Oregon and Stanford women are out to dominate at the Penn Relays
Villanova will try to keep it local on the winners podium
Oregon and Stanford are back at the Penn Relays this year, and you can bet they aren't flying 3,000 miles just to sample cheesesteaks and get caught in traffic on the Schuylkill.
The Ducks and the Cardinal, along with Villanova, will be the teams to watch Thursday as the 123rd carnival gets underway at Franklin Field with women's relays.
Oregon is enjoying a magical season for its women's team. Winners of three relay championships at last year's carnival, the Ducks captured the 2017 NCAA indoor championship, set a collegiate record (42.12 seconds) in the 4x100-meter relay and saw junior Raevyn Rogers break a 27-year-old college record in the 800 (1 minute, 59.10 seconds) last weekend.
"We've been talking for a couple of weeks about how we want to use our kids there," Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said. "What do we do with Raevyn? Then you have the sprint medley relay and the 4x100. So we're going to probably run the 4x100, the sprint medley, the [4x1500] and possibly the [4x400]."
Rogers is expected to run anchor on the 4x400 and the sprint medley. Oregon also has its 4x100 relay team intact for Thursday's heats and Friday's Championship of America race.
The women's distance medley relay championship highlights Thursday's races, with Villanova and Stanford considered slight favorites in a loaded field that also includes Penn State, Indiana and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are making their first Penn Relays appearance since 1954.
Juniors Olivia Baker (800 meters) and Elise Cranny (1,600) will run the final two legs for Stanford, which also will run the 4x1500 on Friday and the 4x800 on Saturday.
"I think for our kids, running at Penn is crucial to their development because it's one of the few opportunities each year where it's just about competing," Stanford coach Chris Miltenberg said. "So often we get hung up on running times, and Penn is about taking the stick and go compete."
Villanova will run the same three relays as Stanford, with the Wildcats expected to lean on Siofra Cleirigh Buttner and Angel Piccirillo in all three. Piccirillo, a fifth-year senior, sat out last season and did not compete at Penn.
"She's looking really good. She's stronger and getting sharp," Wildcats coach Gina Procaccio said of Piccirillo. "I think we have one of the better DMRs than we've had in years, but I think this is one of the strongest DMR fields that have been here in years as well."
Georgetown is the defending champion in the DMR and the 4x800, but the Hoyas return just one runner from those teams - senior Emma Keenan of Gwynedd-Mercy Academy.
On the men's side, Penn State is the top seed in four relays - the distance medley, 4x400, sprint medley and 4x800. The dilemma for coach John Gondak is to utilize his runners as best he can considering that the DMR, the 4x400 heats and the SMR all will be conducted in a span of 2 1/2 hours late Friday.
"We try to be a well-balanced program. I don't have 12 high-quality sprinters where we can interchange parts," Gondak said. "I've got three, four, five individuals in each event area that are kind of our go-to people. So it puts us in a little bit of a disadvantage. . . . We'll look at the ones where I think we can be competitive."
Sophomore Isaiah Harris, one of the top 800-meter runners in the nation, will be one to watch for the Lions.
Villanova should be strong in the DMR, but with injuries coach Marcus O'Sullivan likely will decide between the 4-by-mile and the 4x800 rather than run both. Oregon will compete in the DMR and 4-by-mile but is not expected to have 17-time NCAA track and cross-country champion Edward Cheserek, who is staying home to rest.
Houston, coached by former Penn Wood star and world recordholder Leroy Burrell, and South Carolina, the defending champion in the 4x200, are expected to be strong in the sprint relays.
@joejulesinq