It was a typical cool, drizzly spring day in Eugene, and the Oregon men's distance contingent was out on a training run.
A light wind made the chill cut a little deeper, but the Men of Oregon pressed on with their workout. As they pulled back in to Hayward Field, Mick Stanovsek had a moment of reflection.
"These are the days," Stanovsek told his fellow Ducks, "that I really appreciate having teammates. You don't make it through those workouts otherwise."
This weekend, the Ducks both male and female will use that sense of camaraderie to fuel them at the NCAA Indoor championship meet hosted by Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.