The Bell Lap: Oregon men ranked No. 1 for first time since 2009

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) released their weekly outdoor track & field rankings on Tuesday and the Oregon men topped the poll for the first time since 2009. The Ducks took the top spot from the Florida Gators, who are the defending national champions.

Oregon's team score improved by almost 29 points to 335.91, while Florida lost nearly 13 points, down to 319.42. Rounding out the top five was Texas A&M (296.33), Arkansas (275.74) and Florida State (195.62).

On the women's side, the top six teams remained unchanged, with Oregon holding steady at No. 4 overall with 288.96 points, an increase of almost 39 points from the previous week.

This past weekend, the Ducks had a strong showing at the Mt. Sac Relays. Jenna Prandini ran the 100 in 11.11 seconds, the second fastest time in the world this year and the second fastest time in school history. The women's 4x100 team composed of Marybeth Sant, Phyllis Francis, Prandini and Jasmine Todd won in 43.31, tying for the fastest time in the world this year. The time was also second fastest in school history. Laura Roesler nearly broke the 2:00 barrier in the 800, winning in an NCAA-leading time of 2:00.53, the second-fastest time in the world this year.

At the Oregon Relays in Eugene, freshman phenom Edward Cheserek made his Hayward Field debut with a 13:46.77 win in the 5000. His teammate Eric Jenkins was right behind, finishing in 13:46.80. Oregon had another 1-2 finish in the 400 as Marcus Chambers and Jack Galpin crossed the line in 46.88 and 48.14, respectively. The Ducks also had a strong showing in the 4x100 as the team composed of Dior Mathis, Arthur Delaney, Galpin and Chambers won in 40.67 seconds. Devon Allen had an impressive meet considering he's been in football pads the past three weeks. Allen won three events, leading the way in the 100, the 110 hurdles and the 400 hurdles. Allen look the 100 in 10.55 seconds, the 110 hurdles in 10.73 seconds and the 400 hurdles in 52.56 seconds. Former Duck Matthew Centrowitz won the 1500 in 3:41.85, the third fastest time for an American this year.

For her performance at the Mt. Sac Relays, redshirt sophomore Jenna Prandini was named the Pac-12 Women's Track Athlete of the Week. Prandini won the 100 in 11.11 seconds, the second-fastest time in the world this year. Her time was also the fastest wind-legal time in the NCAA. Her time is the second fastest in Oregon history and seventh fastest in conference history. Prandini also won the award earlier this month on April 1.

Also gaining recognition was Oregon senior Laura Roesler, who was named the USTFCCA Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week for her performance at the Mt. Sac Relays. Roesler won the 200 in 2:00.54, the second-fastest time in the world this year and the fastest time so far this year in the NCAA. Her time ranked as the eighth-fastest on the all-time collegiate performers list.

Oregon now heads east for one of the biggest outdoor meets of the year at the 120th Penn Relays in Philadelphia. The meet kicks off on Thursday and commences on Sunday.