Before Hayward Field gets its new look for the 2021 IAAF World Championships and possibly in time to host the 2020 United States Olympic Trials, some of the world’s best track and field athletes will compete one more time at the historic stadium for the Prefontaine Classic this upcoming weekend.

With multiple events featuring world champions and world record holders, this year’s field is packed with star athletes, including some Oregon alumni. From former football player and Olympic finalist Devon Allen to world champion Phyllis Francis and newly turned pro Raevyn Rogers, some past Ducks will compete at the current Hayward one last time.

Allen will run in his marquee event, the 110-meter hurdles, while Francis will compete in the 400-meter, the event that she took gold in during the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London. Rogers’ return to Hayward Field will be in a stacked 800-meter field that includes South African Caster Semenya and American Ajee Wilson.

Along with Francis in the women’s 400-meter, American great Allyson Felix and 2016 Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo line the world-class field.

Allen’s 110 hurdles race won’t be easy with Omar McLeod and Aries Merritt among others in the field.

The men’s 100-meter dash, which is not a Diamond League event, might be the biggest attraction of the weekend. The race features reigning world champion Justin Gatlin and 60-meter indoor world record holder Christian Coleman. Ronnie Baker, Ben Youssef Meité, Reece Prescod, Bingtian Su, Chijindu Ujah and Isiah Young also line the field that would be worthy of an Olympic final.

The Bowerman Mile will also feature a deep field that includes Clayton Murphy and Oregon alum and fellow American and Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz. Ayanleh Souleiman, who won the 2014 Bowerman Mile with a 3 minute, 47.32 second run — still his personal best and the meet record — and 17-year-old Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen will also run in the event.

In the women’s 1500-meter, American Olympic bronze medalist and world championship silver medalist Jenny Simpson will race with a strong field made up of Laura Muir, Brenda Martinez and many other Olympic-experienced runners. Former Duck and Australian distance runner Zoe Buckman is also set to compete in the race.

The women’s 400-meter hurdles will also feature a diverse field that includes Rio Olympics champion Dalilah Muhammad, world champion Shamier Little and former Arizona runner Sage Watson.

In the field events, the men’s pole vault features another world-class lineup with Olympic champion and world record holder Renaud Lavillenie, 2017 world champion Sam Kendricks, 2016 Olympic champion Thiago Braz and 18-year-old Swede Armand Duplantis.

As of Sunday, May 20, the men’s 200-meter and the women’s 100-meter haven’t not been announced but could also feature Olympic-worthy fields.

The meet will take place Friday, May 25 through Saturday, May 26 at Hayward Field.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow 

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The Jane Sanders crowd rose to its feet. Oregon pitcher Megan Kleist had retired all 20 batters she had faced. Drake’s Macy Johnson came to the plate for the third time of the game, and on the first pitch, the lefty smacked a line drive into dead center field, breaking up Kleist’s perfect game.

“It kind of sucks, obviously,” Kleist said. “That’s what good teams do, they capitalize on their mistakes and I happened to make a mistake and they hit it.”

No. 1 Oregon softball still went on to win 5-0 over Drake in the second game of the Eugene Regional on Friday. Kleist faced 23 total batters, striking out 11, and the Oregon offense was led by back-to-back home runs from freshmen Lauren Burke and Mary Iakopo.

Oregon’s power erupted in a pair of home runs by Burke and Iakopo in the fifth inning. After Gwen Svekis walked, Lauren Burke pinch hit for the second day in a row. And again, she delivered a two-run shot over the right-center field wall.

“I said to the person next to me, ‘I dare her to do it again,’” Kleist said. “She always comes up in big moments for us.”

While the dust settled from the Eugene native’s strike, Iakopo launched a solo shot to left field to give Oregon the comfortable 5-0 lead.

The Ducks managed to get moving offensively in the first inning as Lilley led off with a single. A one-out walk for DJ Sanders gave Oregon a chance to score early. It did, but rather unconventionally.

Shannon Rhodes popped up a swing toward the edge of the infield behind Drake second baseman Kennedy Frank, who called off the rush of two outfielders. But, Frank lost the ball in the sun, and when she tried to readjust to make the catch, she fell and the ball smacked off the outfield turf, allowing Lilley to race home from second for the opening run.

“Sometimes you need some breaks,” White said. “We’ve been on the other side of the coin too. Those are some of the breaks that you probably need to continue, to keep going forward.”

Despite hits in the next two innings, the Ducks could not manage to score until the fourth inning when Lilley ripped a line drive into the sunny outfield, sending Haley Cruse home from first.

“I call her ‘Miss May,’ and I think she’s doing a great job,” White said of Lilley.

The Ducks now have to wait to see who their next opponent will be after the two elimination games following theirs on Friday. With a win during the 4 p.m. game on Saturday, the Ducks would clinch a spot in the Super Regional for the team’s ninth straight year.

“Right now we just need to sit back and by the end of the night there will be one team left and we should have some good stuff on any one of those teams left,” White said.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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When Oregon soccer returned from spring break, the team’s eyes focused on one date: May 19.

The Ducks will face the Mexico Under-20 Women’s National Team on Saturday at 4 p.m. in a spring friendly as Mexico prepares for the U-20 Women’s World Cup in France this August.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for our players,” Oregon head coach Kat Mertz said. “Priority number one is to make sure both teams walk away healthy, and two, it’s just a great experience for our players. Every time you play an international match it’s unbelievable.”

It’s common for international teams like Mexico, which comes to the United States to play against universities during the offseason to tune up ahead of summer and fall tournaments. Oregon assistant head coach Manny Martins, who is a coach with the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team, reached out to Mexico to get this fixture on the Ducks’ spring schedule.

Playing against international teams is a unique opportunity for universities — the last time the Ducks played a national team in Eugene was in 2003 when the Ghana senior team played Oregon in front of more than 1,200 fans. Even with the little international experience as a team, Mexico is a familiar side for some of Oregon’s international players.

“They’re disciplined, they play beautiful soccer and I think it’s going to really challenge us,” Canadian U-20 player and Oregon center back Hannah Taylor said. “They’re looking for that one error, so just being aware and having each other’s backs is going to be a big one.”

Taylor is quite familiar with this Mexico team, having played against them in January’s CONCACAF Cup that determined the region’s representatives in this summer’s World Cup. Taylor was injured in the semifinal against Mexico after a head collision late in the game.

This collision forced Taylor out the game with a head injury. Canada trails Mexico 1-0 with 15 minutes to play. pic.twitter.com/pnR0J5iRvQ

— Shawn Medow (@ShawnMedow) January 27, 2018

Canada lost the game and Mexico went on to beat the U.S. in the final 4-2 on penalties. Canada was upset in in the third place game by Haiti and missed out on the World Cup.

While Canada won’t be at the World Cup, the U.S. qualified with its appearance in the final. So, Martins will travel with the U.S. team to France for the World Cup, but Oregon midfielder Chardonnay Curran is still waiting to book her ticket.

“It’s kind of stressful,” Curran said. “Always leaving and coming back is hard to get back into the momentum with this team, so that’s kind of just up in the air right now.”

Curran has been called up at multiple youth national team levels, including the U-20s this year, with Martins by her side as the team traveled to France for a pair of friendlies.

Oregon has more international experience from forward Marissa Everett, who has played with the U.S. at various levels, and Halla Hinriksdottir, who has played for the Iceland youth national team.

The game on Saturday, though, will be much different to what is seen on a regular basis at Papé Field. Much of Mexico’s roster has played together throughout different international cycles at varying levels.

“I’m sure there will be moments in the game where we’ll have to deal with breakdowns or make certain adjustments because of the overall lack of experience of being at the international level,” Martins said. “But it will definitely be helpful that we have players that have that experience in multiple lines.”

It’s the perfect game to send Oregon into the summer before the Ducks return in the fall for the regular season and a chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program’s history.

“As long as we continue to do what we do now or do better, I think we’re going to be in a really good spot in the fall,” Curran said.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon softball earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, which will start off with the Eugene Regional on Thursday against Albany.

No. 1 seed for @OregonSB in the NCAA Tournament, which starts on Thursday in Eugene. pic.twitter.com/ZiAFlCsalq

— Shawn Medow (@ShawnMedow) May 14, 2018

“Now it’s done, now it’s onto the next stage,” head coach Mike White told the media after the NCAA Tournament bracket was selected on Sunday night. “We’ve got to take care of business, it starts on Thursday.”

Oregon went 47-7 overall in the regular season and 21-3 in the Pac-12. The Ducks are 19-1 at home and 15-3 at neutral sites.

The Ducks’ region in the Tournament also holds BYU (35-20) and Drake (43-10), who will play one another ahead of Oregon’s meeting with Albany (32-14) on Thursday.

“It’s exciting to get the recognition of the hard work we put in this year,” senior Gwen Svekis told reporters.

The Ducks will host the Super Regional against the winner of the Lexington Regional if they advance through the Eugene Regional.

The Lexington Regional consists of Kentucky, Illinois-Chicago, Michigan and Notre Dame. The Ducks faced Kentucky in the 2017 Super Regional in Eugene, beating the Wildcats in just two games.

“They gave us a run for our money last year, I’m sure they will again,” Svekis said.

This year’s Eugene regional will go from this Thursday through Saturday in Eugene. The Ducks take on Albany at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at Jane Sanders Stadium as Oregon looks to get back to the Women’s College World Series.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Sophomore Mallory McGwire announced on Twitter on Wednesday that she will transfer to Boise State after two seasons on the Oregon women’s basketball team.

I want to say thank you to the University of Oregon, the coaching staff and my teammates for an amazing past 2 years! But I am thrilled to announce I will be joining Boise State University for the remainder of my basketball and academic career. Go Broncos💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/IgJJTHR73j

— Mallo (@mallorymcgwire) May 3, 2018

McGwire averaged 15.6 minutes in her sophomore season while averaging 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

McGwire struggled for playtime behind fellow sophomore Ruthy Hebard and freshman Satou Sabally.

Oregon lost seniors Lexi Bando and Justine Hall after this past season, which saw the top-10 Ducks make a run to the Elite Eight. Freshmen Anneli Maley and Aina Ayuso both left the program, with Maley transferring to TCU and Ayuso going pro in Spain. Sophomore Sierra Campisano has also left the program to transfer but has yet to announce a destination.

The Ducks bring in freshmen Nyara Sabally and Taylor Chavez with Erin Boley coming into play after sitting out this past season after transferring from Notre Dame.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon lacrosse’s run in the first ever Pac-12 Tournament ended on Friday as the No. 4 seed Ducks fell 16-6 to No. 1 seeded Colorado in Boulder in the semifinal.

The Ducks kept it close early on and only trailed 5-3 at halftime thanks to senior goalkeeper Brittany Read collecting 10 saves in the first 30 minutes of action. Read finished the game with a season-high 17 saves in the loss, one save shy of Oregon’s single game record.

The second half presented a different look as the No. 15 Buffs piled on the goals as they scored five goals inside the first six minutes of the half to take a 10-3 lead. The Ducks couldn’t recover.

Second-half goals from seniors JoJo Hesketh and Mariah Gatti were nowhere near enough as Colorado finished the game on a 3-0 run to win the game by double-digits.

Senior Jill Zubillaga had two goals to accompany Hesketh’s pair, Gatti’s one and Shannon Williams’ first-half goal.

Colorado’s 11-goal second half may not entirely end Oregon’s year as the Ducks will hope to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow  

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The No. 2 Oregon softball team took the second game of the series against No. 4 Washington in Seattle on Saturday thanks to a variety of plays from the Ducks’ offense.

The Ducks offense got going early with Jenna Lilley hitting a leadoff single, followed by a stealing second. Then, DJ Sanders knocked Lilley through to third on a bunt single. Sanders then stole second to give Oregon runners at second and third with Gwen Svekis at the plate.

Svekis put a ball in play, and a throw from shortstop to home in an effort to pick off Lilley was unsuccessful. Lilley was safe and the Ducks had the early 1-0 lead.

Washington took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Huskies had runners on the corner with no outs, but Oregon managed to get a runner out on a failed hit and run attempt. But, with one on, the Huskies’ Julia DePonte stepped up and launched a two-run home run to give Washington the 2-1 lead.

The Ducks responsed in the fourth when Lauren Lindvall blasted a two-run home run over the center field wall to retake the lead for Oregon at 3-2.

Oregon added some insurance in the sixth inning when Lindvall hit a single up the middle that escaped Washington’s infield, allowing Shannon Rhodes to score on the fielding error.

Miranda Elish held on in the circle, throwing a complete game, in which she allowed seven hits, two runs and three walks while striking out seven.

The Ducks will look for the sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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In the first ever Pac-12 women’s lacrosse tournament game, Oregon defeated California 22-9 to advance to the semifinal of the tournament on Thursday.

Oregon got off to a quick start against Cal, as the Ducks jumped out to a 9-1 lead over the Golden Bears.

After Cal ended the first half on a 4-1 run, the Ducks possessed an 11-6 lead at halftime with senior Jill Zubillaga leading the way with four goals, and fellow senior Mariah Gatti just behind her with three.

Zubillaga went on to score six goals for the Ducks, passing junior Shannon Williams for the most goals — 52 — in a single season for the Ducks after Zubillaga’s first goal.

The second half saw junior midfielder Julia Taylor score her first goal of the year to give Oregon a 14-8 lead. Senior midfielder Natalie Modly went on a run of her own, tallying four straight goals to get her total for the game up to six — the single-game high for Oregon is seven, set in 2009 by Jana Drummond.

Williams got herself on the board as well, finding the net three times as she and three other Ducks earned hat tricks in the win.

The Ducks had beaten Cal when the teams faced off in Eugene earlier this year but Oregon lost the second fixture in Berkeley.

Now Oregon has to get prepared for a quick turnaround for Friday’s matchup against the Pac-12 regular season champions, Colorado.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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In the first ever Pac-12 women’s lacrosse tournament game, Oregon defeated California 22-9 to advance to the semifinal of the tournament on Thursday.

Oregon got off to a quick start against Cal, as the Ducks jumped out to a 9-1 lead over the Golden Bears.

After Cal ended the first half on a 4-1 run, the Ducks possessed an 11-6 lead at halftime with senior Jill Zubillaga leading the way with four goals, and fellow senior Mariah Gatti just behind her with three.

Zubillaga went on to score six goals for the Ducks, passing junior Shannon Williams for the most goals — 52 — in a single season for the Ducks after Zubillaga’s first goal.

The second half saw junior midfielder Julia Taylor score her first goal of the year to give Oregon a 14-8 lead. Senior midfielder Natalie Modly went on a run of her own, tallying four straight goals to get her total for the game up to six — the single-game high for Oregon is seven, set in 2009 by Jana Drummond.

Williams got herself on the board as well, finding the net three times as she and three other Ducks earned hat tricks in the win.

The Ducks had beaten Cal when the teams faced off in Eugene earlier this year but Oregon lost the second fixture in Berkeley.

Now Oregon has to get prepared for a quick turnaround for Friday’s matchup against the Pac-12 regular season champions, Colorado.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Senior outside linebacker Fotu Leiato was arrested by University of Oregon police on Wednesday night for misdemeanor trespassing and theft charges, first reported by the Register-Guard.

Fotu Leiato was arrested on Wednesday night for misdemeanor trespassing and theft charges. Image via Lane County Jail.

Leiato, 21, was booked at 7:29 p.m. on Wednesday night at Lane County Jail. According to Tyson Alger of the Oregonian, a UOPD statement says Leiato “was booked into Lane County Jail on charges of second-degree theft, second-degree criminal mischief and an unrelated warrant out of Eugene Municipal Court for failure to appear on a charge of second-degree criminal trespass. The theft and mischief charges are for the alleged damaging and removal of a parking boot from a vehicle driven by Leiato.”

Last season, Leiato played in all 13 games for the Ducks and is set to return to the team for his senior season this fall. He played in Oregon’s spring game last weekend.

This story will be updated when further information becomes available.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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