Oregon produces first DMR repeat since 2014-15, with Atherley, Monson, Noennig and Steels all securing first national championships on opening night

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

No matter the roster makeup, the changes in coaching staff and the transfers that might come and go, one thing has remained a constant for the Oregon women’s track and field program during the past decade and that’s the Ducks ability to rise to the occasion at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships.

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Oregon extended the nation’s longest indoor title streak to 10 consecutive years Friday night at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., with Amanda Gehrich, Makenzie Dunmore, Susan Ejore and Jessica Hull helping the Ducks repeat in the women’s distance medley relay, clocking 10 minutes, 53.43 seconds to hold off Brigham Young in 10:54.14.

Only Ejore and Hull returned from last year’s championship lineup and Helen Lehman-Winters took over during the summer as Ducks women’s cross country coach and mentoring the female distance runners during track season, but Oregon still managed to become the first program to repeat in the DMR since Arkansas in 2014-15.

Hull, who ran the opening 1,200-meter leg last year, was moved to anchor this season and produced a 4:30.86 split over the final 1,600 meters to prevail against BYU’s Erica Birk, who closed in 4:31.75.

After Gehrich completed the opening leg in seventh place, Dunmore moved Oregon up to third following the 400 leg and Ejore split 2:03.52 on the 800 leg to pass the baton to Hull in second place, before she secured Oregon’s 21st women’s national indoor championship in program history, including the 20th in the past 10 years.

During its decade of dominance, Oregon has had 11 athletes combine to win 15 individual crowns, in addition to capturing three 4x400 relay championships, along with the back-to-back DMR victories.

Wisconsin placed ninth in 11:21.71 without the services of junior Alicia Monson, who won the 5,000 in 15:31.26, surging ahead of New Mexico sophomore Weini Kelati (15:32.95) in the final 150 meters to capture the Badgers’ first national indoor title in the event.

New Mexico also had Ednah Kurgat (15:39.031) and Charlotte Prouse (15:39.036) place fourth and fifth, helping the Lobos become the first program in Division 1 indoor history to produce three All-Americans in the women’s 5,000.

As exciting as the conclusion was in the DMR, it was surpassed by the final round of the women’s shot put, with Arizona State sophomore Samantha Noennig winning the title with a mark of 58-9.25 (17.91m) on the final attempt of the competition.

Stanford fifth-year senior Lena Giger took over the temporary lead with a sixth-round effort of 58-8.50 (17.89m), before Noennig saved her best performance for her final opportunity to follow former Sun Devils Maggie Ewen and Sarah Stevens as a national indoor shot put champion.

Miami (Florida) senior Michelle Atherley concluded her indoor career with one of the most impressive pentathlon performances in collegiate history, elevating to the No. 7 all-time performer with 4,547 points.

Atherley, a three-time indoor All-American, improved her Feb. 22 effort at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships by 49 points to secure the title with a wire-to-wire victory after opening the competition by running 8.16 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles.

Junior Jasmyn Steels became the first national women’s indoor champion from Northwestern State in any event by securing the long jump crown with a first-round leap of 21-2.50 (6.46m) and winning on a tiebreaker with Texas A&M sophomore Deborah Acquah based on a better second effort. Steels had a second mark of 21-1.25 (6.43m) and Acquah jumped 20-0.50 (6.11m).