Ducks avert danger, qualify top athletes for finals

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE -- The Oregon women, thought to be nearly bulletproof in their pursuit of the NCAA's Triple Crown, spent much of Thursday dodging disaster. 

Two of the Ducks' biggest stars, Deajah Stevens and Ariana Washington, had to sweat out the results of a third heat of the 100-meter dash before learning that they had safely advanced to the final as time qualifiers. 

While that was going on, hurdlers Sasha Wallace and Alaysha Johnson, waited in the recovery room with expressions of shock as they waited pensively for the third-heat results.

Washington, the reigning NCAA champion in the 100 and 200, qualifed for the finals of both events with the second-to-last spot. Stevens, an Olympic finalist in the 200, was the top performer in that event. But in the 100, she grabbed the last spot. 

In the 100-meter hurdles, Johnson qualified automatically but Wallace made the final by 0.01 seconds. 

Freshman Katie Rainsberger made the 1,500 meters final with the second-to-last spot. 

The good news for the Ducks is that all of those athletes are still eligible to score Saturday, and Brooke Feldmeier had a strong run in the 800 to join teammate Raevyn Rogers. And the 4x400 relay advanced as well. 

"I just wonder if the pressure and the weight of the world with this whole Triple Crown talk is playing bigger than it should be," Oregon coach Robert Johnson said. "We'll talk about it over the next couple of days and get it out of the way. We can't be any worse than we were today."

Thursday's prelims got off to an auspicious start when LSU, a heavy favorite in the 4x100 relay, promptly ran out of the exchange zone on its first pass and was subsequently disqualified. That resulted in co-collegiate record holders LSU and Oregon -- both at 42.12 this year -- not lining up for the final after the Ducks failed to advance out of the West regionals, also due to an exchange zone violation.

In the 100 prelims, Texas sophomore Teahna Daniels and Aaliyah Brown of Texas A&M got the jump on the Oregon duo and went 1-2 in the second of three heats. Daniels ran 11.17 and Brown 11.18. Washington and Stevens rallied for 11.26 and 11.29, respectively. 

"If you were to watch those first 10 meters, they were poor at best," Johnson said. "They're better than that, we're better than that, and we'll correct it moving forward."

Texas senior Chrisann Gordon ran 50.39 for what was easily the fastest time of the day in the 400 meters qualifying. Favorite Shakima Wimbley of Miami was second with 51.17.

In the first of two heats of the women's 1,500 meters, Notre Dame's Jessica Harris rolled the dice and ran out to a huge lead of nearly 80 meters. But the pack gathered her in over the final lap and began passing her with 75 meters left in the race. Harris managed to hold on long enough to take seventh in the heat, which was faster overall than the second heat, and grab the final qualifying spot for Saturday's finals. 

Arizona senior and Canadian Olympian Sage Watson ran a poised 54.88 to run the fastest time of the day in the 400-meter hurdles. 

Hope Schmelzle of Northern Illinois ran the fastest time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with 9:50.51 as some of the event favorites filed in behind her. 

In the absence of LSU (and Oregon) in the women's 4x100 relay, Florida ran the fastest time in the 4x100 with 42.91. 

And in the 4x400 relay, the anticipated showdown between Oregon and USC gathered momentum as both teams safely advanced to the final.