EUGENE, Ore. – Jaida Ross and Jerry Schumacher have been voted Pac-12 Women’s Field Athlete and Coach of the Year as announced by the league office Friday. The UO women won a third-consecutive Pac-12 team title—and 14th overall—last weekend in Boulder, Colo.
Ross becomes the Ducks’ fourth Pac-12 Women’s Field Athlete of the Year, joining the exclusive list already featuring Brianne Theisen (2010, ’12), Jenna Prandini (2014) and Jasmine Todd (2015). For a second-consecutive season, Schumacher earns top coaching honors.
Ross, a two-time champion at the conference meet, won the shot put and discus for 20 points toward the Ducks’ total. After runner-up finishes the previous two years, Ross won the shot put with a best of 19.01m/62-4.5, more than seven feet clear of the field. The measure was her sixth beyond 19 meters this season.
On the final day of competition, Ross registered a lifetime best of 59.74m/196-0 to win the discus and move to No. 2 on the program’s all-time list. Coupled with Shelby Moran’s fourth-place finish, the UO throws standouts tallied 15 points in the event.
The Medford, Ore., native broke the collegiate record in the shot put with her 19.71m/64-8 outing at the Triton Invitational (April 6), a measure she later tied three weeks later at the Desert Heat Classic. Ross was named Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Week following each meet and is one of 10 on the latest Bowerman Watch List.
The Women of Oregon, the No. 3 team in the country for a third-consecutive week, scored 150 points on their way to the Pac-12 team title. The UO women posted 11 top-three event finishes including six Pac-12 titles with double wins from Ross and Jadyn Mays, champion at in the 100 and 200 meters. In across-the-board contribution, the Ducks scored in 17 of 21 events.
2024 Pac-12 Track and Field Awards
MEN
Track Athlete of the Year: Johnnie Blockburger, USC
Field Athlete of the Year: Rowan Hamilton, California
Freshman of the Year: Racquil Broderick, USC
Coach of the Year: Andy Powell, Washington
WOMEN
Track Athlete of the Year: Jasmine Jones, USCField Athlete of the Year: Jaida Ross, Oregon
Freshman of the Year: Madison Whyte, USC
Coach of the Year: Jerry Schumacher, Oregon
All conference end-of-year awards were selected by coaches’ vote.
The postseason continues with the 2024 NCAA West Preliminary (May 22-25) in Fayetteville, Ark. The team is sending 44 qualifiers—17 men, 27 women—to the meet. The top 12 in each event from both regional sites advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 5-8) at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Tickets for the 2024 NCAA Championships, both all-session and single day, are currently on sale.
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