I’ll make this short. It was a disappointing day for the men. Demarcus Simpson ran a slow 100m and will not advance. James West, who I expected to score in the NCAA Championships, had some problems with contact and failed to qualify to advance in the 1500. Tanner Anderson had some kind of problem that led to his dropping out of the 10k. Scratch three potential scores on a team that was already a long shot to win the NCAAs. However, they still had some hood performances and advanced several athletes today.
The women did well. One of the most encouraging performances came from freshman Jasmin Reed, who had the third fastest qualifying time in the 100. The women advanced an astonishing 5 athletes in the 400, including Duck star Makenzie Dunmore. The stage is building for another great NCAA showdown between UO and USC in the women’s 4x400, in addition to a 400 showdown between USC’s Kendall Ellis and UO’s Makenzie Dunmore. USC and Kendall will be favored in both events, but Mak and the UO 4x400 are coming on strong.
The women advanced multiple potential NCAA finalists today. That trend should continue through the remainder of the three day Regionals
