Competitiveness is a wonderful thing. That's why we love sports. It gives us the opportunity to see how far we can push ourselves. Track and Field is the ultimate competition sport. It's one of the only sports that puts the burden of the results squarely on the athlete's shoulders. If you don't run fast enough, you lose. If you don't throw far enough, you lose. Wide receivers can blame a quarterback for not throwing the ball well enough when a play fails. A track athlete has no teammate to blame for not fulfilling a responsibility that leads to his/her success. Even better, when you are the winner, you still compete against yourself for better personal times/marks. It's unlike any other in the world.
Two weeks ago, USC and Oregon, once again, swept the sprinting events at the PAC-12 Championship meet, with Oregon winning the overall title for the 9th consecutive year. Check out the times that USC and Oregon men clocked last week:
| 100 Meters | 4x100 Meter Relay | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Andre De Grasse JR - USC - 9.97* 2. Beejay Lee SR - USC - 10.16 4. Arthur Delaney SR - Oregon 10.44 7. Adoree Jackson FR - USC 10.48 |
1. USC - 39.17 1) Beejay Lee SR 2) Andre De Grasse JR 3) Just'N Thymes JR 4) Bryan Mercado SR |
2. Oregon - 39.64 1) Tony Brooks-James FR 2) Arthur Delaney SR 3) Ben Thiel SO 4) Marcus Chambers SO |
|
200 Meters
|
4x400 Meter Relay
|
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| 1. Andre De Grasse JR - USC - 20.05 2. Beejay Lee SR - USC - 20.46 3. Just'N Thymes JR - USC - 20.75 4. Arthur Delaney SR - Oregon - 20.92 |
1. Oregon - 3:05.84 1) Ben Thiel SO 2) Arthur Delaney SR 3) Russell Hornsby SR 4) Marcus Chambers SO |
4. USC - 3:11.94 1) Ricky Morgan FR 2) Adoree Jackson FR 3) Robert Ford FR 4) Myles Andrews SR |
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400 Meters
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| 1. Marcus Chambers SO - Oregon - 45.21 2. Davonte Stewart SR - USC - 46.34 5. Ricky Morgan FR - USC - 46.63 |
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If I'm being incredibly honest, I love to see dynasties like USC and Oregon further entrench their reputations on the track by continuously winning, but in the same breath, I would love to see them fall from grace. I'm not one of these types of fans that roots against a team or athlete just because I envy their success. I am the type of fan that roots against a team or athlete because I feel that MY team can do better.
You might be thinking to yourself, "Do better? How can Utah do better in sprints than USC and Oregon, especially when they don't even have a men's team?" I'll answer that question emphatically by dropping the names of four current University of Utah students.
Kenric Young, Delshawn McClellon, Troy McCormick, and Dre'Vian Young.
That's right, I'm calling them out! If there's anyone in this conference that can steal the thunder of USC and Oregon on the track, it's these guys! Why? Let's find out.
KENRIC YOUNG
Kenric is originally from Gainesville, FL and was a standout star in both football and track for Gainesville High School. Kenric's exploits on the track earned him national recognition in high school. He clocked a personal best 47.68 in the 400 meters placing 3rd at the 2013 3A state meet, 10.82 in the 100 meters, and 20.81 in the 200 metes. He was also a member of Gainesville High School's 4x100 meter relay team that won the regional and district meets, placed second at the 3A state championships and fourth at the Florida Relays. Kenric's high school track coach Rod McNealy is quoted as saying that "he [Kenric] could go to the NFL or the 2020 Olympics."
DELSHAWN MCCLELLON
Delshawn hails from North Long Beach, CA where he graduated from Gahr High Schoool in 2011. Besides being a standout football player, Delshawn was a star on the track. He currently holds his high school's record in the 100 meters, was the anchor leg of their state qualifying 4x100 meter realy team, and is Utah football's fastest athlete, clocking a 4.37 40 time.
TROY MCCORMICK
DRE'VIAN YOUNG
I now speak to these four men directly.
Not too long ago, one of your former teammates predicted that a 4x100 meter relay team comprised of Utah football players, specifically you guys, would run a 37 or 38. Take a look up top at USC's winning time in the 4x100 last week....39.17! Guys, that 1st place medal at the PAC-12 meet is yours for the taking. All of you are faster now than you were in high school. You're grown men now!
Dre'Vian...Ricky Morgan from USC is an up and coming freshman 400 meter runner and undoubtedly thinks that next years 400 meter PAC-12 crown is all his. How'd you like to spoil his outdoor season next year?
Troy...same story. Adoree Jackson is another USC freshman that thinks the title of "Fastest Man in the PAC-12" is all his next year. Go out there and take it from him!
Delshawn...that title could just as easily be yours. You have the fastest 40 time of anyone on the football team. No one will beat you out of the blocks.
Kenric...Your coach was right. You can go to the olympics. You have the speed. Whether its the 100, 200, or 400, you could step out onto that track in Eugene, Oregon and make Andre De Grasse and Marcus Chambers nervous. An athlete with your versatility is a powerful weapon in ANY individual event or relay team.
All four of you listen up. Oregon and USC came in 1st and 2nd place overall as teams with 185 points and 182 points respectively at the PAC-12 Championships. That means that Oregon HAD to take top 2 in both the 4x100 and the 4x400 to win the team title last week. Next year, the Oregon men will be shooting for their 10th consecutive team title. I don't know about you, but I think they've been at the top for far too long. If there is anyone in this conference that could step up and ruin that goal for them and knock them off the mountain, it's you guys!
If you go to that meet and compete the way you know you can, Oregon won't score as many team points, and with how close it was for them this year, that means they won't win their coveted 10th consecutive team title. The University of Miami back in the day was famous for ruining big games and meaningful moments for their opponents (Just ask Coach Erickson). That could be you! Go ruin their big moment next year. Pull the rug from under them. How do you do it? By walking into Coach Whittingham's and Chris Hill's offices and pleading your case. Go get the hardware ya'll deserve and walk away like:
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