Oregon is done winning for a while. Once a new crop of men runners come they should be back to winning form.
The Oregon girls will become the new legacy.
Oregon is done winning for a while. Once a new crop of men runners come they should be back to winning form.
The Oregon girls will become the new legacy.
I think you are right. Oregon will still be strong, but they will not dominate again until a Galen Rupp or Chris Derrick comes along to lead the team. XC is so much based on good leadership, which Rupp provided. Unfortunately, it is proving a bit too much for Puskedra to provide the leadership needed to direct the chemistry of the current team. Stanford has the good fortune of having both Derrick and Heath to lead.
Yes, the Oregon women may well be on the verge of a new dynasty. With Jordan Hasay in the mix for the national championships as a freshman, they have the leadership needed to catch Washington and then to step up to the next level.
Frito chili pie wrote:
Oregon is done winning for a while. Once a new crop of men runners come they should be back to winning form.
The Oregon girls will become the new legacy.
This may come as a shock to you, but Oregon has never focused solely on XC. I.E., they have never given, say, 7 full scholarships, or 12 for that matter, purely to distance runners.
Yes, they have focused on always having a strong squad, but Bowerman, Dellinger, and Vin would never load up on all long distance guys alone. For instance, when Salazar was on the team, he was the only pure 10k specialist. Chapa was a 5k guy, who often ran the 1500, and even the 800. Centro Sr., started as a 1500 guy, ran the 800, even ran the 400 x 400 once. Spir was a 1500 guy. McChesney was a 5k guy. Etc.
Not to mention all the scholarships given to field event guys, pole vaulters, and the occasional sprinter.
This, as opposed to schools like Alabama, or Portland, that give full rides to 7 guys for XC.
To win two in a row at Oregon was very much an exception to the history.
As to the Duck legacy taking a dip?
This is really still the early days of Lananna's tenure...
The doldrums of the post J. Cruz Dellinger years are long past.
The program will continue to build and be a threat to win NCAA Outdoor TRACK titles for the first time since the mid 80's.
You haters can hate all you want, but Oregon will continue to build and be a force.