English Gardner (2023) - Hall of Fame - University of Oregon Athletics

English Gardner

Induction:
2023

English Gardner was a five-time NCAA champion, six-time conference champion and nine-time All-American during her standout track and field career at Oregon. Along with her individual plaudits, Gardner helped Oregon to five NCAA top-three finishes including indoor team titles in 2012 and 2013 and three Pac-10/12 team titles. The Voorhees, N.J., native burst onto the scene by winning the Pac-10 title in the 100 meters as a redshirt-freshman in 2011. Her winning time of 11.03 broke the previous meet record set by Gail Devers and the old U.S junior record held by Angela Williams. The following year as a sophomore, Gardner won NCAA titles at 60 and 100 meters and as a member of the Ducks’ 4x400-meter relay to match the three Pac-12 titles she won in the 100 and 200 along with the 4x100-meter relay. She ran the lead-off leg of the Ducks’ victorious 4x400-meter relay at the NCAA Championships in 2012, alongside teammates Chizoba Okodogbe, Laura Roesler and Phyllis Francis for a time of 3:24.54 to break the then-school and meet record. The performance still stands as the second-fastest in Oregon history. That same quartet also won the NCAA indoor 4x400 relay title in 2013 with a then-school record of 3:30.22, a mark that still ranks among the top five in UO history. A season after being named the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year (2011), Gardner earned Pac-12 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year honors in 2012. At the 2013 NCAA Championships at Historic Hayward Field, Gardner won a second consecutive national title in the 100 meters on the strength of a 10.96 performance that broke the Pac-12 record – another mark held by Devers – and her own Oregon school record. With the performance, Gardner became the No. 3 all-time performer in NCAA, which 10 years later, still ranked among the top-15 performers in collegiate history. She also ranked fourth in school history and sixth all-time on the Pac-12 list. All told, Gardner broke five school records during her Oregon career and still ranks among the top 10 in each event. Her school-record time of 7.12 won the 60 meters at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships. Gardner’s indoor and outdoor bests in the 200 meters also are still inside the Ducks’ top 10. In a show of her long-standing impact, Gardner took her rightful place in the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2022. In addition to her storied collegiate achievements, Gardner is a two-time Olympic medalist for the United States as a member of the 4x100-meter relay – gold in 2016, silver in 2021 – and a two-time U.S. champion in the 100 meters. Gardner is one of eight Olympic gold medalists in Oregon Track and Field history, and one of three UO women on that list along with Francis and Keshia Baker. Gardner also won two silver medals at the World Championships with the United States’ 4x100 relay in 2013 and 2015.