NCAA Champ Hannah Cunliffe Leaves Ducks To Turn Pro

NCAA Champ Hannah Cunliffe Leaves Ducks To Turn Pro

Defending NCAA champion Hannah Cunliffe of Oregon has left the team and withdrawn from school. Cunliffe will pursue plans to run professionally.

Jan 28, 2018 by Kevin Sully
NCAA Champ Hannah Cunliffe Leaves Ducks To Turn Pro

Hannah Cunliffe has run her last race as an Oregon Duck. 

The news was first reported by Ken Goe of The Oregonian, who cited “several sources with knowledge of the situation” who said Cunliffe has left the team and withdrawn from school.

"I'm finalizing who my agent will be as I make the move to running professional," Cunliffe told FloTrack on Sunday evening. "I'm excited for what challenges lie ahead. I enjoyed my time at Oregon and made big improvements; I just felt it was the right time to make a move."

Cunliffe is the reigning NCAA champion in the 60m and collegiate record holder in the event. She has personal bests of 7.07 (60m), 11.07 (100m), and 22.49 (200m). 

In a text message to Goe, Oregon’s head coach Robert Johnson said Oregon "want to support Hannah in her dreams of being a pro."

After transferring from Oklahoma for the 2015-2016 school year, Cunliffe made an immediate impact for the Ducks. She took home Pac-12 titles in the 100m and 200m in 2016 and became NCAA champion in the 60m last winter. Though she dealt with injuries at the tail end of the 2016 and 2017 outdoor seasons, she was expected to be a key part of Oregon’s quest to defend their indoor and outdoor titles. 

Cunliffe was ranked first in the 60m and third in the 200m in the latest FloTrack rankings. She did not compete in any meets for the Ducks this indoor season. In her absence, the Ducks sprint squad will lean heavily on veteran Ariana Washington as well as underclassmen Makenzie Dunmore, Lauren Rain Williams, and Jasmin Reed.