Oregon women’s sprinting has lagged behind the rest of the Pac-10 conference since the mid 1990s.  Until last year there was not a single Duck Pac-10 scorer in the women’s 100 or 200 meters since before the 2000 season.  In 2006 Robert Johnson was hired as the women’s sprint coach.  The next summer he lured the double-Oregon high school state champion, Mandy White, and the next year recruited a top-10 national sprinter Amber Purvis. 

In 2009 Purvis started the season with a third place finish in the indoor 60 at the Mountain Pacific Indoor championships (7.36) and was the only freshman at the NCAA indoor championships in the 60 meters (12^th in 7.39 seconds).  Purvis did not lose a single outdoor race until after a football player accidentally broke her foot right before the Pac-10 championships.  At the Pepsi meet she broke the 100 meter (11.41) and 200 meter (23.09) school records and three times helped the her teammates break the 4x100 meter school record (44.17 at west regional).  At the Pac-10 meet struggled to an eighth place finish in the Pac-10 100 (11.84).  She returned to form five weeks later and was second at the US junior meet (11.42 with a 2.8 m/s wind aiding her) and was second at the Pan American junior championships with a new school record of 11.38.

            Mandy White scored for the second year in a row at the MPSF championship meet (personal record and second among Ducks all-time at 7.57 in the prelim) with a repeat seventh place finish.  Outdoors Mandy just missed the Pac-10 final by running a personal record 11.74, sixth all-time among Ducks. 

Top indoor 60/100 meter runners of the ‘00s (top time, UO ranking, all-American (a-a) awards in event and years of career)

1.      Amber Purvis 7.34i SR, 11.38, UO SR, no 100 meter a-a awards but has Distance medley a-a award, ’09-

2.      Mandy White 7.57i #2 UO a-t, 11.74, #6 UO a-t, ’08-

Top athletes of other decades (top time, UO ranking, all-American (a-a) awards in event and years of career)

90s – LaReina Woods, 6.92 55m SR, 11.58, #2 UO a-t, ’93 P-10 champion ’92, ’93 and ’95 always in top 3 of Pac-10, a-a in 4x400 relay, ’92, ’93, ’95, ‘96

80s – Rosie Williams, 11.58,#2 UO a-t, ’89-‘91

70s – Debbie Adams, 11.65, #4 UO a-t, mile relay a-a (2^nd), ’78-‘79

            Oregon has never had an all-American in this event.