Oregon's Hannah Cunliffe is turning pro

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

After two years at Oregon, reigning NCAA Division 1 indoor 60-meter champion Hannah Cunliffe has decided to turn pro. 

Cunliffe has moved out of Eugene and is back home near Seattle. 

On Sunday, she put together a statement that read: "I'm finalizing who my agent will be as I make the move to running professional. I'm excited for what challenges lie ahead. I enjoyed my time at Oregon and made big improvements. I just felt it was the right time to make a move. More information will be coming as soon as things get finalized."

That statement came in the form of a text message from Cunliffe's father, Mike. 

Cunliffe has been a standout sprinter since middle school in the Puget Sound area and spent her first year of college at Oklahoma. She won Pac-12 titles in the 100 and 200 in 2016, but concluded the season with an injury. She was also less than 100 percent at the conclusion of the 2017 season. 

In leaving Oregon early to pursue professional track and field, Cunliffe follows in the footsteps of a string of NCAA champions English Gardner, Jenna Prandini, Raeyvn Rogers and Olympian Deajah Stevens. 

The news of Cunliffe's departure was broken Sunday by Ken Goe of The Oregonian, who filed this report.