Sierra product makes a quick impact at Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. • Michele Williams has been part of an awful lot of success as a member of the University of Oregon track and field team.

School record-setting relays. A national event title. The Ducks’ first NCAA indoor team championship.

And to think, the 2006 Sierra High School graduate hasn’t even been on campus for a year. 

It’s not that she’s greedy, but Williams is going after her biggest achievements yet on her home track, when the Ducks host the NCAA Division I track and field outdoor national championships Wednesday through Saturday at Hayward Field.

A relay specialist, Williams immediately added depth to Oregon’s sprint crew, which has started to become a more significant player on the national scene. At indoor nationals in March, Williams ran legs on the Ducks’ indoor distance medley, which placed second, and 1,600-meter relay, which placed first  — for Oregon’s first NCAA title in a relay— as the Ducks rolled to the team championship by 25 points in Fayetteville, Ark. Both relay squads set school records.

“I didn’t expect all this to happen in one year, but as far as everything goes, everything has just been so awesome,” Williams said.

The redshirt junior was no stranger to success before coming to Oregon, albeit at a different level. Williams won a state title as a member of Sierra’s 800 relay squad her junior year, and in her three years at Adams State College, a Division II school in Alamosa, Williams was a multiple All-American in the 400 and 1,600 relay. She chopped her personal best in the 400 from 58 seconds as a prep to 53.49 last year and placed third at the national meet.

But Williams said she “was missing a couple things” at Adams State: She often had to work out by herself or with the men, and the conference wasn’t particularly strong. So she decided to transfer to Oregon, which placed second to Texas A&M at the outdoor national meet last year.

“I’ve always had Oregon in mind, and I’ve always wanted to go to Oregon out of high school, but I had to start at a place where I was most comfortable,” Williams said.

Though the transition has gone relatively smoothly, Williams still had a bit of a learning curve. At first, she had trouble finishing workouts, which were longer and more intense than what she’d been accustomed to. And she had to make the jump mentally as well.

“When I transferred here, I feel like it started all over again,” Williams said. “The times are much, much faster than Division II and I feel like I’m a freshman all over again just like I was at Adams.”

But she seems to be rounding into peak form at the perfect time. On May 16, Williams placed third in the 400 at the Pac-10 Championships in a personal-best 53.36, helping the Ducks to their second straight conference title. That mark ranks fifth all-time at Oregon.

And on May 29, Williams posted a 52.5 split, her best of the season, to help the 1,600 team qualify for Eugene with the top time at the NCAA West Regional — 3:30.23, another school record.

“Without her, we’re probably missing a leg in the 4x4,” said Robert Johnson, an Oregon assistant and Williams’ primary coach. “She definitely filled a big void for us.”

With the Ducks in the title hunt again this week, Williams and her relay teammates could play a pivotal role. Williams hopes to do her part and dip under 52 seconds on her leg.

“It’s like a dream for me to be here because I didn’t expect any of this to happen, but just to know that we have possibilities to win another team title and possibly a 4x4 championship again is very … the whole thing is just excitement,” she said.

And as good as she has already been, all this success could be just a beginning.

“I think Michele is a super, super talent, and whenever she gets out of her own way, she’s going to be amazing,” Johnson said.