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Top Duck female 800 runners of the '00s

Published by
Adam Schneider   Mar 8th 2010, 1:19am
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            The end of this decade has seen a resurgence in success by the Oregon women in what used to be their signature event, the 800 meters.  Leann Warren and Claudette Groenendaal won collegiate championships in the 800 meters in the early 1980s but Oregon scored once since (Kaarin Knudsen 6th in 1997) until Becca Noble won an NCAA championship outdoors in 2006. 

 

Noble was the top high school 800-meter runner the year before and won a Pan Am junior title.  She entered Oregon and finished second at the NCAA indoor meet.  At the NCAA outdoor meet she was 15 meters behind with 200 meters to go and ran down the leader.   Noble was a national level high school sprinter in Washington and it showed at the end of races.  She has battle injuries and conditioning since she was an NCAA runner-up indoors in 2007 (lost to outdoor US champion Alysia Johnson of Cal).  In her redshirt senior year this year she could contend for a title if she is ready to run.

 

            The winter after Noble’s title Zoe Buckman came to Oregon after finishing third in the Australian Championships.  Another star junior competitor she immediately contributed but never had a break from competition.  With time off she had a great fall of 2007 for the cross country team.  She improved throughout the season and surprised the team with an all-American award and 39th place finish to help the team with a surprise runner-up finish.  In the spring she had the lead in the NCAA final with 100 meters to go but a strong head wind slowed her and she finished fourth.  Last year she was hurt during Christmas break and never recovered.  She did not make the indoor or outdoor final. 

 

Top six of the ‘00s (top time, all-time (a-t) UO ranking, indoor, accomplishments, all-American awards, career)

 

1.      Becca Noble, 2:02.07, #4 UO a-t, 2:04.70i #2 UO a-t, ‘06 NCAA outdoor champion, Pac-10 champion, ’06 and ’07 NCAA indoor runner-up, 8th ’07 NCAA outdoor, 4x a-a, ’06-

2.      Zoe Buckman, 2:02.50, #5 UO a-t, 2:06.88i, #4 UO a-t, 4th ’08 NCAA outdoor, 6th ’08 DMR 800 leg, 3x a-a,  ’08 Pac-10 champ, ’07-

3.      Sara Schaaf, 2:06.36, #9 UO a-t, 2:08.30i, #5 UO a-t, 7th ’06 NCAA DMR, 3rd ’06 and 2x 5th P-10, ’03-‘06

4.      Eri McDonald, 2:06.37, #10 UO a-t, 2:06.75i, #3 UO a-t, ’00-‘03

5.      Amber McGown, 2:07.80, 7th ’06 NCAA DMR, ‘06   

 

Top runners of other decades (top time, all-time (a-t) UO ranking, indoor, accomplishments, all-American awards in event, career)

 

90s – Kaarin Knudson, 2:04.52, #6 UO a-t, 6th ’97 NCAA, 2x a-a, ’95-‘99

80s – Leann Warren, 1:59.63 (former CR), #2 UO a-t, #4 P-10 a-t, 2:03.7/2:04.61i SR, 8x a-a, no finish worse than 4th, ’81 AIAW champion, ’81 AIAW Athlete of the Year, ’80-’82, ‘85

          Claudette Groenendaal, 1:58.33, UO SR, CR, Pac-10 Record, ’85 NCAA champion, 4th ’83 NCAA indoor, 5x a-a (3 in 1500), 2x US champion, ’82-‘85

 

            Oregon has accumulated 16 all-American awards and had three collegiate champions in the women’s 800 meters.  Oregon runners have run three of the five fastest and four of the seven fastest Pac-10 times. 

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