Two years ago, Bridget Franek made the World Championships team in the steeplechase at Hayward Field. Last year, as a Penn State senior, she became an NCAA champion there, and in the Prefontaine Classic, she ran her personal best there — 9 minutes, 32.25 seconds — en route to being ranked No. 2 in the United States by Track & Field News.

And so, when she moved to Eugene last October to begin her professional career with Oregon Track Club Elite, some things felt familiar.

“I’ve been here so much with track meets, I almost felt like I’ve lived here,” she said.