Both the Oregon men and women fell to second in the final day of competition at the NCAA track and field championships. Oregon did what they could, but with few competitors today, they simply couldn't add to their lead. Andrew Wheating won the 800m at the line, and Keshia Baker took 5th place in the 400m, getting the women's team 4 points. But in the end, they could not hold off the Aggies, who overperformed in a few key events on the final day, including taking second place in the 4x400 relay to seal the deal.
The Oregon women did as well as expected, but the Oregon men left too many points on the track, ending up with 46 points when they were projected to have 67. Matthew Centrowitz's injury in the 1500m put the Ducks in an early hole, and the Ducks underperformed in other areas as well. It's unfortunate that such a great season had to end in this way.
However, despite the disappointment, this was a great season for Oregon track. We saw some dominating performances, including the twilight run in which the men set the collegiate record in the four mile relay. We saw Oregon sweep the Pac-10 tournament, and we saw great performances by Galen Rupp, who will go down as one of the greats in Oregon history.
So congratulations to the men's and women's track and field teams, and great season and a job well done. GO DUCKS!