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NCAA Track & Field Championships Day 1 Recap: Oregon Off and Running

The host Ducks look to steal thunder from the field

By Tony Piraro
Photo courtesy of Oregon Track and Field via Twitter @OregonTF

EUGENE, Oregon — The Oregon men’s track and field team took to Hayward Field on Wednesday afternoon for the first day of the NCAA Track and Field Championships. The Women of Oregon may be receiving all the attention, but these Duck men will not be silent.

Of course, it is a bit difficult to truly evaluate an Oregon’s men’s track and field event without the presence of Edward Cheserek. One can only imagine the dominance “King Ches” would have exhibited if he was participating this week. Instead, his team must move on without the living legend.

Track and Field: Pac-12 Championships
The Ducks were forced to participate in the NCAA Track and Field Championships without their leader “King Ches” after injury forced him from action. Without his presence at the meet, the Oregon track and field team knows they must step up their game.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

“We're trying to step up," said Marcus Chambers. “We knew he was out, and everyone knew, not just sprinters, that they had to step up. And that's what we're doing.”

However, another Duck grabbed the spotlight on Wednesday. Kyree King was the star of the show for the Ducks. He advanced to three separate finals. He was also a part of three different school records, incredibly.

King’s record-setting afternoon:

100 meters (10.00 seconds)

200 meters (20.27 seconds)

4x100 relay (38.76 seconds, school record)

“He's a great starter; he blasted out of the blocks, threw me for a loop, but I held it together,” said King. “The field is so fast. I figured preliminaries were going to be like finals.”

Blake Haney advanced to the 1,500 final after an impressive individual showing. A career-best effort of 3:40.40 earned Haney third place in the heat.

Marcus Chambers qualified for the finals in his event. After reaching the final in the 400 meters, Chambers was the anchor in Oregon’s relay.

Track and Field: 58th Mt. San Antonio College Relays
Kyree King continued to do what he has been doing all year to Pac-12 opponents alike. The only difference now is King is on the national stage. He could not feel more comfortable under the spotlight at home in Eugene. King was impressive on Wednesday, advancing in three events.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Cole Walsh finished the pole vault in fifth place with his solid performance. He cleared 17-10.5 to finish with 3.5 points

Mitch Modin (50.33) and Joe Delgado (49.29) both advanced to Thursday’s competition.

Cullen Prena failed to reach the finals in the hammer following a frustrating day for the Duck.

Thursday we await history with the Women of Oregon. You can catch the action beginning at 10:30 a.m. PT on ESPN3. Then, tune to ESPN2 at 4:30 p.m. PT for the conclusion of the second day. Get ready for liftoff. #Trifecta

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