Oregon Ducks looking to load up on NCAA Outdoor Track & Field qualifiers

The NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place at Hayward Field in two weeks, bringing the 2022 collegiate season to a close.

Oregon will attempt to build itself a robust roster for that final meet during the NCAA West Preliminaries taking place Wednesday through Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Ducks have 32 women’s entries and 24 men’s entries in the prelim meet, which act as the opening rounds of the NCAA championships.

The top-12 finishers in each event at NCAA West Preliminary and the NCAA East Preliminary, which is taking place in Bloomington, Indiana, will make the start list at Hayward Field, June 8-11.

There were a few surprises among Oregon’s entries this week. Most significantly was the absence of sprinters Micah Williams and Kemba Nelson in the 200 meters.

Both are entered in the 100 and undoubtedly will run in the 4x100 relays, but Williams and Nelson are both coming off personal-record performances in the 200 during their respective wins at the Pac-12 championships.

Williams owns the NCAA’s sixth-fastest 200 time this season at 20.05 seconds. He also has the No. 1 wind-legal time in the 100 of 9.93 and No. 2 all-conditions time of 9.83 (+2.5). Tennessee freshman Favour Ashe ran 9.79 (+3.0) at the LSU Invitational on April 30.

Nelson is No. 13 overall nationally in the 200 at 22.74 and tied for ninth in the 100 at 11.05.

Both have been running the second leg on their respective third-ranked 4x100 teams.

Also not entered is Oregon freshman Shana Garbo, who is No. 7 overall in the women’s 400 hurdles at 56.28. She hasn’t competed since the Desert Heat Classic on April 30 when she set a PR in the 100 hurdles at 13.51. Garbo announced on Instagram earlier this week she has returned home to France for the summer but will be back in September.

Besides Williams in the 100, the Oregon men have a couple other top-ranked performers as Reed Brown owns the NCAA’s fastest 1,500 time at 3:36.44, and three-time national champion Emmanuel Ihemeje again leads the triple jump at 55 feet, 9 1/4 inches.

Alessia Zarbo heads into the women’s 10,000 semifinal as the top seed with a time of 32:28.57.  The NCAA leader is Colorado’s Abby Nichols (32:27.25), who is only entered in the 5,000.

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

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Oregon’s NCAA West Preliminary declarations

MEN

(Seed times/marks)

100 — No. 1-seed, Micah Williams (9.83); No. 16, Xavier Nairne (10.15); No. 21, Ryan Mulholland (10.20). 800 — No. 22, Matthew Erickson (1:48.68); No. 25, Elliott Cook (1:48.81); No. 32, Luis Peralta (1:49.12). 1,500 — No. 1, Reed Brown (3:36.44); No. 21 Elliott Cook (3:40.98); No. 23, James Gormley (3:41.25); No. 32, Jack Yearian (3:42.14); No. 37, EJ Holland (3:42.52). 5,000 — No. 9, Aaron Bienenfeld (13:28.13). 10,000 — No. 5, Aaron Bienenfeld (28:14.67). 400 hurdles — No. 16, Will Mundy (50.71). 4x100 relay — No. 3, Oregon (38.83). Long jump — No. 12, Pierce LaCoste (25-4½). Triple jump — No. 1, Emmanuel Ihemeje (55-9¼); No. 45, Jonah Tactay (49-9¾). Javelin — No. 3, Ty Hampton (252-11); No. 16, Dalton Rasmussen (222-2); No. 17, Eric Lyon (221-9); No. 30, Asher Krauel (212-4); No. 44, Jett Kinder (209-10). Hammer — No. 21, Mason Strunk (214-8).

WOMEN

(Seed times/marks)

100 — No. 6-seed, Kemba Nelson (11.05); No. 13, Jadyn Mays (11.16); No. 18, Jasmine Montgomery (11.35). 200 — No. 9, Iman Brown (22.92); No. 13, Jasmine Montgomery (23.12). 400 — No. 12, Ella Clayton (52.04); No. 18, Katriina Wright (52.60). 800 — No. 15, Carly Kleefeld (2:04.94); No. 17, Ella Nelson (2:05.02); No. 39, Mia Moerck (2:06.24). 1,500 — No. 5, Izzy Thornton-Bott (4:13.75); No. 26, Emilie Girard (4:19.14); No. 28, Nicole Louw (4:20.54). 5,000 — No. 13, Alessia Zarbo (15:54.25). 10,000 — No. 1, Alessia Zarbo (32:28.57); No. 45, Caramia Mestler (34:15.18). 100 hurdles — No. 13 Alexandra Webster (13.04). 400 hurdles — No. 5 Alexandra Webster (56.47). 3,000 steeplechase — No. 4, Aneta Konieczek (9:44.72); No. 13, Malia Pivec (10:01.93); No. 37, Harper McClain (10:20.21). 4x100 relay — No. 3, Oregon (42.91). High jump — No. 15, Tori Sloan (5-11¼). Long jump — No. 6, Alysah Hickey (21-8); No. 26, Dominique Ruotolo (20-5¾). Triple jump — No. 7, Lexi Ellis (44-6¼); Dominique Ruotolo (43-8¾). Shot put — No. 6 Jaida Ross (57-7); No. 11, Mine De Klerk (56-4¾). Discus — No. 20, Jaida Ross (182-1); No. 23, Mine De Klerk (177-11). Javelin — No. 28, Kohana Nakato (160-3).

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks go to NCAA West Preliminaries, then championships