Cal Track & Field: Camryn Rogers, Mykolas Alekna Take Aim at NCAA Titles

Both are favored to win at meet beginning Wednesday at Eugene, Oregon

Cal heads to the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Eugene, Oregon, this week, favored to claim two individual titles for the first time in 15 years.

Senior Camryn Rogers, the two-time defending champion in the women’s hammer throw, goes for No. 3 on Thursday. Freshman Mykolas Aleka is the top seed in the men’s discus, which will be contested on Friday.

Both are national collegiate record-holders and heavy favorites to win their events. Alekna is bidding to become Cal’s first male NCAA champ since decathlete Mike Morrison in 2011.

Rogers' best of 250 feet, 10 inches (76.46 meters) ranks her No. 4 on the current world list while Alekna's mark of 225-6 (68.73m) puts him at No. 5.

If both win, Cal will have two NCAA champions at the same meet for the first time since 2007, when Alysia Johnson won the women’s 800 meters and Kelechi Anyanwu captured the women’s discus.

The Bears have not claimed victories on both the men’s and women’s side in the same NCAA meet since 1988, when Kari Nisula took the men’s discus and Sheila Hudson won her third title in the women’s triple jump.

The NCAA meet runs Wednesday through Saturday at Oregon’s Hayward Field. The men compete on Wednesday and Friday, the women on Thursday and Saturday.

An exception to that arrangement is in the multi-event competitions, where men contest the decathlon on Wednesday and Thursday before women go in the heptathlon on Friday and Saturday.

In addition to Rogers and Alekna, the Bears have several athletes who hope to compete for top-3 podium finishes. Anna Purchase in the women’s hammer and Josh Johnson in the men’s shot put both are seeded No. 4, sprinter Ezinne Abba is No. 5 in the 100 meters, Iffy Joyner is No. 6 in the men’s hammer and Hakim McMorris is No. 8 in the decathlon.

Update: Abba was originally scheduled to be part of the Bears' 4x100 relay, but she will be replaced in Thursday's semifinals by Jordyn Grady. Abba withdrew from the 200 at the NCAA West prelims because of an injury so we are assuming she was pulled from the relay to avoid risk to her prospects in the 100.

CAL AT THE NCAA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.

WEDNESDAY

Decathlon Day 1, 12:30 p.m.

Hakim McMorris - seeded No. 8 (7941 points)

Men’s hammer throw final, 2 p.m.

Ivar Moisander- seeded No. 20 at 214 feet, 5 inches (65.35m)

Men’s shot put final, 6:40 p.m.

Josh Johnson - seeded No. 4 at 65-11 (20.09m)

THURSDAY

Decathlon Day 2, 11:30 a.m.

Hakim McMorris - seeded No. 8 at 7941 points

Women’s hammer throw final, 3 p.m.

Camryn Rogers - seeded No. 1 at 250-10 (76.46m)

Anna Purchase - seeded No. 4 at 226-2 (68.95m)

Women’s 4x100 relay semifinals, 5:32 p.m.

Cal (Jada Hicks, Jordyn Grady, Maisie Stevens, Aysha Shaheed) - seeded No. 16 at 44.03 seconds

Women’s 100 meters semifinals, 6:46 p.m.

Ezinne Abba - seeded No. 5 at 10.95 seconds

FRIDAY

Men’s discus final, 5:35 p.m.

Mykolas Alekna - seeded No. 1 at 212-10 (64.87m)

Iffy Joyner - seeded No. 6 at 190-1 (57.95m)

SATURDAY

Women’s 4x100 relay final, 2:32 p.m.

Cal (Hicks, Grady, Stevens, Shaheed) - pending semifinal results

Women's triple jump final, 2:50 p.m.

Busola Akinduro - seeded No. 15 at 43-4 1/2 (13.22m)

Women’s 100 meters final, 3:22 p.m.

Ezinne Abba - pending semifinal results

Note: Seeding marks don't necessarily represent an athlete's personal best

Cover photo of Mykolas Alekna by Ben Lonergan, The Register-Guard for USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo