EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon football can now claim a 2014 national title. Sort of.
On Saturday, redshirt freshman wide receiver Devon Allen won the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Allen’s time of 13.16 seconds was the second-fastest ever recorded in college track and field and helped the Oregon men’s track team win its first team title since 1984.
“Off the last hurdle, it was pretty even,” Allen said. “And I know I’m a good sprinter and I could sprint off the last 15 meters, so I was just hoping that I had got it. … I felt like I had it when I leaned across the finish line.”
Allen said he has dropped 20 pounds from the end of the fall season until now, which has helped in football and track. He said that after this full year of participating in both sports, he has confidence that he’ll be able to continue during his time in Eugene.
Even with his recent and phenomenal successes on the track, football will continue to be his No. 1 sport, he said.
“I had a big day today,” Allen said. “But it’s still football first for now. We’ll see how my season goes.”
Summer lifting and conditioning begins in two weeks for the Ducks football team, but Allen isn’t completely leaving the track quite yet. He’ll compete at USA Track & Field Senior Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, California, from June 26-29.
