearly every position. But the advantage that Oregon did have over Weber State was symbolic of the season’s success and turnaround.

“It was the bond, the brotherhood and the chemistry on our team and the heart for playing for the guy next to us,” Jackson said. “That’s what makes our team mold and grind together. We love playing for each other.”

– The Oregon men’s basketball team added another transfer to its program. Early Monday night it was announced that former Providence freshman Brandon Austin has joined the Ducks and will be eligible to play in December of 2014. Austin never actually played a game for the Friars, as he was suspended by Providence for an off-court incident before the college basketball season. The 6-foot-6 small forward was considered a top 100 player out of high school.

– The 2014 Oregon football schedule was released Wednesday afternoon, and it features a high profile non-conference opponent. The Ducks play Rose Bowl champion Michigan State at home on Sept. 6, their second game of the season. Oregon also plays Arizona and Stanford (the only two teams that beat the Ducks in 2013) at Autzen Stadium next season.

– Four-star defensive tackle Trey Lealaimatafao has de-committed from the University of Texas and is set for an visit to the Oregon campus. Lealaimatafao announced his decision Tuesday via Twitter, shortly after tweeting about  former defensive tackles coach Bo Davis accepting a position at USC. The high school senior out of San Antonio, Texas was considered a “soft commit” to Texas and it appears that the departure of Davis in addition to the resignation of head coach Mack Brown was enough to sway his decision. In addition to his official visit to Oregon, scheduled for Jan. 17, Lealaimatafao said he may make unofficial visits to LSU and Oklahoma.

– Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas earned their place in baseball immortality on Wednesday, as the trio was elected to the Hall of Fame. Maddux, most well known for his days a starter pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, received 97.2 percent of the vote. Glavine, who was a longtime teammate of Maddux in Atlanta received 91.9 percent of the vote. Thomas, who is best remembered for his days with the White Sox, received 84.6 percent of the vote. Just missing the cut was Craig Biggio, who fell just two votes short of the 75 percent vote required for entry to Cooperstown.

– Emerald digital sports editor Victor Flores appeared on “Quack Smack,” hosted by Travis Teich on KWVA 88.1 FM on Tuesday night. Flores and Teich, along with panelists Geoff Safford and Kelsy Alston, discussed the Oregon basketball team and recent decisions by football players with regards to the NFL draft, among other things. A member of the Emerald staff will be on Quack Smack every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. Quack Smack is broadcast Monday-Thursday from 6-7 p.m. and “Friday Night Spotlight” is broadcast from 7-9 p.m. on Fridays. You can check out Flores’ appearance, and Tuesday’s entire episode, here.

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

Following the crucial losses of English Gardner and Jordan Hasay, the Oregon women’s indoor track and field team has its work cut out in order to defend the NCAA championship.

After last spring’s NCAA outdoor track and field championships, Gardner announced that she would forgo her senior season to train professionally. Gardner, who now runs for Nike, finished second in the 60-meter dash at last year’s indoor championships and was a key member of Oregon’s first-place 4×400-meter relay team.

Oregon will certainly miss Gardner’s presence in the sprints, but it returns the remaining members of the championship 4×400 team: Phyllis Francis, Chizoba Okodogbe and Laura Roesler. Francis notched a fourth-place finish in the individual 400-meter event, while Roesler finished runner-up in the 800 meter run. Sophomore Jenna Prandini will look to improve on her fifth-place finish in the 60-meter dash.

Leading the way for Oregon’s freshmen is Marybeth Sant, whose high school personal best of 7.30 seconds in the 60-meter dash would have netted fifth place at last year’s indoor championships. Sasha Wallace was named the California Girls Track and Field Gatorade Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2013 after dominating prep competition in the 100-meter hurdles and triple jump.

On the distance side, the Ducks will need to find a way to soften the blow of graduating Hasay, the most decorated distance runner in school history.

The Ducks also graduated distance runners Alexi Pappas and Becca Friday and will turn to senior Megan Patrignelli to pick up part of the slack. Patrignelli is fresh off her most successful cross country season and has the potential to score points for the Ducks in the middle distance events.

The Oregon men finished sixth at last year’s indoor championships, driven largely by Elijah Greer’s 800-meter victory. Greer may have graduated, but Oregon stands a fair chance at improving on last year’s finish due to its incredibly deep pool of middle distance and distance runners.

Senior Mac Fleet came away with a victory in the 1,500-meter run at last spring’s outdoor championships and is just a few months removed from a strong cross country season. Fleet, along with senior Brett Johnson, figure to pick up points in the mile.

Northeastern transfer Eric Jenkins was on his way to a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter run at last year’s indoor championships before being disqualified for impeding. Coach Andy Powell told Flotrack that Jenkins was dealing with an achilles injury during the fall, which was the likely culprit that prevented him from racing during the cross country season. When healthy, Jenkins, along with senior Trevor Dunbar, has the potential to be a top scorer in the 3,000-meter run.

In the 5,000-meter run, the Ducks are led by Edward Cheserek, who is coming off a historic freshman cross country season that was capped by an individual NCAA title. Cheserek is considered one of the early favorites in the 5,000-meter run and will look to teammate Parker Stinson to pick up additional points in the event.

In the sprints and hurdles, senior Mike Berry should be a top contender in the 400-meter dash. Berry finished runner-up in the event last year to Houston’s Errol Nolan, who has since graduated. Junior Johnathan Cabral will seek to improve on his sixth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles.

The Ducks kick off the season with the Washington Preview, a two-day event that begins on Friday, Jan. 17.

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch