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In the eyes of UO coach Robert Johnson, the Men of Oregon mostly held form Wednesday in Eugene to open the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships — which doesn’t sound overwhelming, until you consider that “form” included two individual titles. The day began with points from hammer thrower Greg Skipper, but over the next couple of hours the Ducks didn’t see many on the bubble to score break through. The program’s momentum changed in a rousing stretch of about 10 minutes late in the day, putting Oregon in strong contention for its second straight team title when the men’s portion of the meet concludes Friday. As twilight neared at Hayward Field, Sam Crouser was finishing off his second consecutive javelin title. Meanwhile, on the track, Edward Cheserek led teammate Eric Jenkins through a 1-2 finish in the 10,000 meters. Those finishes weren’t unexpected — but they also weren’t easy. “It’s tough to do — even though it’s predicted and you’re expected, it’s still pressure,” Jenkins said. “We need these points. It’s a big relief.” The event titles for Crouser and Cheserek, plus Jenkins’ second and a third-place by Skipper, gave Oregon 34 team points. Dakotah Keys enters Thursday in prime position to add points in the decathlon, the only men’s competition prior to Friday under a new format that splits up the bulk of the men’s and women’s events.
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It will be a Civil War battle at Gill Coliseum to open the 2015-16 Pac-12 schedule for Wayne Tinkle and the Oregon State men’s basketball team, the Pac-12 Conference announced this week. The Beavers will open the conference slate with three home games — Oregon, Stanford and California — before hitting the road to play Utah in Salt Lake City and Colorado in Boulder. UCLA, USC, Washington State and Washington will also visit Gill Coliseum during the 2015-16 season. Oregon State is coming off a season in which it set a school record for its best start at Gill Coliseum (14-0) and the most home wins in a single season (15). The Beavers defeated No. 7 Arizona for their first win over a top-10 team in 15 years, and knocked off Arizona, UCLA and Washington in the same season for the first time since 1990.