EUGENE, ORE. — People still pause at historic Hayward Field to read the markers commemorating the track and field greats who coached and competed there. Sometimes they ask if they can run a lap, imagining the ghost of Steve Prefontaine by their side.
They still visit Pre’s Rock on a hill above town, the site of a mysterious 1975 car accident that killed the charismatic distance runner at age 24. They leave behind race bib numbers, racing shoes, even a recent U.S. cross country championships medal.
But for the first time in a long while, fans of the University of Oregon’s track and cross country programs don’t have to live in the past. The Ducks are back.
Led by junior Galen Rupp, who represented the U.S. at the world track championships last summer, the men of Oregon are ranked No. 1 going into today’s NCAA cross country championships in Terre Haute, Ind. The women are ranked third.
The Oregon men haven’t won a team title since 1977 and haven’t claimed an individual title since 1978. The second- ranked Colorado Buffaloes will be looking to upset the Ducks and win their fourth NCAA men’s title since 2001.
“They’re getting good talent, and as long as the coaching is up to the talent, they’re going to be a formidable distance program for a long time,” Colorado coach Mark Wetmore said of Oregon’s return to prominence. “It doesn’t diminish us in any way, it just puts another good opponent out there for us.”
Former Stanford coach Vin Lananna was hired in 2005 to restore Oregon’s luster and bring back the excitement that made Eugene Track Town USA in the 1960s and 1970s. Improvements are underway to prepare Hayward Field for its fourth U.S. Olympic trials next summer.
“Some may be able to offer more money, better weather, more seats in a stadium,” Lananna said. “I don’t think anyplace can offer what Eugene has to offer in track and field, cross country. This summer we’ll slap on another coat of paint and we’ll change around the facility, reconfigure it, but what there is here is people, there’s spirit, there’s a passion that I don’t think exists anywhere else. I hope we can keep the flame going.”
Former Smoky Hill runner Keara Sammons, who won the Colorado 5A cross country title in 2005, considered CU but chose Oregon.
“It’s really exciting because everyone is really enthusiastic about it. It’s Track Town USA,” Sammons said. “It’s cool to be a part of it.”
Rupp has been coached since high school by former Oregon great Alberto Salazar, who was Oregon’s last NCAA cross country champion. Now he and Lananna “collaborate” in coaching Rupp, who finished second in the 10,000 meters at last summer’s U.S. track championships and 11th at worlds.
“The amount of support we have is far greater than any other place in the country, hands down,” Rupp said before a workout with Salazar last month at the Nike facility in Portland. “The support you get, having that yellow jersey on, is one of the most unbelievable things I’ve been a part of.”
Salazar – a former American record-holder in the marathon, the 10,000 and the 5,000 – was a sophomore member of Oregon’s last NCAA cross country title team.
“We weren’t just the best in the country at the NCAA level, a lot of the best track and field athletes in the world competed in this jersey and went on to win Olympic gold medals,” Salazar said. “There’s a pride and heritage there that slipped for a while, and now it’s come back.”
Wetmore, who has built one of the country’s best distance programs in Boulder, doesn’t seem overly concerned about the prospect of a resurgent Oregon program.
“We’ve had some recruits that we’ve shared that have ended up going there, and some have ended up coming here,” Wetmore said. “Eugene has a wonderful history, it’s got a wonderful racing venue, and those are attractive things to any runner. But the people who are the best matches for Boulder seem to choose Boulder.”
The Oregon men were the unanimous No. 1 pick in the final pre-NCAA poll, but CU is sitting at No. 2 with a habit of upsetting heavily favored opponents at NCAAs.
“That’s one of the beauties of our sport, it’s not up to people voting online on a Monday morning,” Wetmore said. “It’s how you handle the course that day. I feel good about the strength of our men’s team. We’re healthy, and we’ve got seven good guys going. We’re excited and ready to try.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
