Oregon track and field added six more event wins and a pair of school records to close out the action at the Razorback Invitational Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“Winning can do wonders for your confidence and it solidifies what you do on a day-to-day basis,” Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said in a press release. “Now we can build on that momentum, go back home, and get better.”

Edward Cheserek returned after a sub-four-minute mile during day one of the meet to add another event win. Running in the open mile alongside teammate Blake Haney, Cheserek pulled away on the final lap to record another impressive time of 3:57.38. Not to be outdone Haney crossed the line second in 3:59.10 — becoming the 16th Duck athlete to break the four-minute barrier.

All-American Sasha Wallace surpassed her own school record in the 60 hurdles. The junior crossed the line in 8.05, which is the second-best in the NCAA this season.

The 800 was another strong event for the Ducks, with a pair of runners turning in historic marks. On the women’s side it was Mississippi transfer Brooke Feldmeier who dominated her race while cruising across the line in 2:05.18 for the fifth-fastest mark in school history and the eighth-fastest time in the NCAA this season. In the men’s race Grant Grosvenor finished strong to record the sixth-fastest time in school history with a time of 1:49.26.

The women’s 4×400 relay team — consisting of Ashante Horsley, Deajah Stevens, Feldmeier and Raevyn Rogers — finished in 3:33.34, which is the second best time in the nation.

Ryan Hunter-Simms broke the second school record of the day for the Ducks after he won the shot put with a throw of 58-11.5.

The women’s distance runners put in a strong showing, with Annie Leblanc taking second in the mile with a personal record (4:36.61) and the duo of Molly Grabill and Waverly Neer finished first and second in the 3000. Grabill crossed the line in 9:23.31 while Neer finished in 9:23.48.

A good sign for Oregon was the return of Devon Allen, who has been recovering from an injury that kept him away from the track for 18 months. Allen looked to be back in form, as he took second in the 60 hurdles, setting a personal record of 7.74.

“It’s a work in progress,” Johnson said about the sophomore hurdler. “I’m sure the time is not quite where he wants it to be, or where it will be at the end of the season, but it’s a great start and he’s trending in the right direction.”

Click here for a complete list of results.

The next meets on the schedule for Oregon is the Husky Invitational and the Don Kirby Elite, both which will take place February 12-13.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

Oregon track and field opened the Razorback Invitational with several strong performances and three event wins after the first day of competition Friday afternoon in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The headliner was thrower Brittany Mann, who dominated the weight throw, launching it for a personal best of 68-7.25. That mark broke Britney Henry’s 2007 school record in the event, and gave Mann another Oregon record to go along with the one she already has in the shot put. The redshirt junior topped the filed by more than six feet and jumped to fifth in the NCAA so far this season.

The Duck men’s distance medley relay was able to pick up a win of its own after overcoming some early struggles. Blake Haney ran well on the 1200 meter leg, but Ben Thiel was tripped up on the 400 by a fallen runner near the exchange zone. Thiel was able to recover, passing the baton to Niki Franzmair who put Oregon in a position to win. That’s where star junior Edward Cheserek took over, handling the anchor duties for his team running the mile. He erased a 20 meter deficit before breaking the race with 800 meters remaining. Cheserek found himself alone as he crossed the finish line in 9:30.95 — recording an unofficial mile split of 3:55.70.

The women’s DMR — consisting of Annie Leblanc, Ashante Horsley, Raevyn Rogers and Alli Cash — took second after Oklahoma State won with a late surge. The Ducks crossed the line in 11:03.61.

All-American Greg Skipper had an impressive showing in the men’s weight throw, winning with a mark of 72-2.25. The redshirt senior had three throws go over 70 feet.

Redshirt sophomore transfer Travonn White made his debut in the long jump, taking fifth (24-11.75), while teammate Nate Moore placed seventh (24-3). For the women Jasmine Todd also finished seventh in the long jump (20-8).

Cole Walsh set an indoor personal record in the pole vault and finished fifth by clearing 17-1, Oklahoma transfer Hannah Cunliffe ran the sixth-fastest time in school history in the 200 (23.54) and Marcus Chambers just missed a personal record after finishing eighth in the men’s 200 (21.40).

The heptathletes opened the day, with Mitch Modin and Joe Delgado representing Oregon. They finished the first day seventh and ninth respectively.

Click here for a complete list of results.

The Invitational will continue Saturday, with the heptathlon set to commence at 9 a.m.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

Oregon track and field will face its toughest meet of the 2016 season in Fayetteville, Arkansas, competing in the two-day Razorback Invitational Friday and Saturday.

Competing schools in the meet represent some of the premier track programs in the country. Hosting will be Arkansas, with headliners like Florida, Georgia, Texas and Texas A&M.

Oregon junior and middle distance runner Alli Cash took the time to talk about the how the season has gone so far, the upcoming meet, and what her goals are this year:

Pretty good start to the season last week at the Washington Preview. Are you happy with how it went?

Yeah, I didn’t really know what to expect going in, because we have been doing a lot of strength-based stuff. And switching from cross I feel like the first track race is kind of a shock to your system, especially going from cross to indoor. So yeah, I was happy with it.

Is it a sign of good things to come for you this season?

I would hope so. The goal is to keep building on that, working forward and working hard.

Excited to run the 3,000 this weekend?

I ran it once last year and I got my feet wet a little bit — so I think it can be fun. I am most excited about the DMR (distance medley relay). I love the relay atmosphere and the team aspect really gets you going.

Who is on the DMR with you?

We have Annie (Leblanc), Raevyn (Rogers), Ashante (Horsley) and myself.

Lot of big programs coming to this meet. Is this a chance to test yourself against the top competitors in the country?

I think it’s another step forward. Last week was meant for everyone to have an opportunity to see where they’re at and bust some rust during the first meet. Moving forward from here we are trying to take a step in the right direction every time we race.

What are your goals for the season?

I think the DMR is a big thing for us. We have such a strong group of female athletes that we could put a lot of different people on any leg of the DMR and still have a great outcome. Our depth is going to play a huge role in that, so I am excited to see what we can do.

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Oregon track and field went to Seattle for the start of the indoor season with the goal of shaking the rust off that had accumulated over the summer. By the end of the meet, the Ducks were able to start the season on the right foot by picking up five event wins at the Washington Preview on Saturday.

The highlight came via sophomore Raevyn Rogers, who set a 600-meter indoor collegiate record. She broke the 35-year-old time set in 1981 by Delisa Floyd of Tennesse. Rogers spent most of the race in second place before charging past Stanford’s Olivia Baker on the final lap to win with a time of 1:26.34.

Rogers’ time was also the second fastest ever run by an American.

“For Raevyn, it’s just a matter of doing what she’s capable of doing,” head coach Robert Johnson said in a release. “She’s bought into the coaching 100 percent and it will be exciting to see her keep progressing.”

Itohan Aikhionbare, an Oregon newcomer, impressed in her debut. She set an indoor personal best and meet record in the shot put after launching it 55-2.25. She improved over the course of her throws before reaching her winning-mark. Aikhionbare’s throw is second on the Oregon all-time list behind teammate Brittany Mann.

Sprinter Jasmine Todd won the 60 for the second straight year at the Preview (7.24), while new teammate Hannah Cunliffe took third (7.31) in her hometown of Seattle.

Oregon’s Niki Franzmair won the men’s 600, while Greg Skipper took first in the weight throw.

“For our athletes to go out there and set some personal records and get some wins is all we could ask for in an early season meet like this,” Johnson said. “It was good to see them get out there and compete against someone other than their own teammates.”

Click here for the entire list of results.

The Ducks will next travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to participate in the Razorback Invitational. The meet will run January 29-30.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

Oregon has hired former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke as the new defensive coordinator, head coach Mark Helfrich announced via a press release Saturday.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Coach Hoke to the Oregon family,” Helfrich said in the release. “He’s passionate, knowledgeable and tough, and has an outstanding track record of success from a defensive standpoint.”

Hoke will get a three-year contract, according to Fox Sports.

In four seasons (2011-2014) with the Wolverines, Hoke posted a 31-20 record. He was named the Big Ten and Maxwell Football Club Collegiate Coach of the Year in 2011 and led Michigan to a 17th or better national ranking in total defense in three of his four years.

Hoke also picked up a pair of top five recruiting classes at Ann Arbor, including a 2013 class that came in ranked No. 2 nationally. It produced 2015 All-America selections Jake Butt (TE) and Jourdan Lewis (CB).

In total, Hoke comes to Eugene with 30 years of experience, including 12 seasons as an FBS head coach. His stints include time with Ball State (2003-08) and San Diego State (2009-10). He was awarded the Mid-Atlantic Conference coach of the year in 2008 and the Mountain West Conference coach of the year in 2010.

As an assistant with Michigan (1995-2002), Hoke coached the defensive line and was a part of three Big Ten championship teams, which included the 1997 national champion.

He is no stranger to Oregon. He worked as an assistant at Oregon State from 1989 to 1994.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

The first Oregon made shot of the game against No. 11 Stanford was a sigh of relief for Lexi Bando — or at least a metaphorical one.

The Cardinal had been stifling the Duck frontcourt with a zone defense, leaving the sophomore guard alone at the top of the arc. With the shot clock ticking down she dribbled once, took a step back to create extra space, and sent the ball flying a foot behind the line. The shot swished through the net as the crowd applauded.

Coming into the night’s action, Bando had suffered through a rough stretch, struggling to score since conference play began. In fact, the points against the Cardinal were her first since she mustered just two against USC back on January 4.

“It wasn’t like she was doing anything wrong,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said of Bando’s struggles. “I was a shooter back in the day — set shooter, not jump shooter — and sometimes it comes and goes.”

Oregon State held Bando scoreless in a double header that preceded the Stanford game, forcing her into shooting a combined 0-8 from the field. She struggled to make an impact in either.

“I just think I needed to be more aggressive,” Bando said. “My other teammates were stepping up and I am proud of them. I was hurting the team.”

Against Stanford the inability to score that had been plaguing her during the slump seemed to be gone, as she played with a renewed confidence and passion that seemed to be missing. She flew around on offense and defense, making shots and keeping the rest of the team involved.

She finished with 15 points on 5-7 shooting from three-point land.

“She did a great job of executing on a couple of sets, got herself open,” Graves said. “Shot with confidence tonight, had that little bit of swagger that we are used to seeing.”

Bando didn’t force any shots against the Cardinal, with all of her looks coming in the flow of the offense. She was willing to pass up the initial chance in order to generate a better shot for a teammate. That kind of patience is something she struggled with earlier in Pac-12 play.

She even recorded a blocked shot in transition that brought the 2,030 fans in the crowd roaring to their feet.

“It was nice to see her have a really good game tonight,” Graves said with a smile.

With 4:04 left in the third Bando made her biggest play of the night. With the shot clock again ticking down on the Ducks, she shook free from her defender to nail another three from the top of the key.

On the ensuing possession she pump faked in the corner and drove three steps toward the hoop before whipping it out to freshman teammate Maite Cazorla. Cazorla nailed the shot, and as Bando ran back she threw her fist and yelled in celebration.

That was one of the last celebrations Bando had, as despite how well she played it’s hard not to be disappointed by the loss — hard to celebrate individual accolades while the team fails to complete the upset.

But through it all Bando was back on the court after the game and her media obligations were over. She spent time speaking with fans, taking photos and even broke out some dance moves for a video. She had turned in a great performance and suffered through a loss, all the while looking ahead to the next game.

“We are almost there, we are,” Bando said. “Good thing we have another game Sunday so we can get right back on the horse.”

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

The start of the indoor track and field season is finally here. Oregon is currently preparing to travel north to participate in the Washington Preview at the Dempsey Indoor Facility in Seattle this Saturday.

The Ducks enter the competition looking to capitalize on the high bar set by last year’s performance: the men are reigning two-time defending champions and the women are coming off a second-place finish that snapped a run of four straight NCAA Indoor titles.

“A lot of kids competing, so definitely excited getting out there and seeing where we are,” Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said. “A lot of kids will be donning the big ‘O’ for the first time.”

This first meet will be a chance for the team to shake off the rust and see where everyone stands. Many of the athletes haven’t competed in a serious meet since last spring, so the Preview will be a good chance for the coaches to gauge what needs to be addressed.

“They have been training since October for this,” Johnson said. “A chance for a high-level practice to see where our deficiencies and weaknesses are.”

While much of the focus will be on the newcomers, there are several Oregon stalwarts slated to participate in the proceedings. Jasmine Todd will be coming off a busy 2015 that saw her claim a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in the 4×100.

“I’m very excited to get this season started,” Todd said. “We have a lot of great things cooking in our kitchen — so excited to see what we produce.”

Joining her on the women’s side are sprinter Ariana Washington, middle distance runners Raevyn Rogers and All-American transfer Brooke Feldmeier, and a pair of All-American distance runners in Waverly Neer and Molly Grabill.

For the men, Tony Brooks-James begin his transition from the football field to the track and OSAA State Champion Ben Milligan will make his debut in the high jump.

School record holder Greg Skipper will participate in the weight throw.

“I had a good summer,” Skipper said, “Started hitting it hard in September. Fall went well.”

Skipper says this is the healthiest he has ever been in his career and is excited to see what the season has in store.

Several Ducks will be competing outside of their normal wheelhouse as the Preview has some unique events that aren’t held in the NCAA meets. The 600 and 4×800 are just two examples. The coaches will be trying to slot in athletes to see how they do.

“We will experiment and play around with some of those events,” Johnson said. “It will be interesting to see how we tackle those rarely used distances.”

Both teams are expecting to do well, with the men coming in ranked No. 3 and the women No. 5. As for any pressure on completing a repeat and meeting expectations set last season, everyone explained the day-to-day mentality of this group.

“Don’t worry about what we did last year, it’s all about right now,” Skipper said.

The Washington Preview is set to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

Last weekend, the Oregon club ski team experienced something none of the current members have ever had the chance to do while in college: train on a mountain.

The past few years have not been kind in terms of snow, leading a sport that relies on the whims of weather to be left preparing for races on dry land. With the snow came a historic practice on the slopes of Hoodoo Ski Area.

“When we got up there last weekend, it was like, ‘We’re doing it, we’re training,’” club captain Megan Ganim said, laughing. “It doesn’t usually happen.”

2016’s snow numbers are already well above what was accumulated during last year’s unusually dry winter. On Jan. 1, the snowpack was 138 percent above normal across Oregon.

“Showing up last year to races without any training was fun,” Julia McInnis said, “but I am excited this year to see the progression.”

Being able to ski on a mountain allows for preparation of the unexpected. No two courses are the same, but tackling the difficulties of one run can help set up success on another. It’s something that can only be accomplished by making runs.

The plan is to squeeze in a practice every Thursday night between weekend races, which run through March with just one break coming midway through February. The night practices are beneficial because they fit in better with schedules, the slopes are relatively empty and it’s a nice hit of nostalgia for the members who grew up skiing during those hours in middle and high school.

All together, it makes for a busy schedule.

“I took a less intensive course load this term to help balance out the workload,” newcomer Chris Casaceli said. “But there is time while we are driving to get your homework done. I think if you work hard enough, it’s possible to do it well.”

Every team member finds ways to sneak in homework sessions between races.

“One year we didn’t have Wi-Fi at the house we were staying at for regionals,” Ganim said. “After every race kids were in the coffee shop downtown just finishing up chemistry homework.”

It’s easy for the members to be dedicated to the sport because of how much they enjoy spending time with each other.

“The reason I am still at the University of Oregon is the ski team,” McInnis said. “You get so close, so fast.”

An added bonus is that winter term becomes your favorite — an unusual opinion.

“No one you ask says that they like winter term,” freshman Luci Charlton said. “So we have a completely different experience.”

People see Oregon as an underdog because it features a smaller team. But last year, the results were positive, and with the additional training, expectations are as high as ever.

“Honestly everyone shreds,” McInnis said. “I’m really excited to see where our team can go.”

The start of the season comes this weekend as the team travels to Mt. Hood Meadows for the first race of the year.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

The start of the New Year has been rough for Oregon women’s basketball. After enjoying a perfect run through non-conference play — 11 straight wins — the Ducks have dropped their last four to open Pac-12 play.

To be fair, the start of conference play had Oregon matched up against some of the premiere teams, including the Los Angeles schools and a doubleheader against rival Oregon State. All three represented better talent than the Ducks faced during a relatively cushy slate of opponents to open the season.

“If there was a betting line in Vegas, they would have been considered favorites,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said.

That the Ducks have been outscored 273-214 in the past two weeks, speaks more to the toughness of the Pac-12 than any sort of indictment of Oregon.

“The winner of the conference may have four loses, its looking like that kind of year,” Graves said. “I feel, and our team feels, that we can beat anybody.”

To do that, Oregon needs to address some issues.

The team has to find a consistent second scorer who can step up and fill in production behind star Jillian Alleyne. This team is too one dimensional on offense, allowing opponents to send double and triple teams against her. This severely limits Alleyne’s ability to make an impact.

Sophomore guard Lexi Bando is the most obvious candidate to take on the role. Despite her current shooting woes, Bando has proven her ability to score from multiple areas on the court. She has the best shooting percentage from three-point range (.424) and has the skill to create open looks off the dribble. The Ducks need more from Bando than her two most recent scoreless outings.

The seniors need to be more active during games to insure things stay on track. Oregon has a bad habit of going through slumps during games where the focus and intensity seems to slip. The coaches can only do so much from the bench, so the onus is on the veterans to take on more of a leadership role. Lexi Petersen, Jordan Loera and Kat Cooper are experienced players who can help their younger teammates understand what it takes to succeed at the collegiate level. The ultimate goal is to avoid slow starts and make sure the team doesn’t let up late in the game — both of which are crucial when the level of competition is raised.

Some of the answers may be on the Oregon bench. Redshirt senior Liz Brenner has played well all season, while junior Mar’Shay Moore has been a surprise source of energy in the past two games. Moore had trouble getting time on the court early in the year, but has used her speed and relentless defense as a way to carve out minutes. The option is there for Graves to mix things up, and players like Moore can be a good way to create new problems for opposing teams to deal with.

In many ways, the perfect start was fool’s gold, as the level of competition was always going to create an inflation of expectation the team could never hope to match. This losing streak isn’t an anomaly, but more a regression towards the mean for a program that is continuing to grow.

“I always tell the team ‘a good team with nothing to lose is dangerous’,” Graves said. “So I think we can be a dangerous team.”

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-Oregon women’s basketball lost two more Pac-12 games, both against Oregon State, due to a quirk in scheduling that has the Civil War games played just 48 hours apart. First, the Ducks traveled to Corvallis where they were dominated 60-33. Then in the rematch, after leading early, the Ducks dropped another to the tune of 59-45.

-One bright spot for the Ducks in the second meeting was the play of redshirt senior Liz Brenner off the bench. She scored a game-high 13 points in just 20 minutes of play. Her inside presence really helped a team that again struggled to score points from deep.

-Register-Guard columnist Austin Meek wrote a piece looking at what’s next for Oregon men’s basketball after losing Dylan Ennis to an injury. Fans can start playing the guessing game as to what the senior transfer could have meet to the program.

-The Emerald’s Ryan Kostecka looked at Oregon men’s basketball’s void of leadership ever since Joseph Young graduated. Replacing the talent of the star guard has been tough, and head coach Dana Altman is encouraging someone to take the reigns when things get tough.

-Alabama football coach Nick Saban confirmed that recently fired former Oregon coach Chip Kelly visited the Crismon Tide this past week. It is unknown whether Kelly helped the staff prepare for the upcoming College Football Playoff National Championship matchup against Clemson.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur